Imperial Order of the Crown of India
The insignia of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India
Type Order of Chivalry Eligibility British princesses, wives or female relatives of Indian princes Status Last appointment in 1947 Dormant order since 2022 Sovereign
Charles III Post-nominals CI
Ribbon of the order
The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the
British honours system . The Order was established by
Queen Victoria when she became
Empress of India in 1878.
[1] The Order was open only to women, and no appointments have been made since the
Partition of India in 1947. The Order was limited to British princesses, wives or female relatives of Indian princes (female rulers like the
Nawab Begums of Bhopal counted as such) and the wife or female relatives of any person who held the office of:
History
The Order of the
Crown of India was established by
Queen Victoria in 1878 as a companion order to the
Order of Victoria and Albert . The order was intended to recognize women associated with India regardless of their social statuses. In practice, the Order of the Crown of India was mostly conferred on royalty, wives of peers, wives of members of India's ruling classes and wives of civil servants stationed in India. It is one of the few honors which was reserved for women only, such as the
Order of Victoria and Albert and the
Royal Family Order .
Queen Elizabeth II , then Princess Elizabeth, and her sister,
Princess Margaret , were appointed to the Order by their father,
King George VI , in June 1947, before the
British Raj was dissolved
three months later , making them among the last women to be presented with the Order. By the late 20th century there were only four living recipients – Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester , who was the last ordinary member at the time of her death in 2004.
With the death of the last surviving holder, Queen Elizabeth II, the last active imperial Indian order became dormant in 2022.
Description
Badge of the order
The members of the Order could use the
post-nominal letters "CI ", but did not acquire any special precedence or status due to it. Furthermore, they were entitled to wear the badge of the Order, which included Queen
Victoria 's Imperial Cypher, VRI (Victoria Regina Imperatrix ). The letters were set in diamonds, pearls, and turquoises, and were together surrounded by a border of pearls surmounted by a figure of the Imperial Crown. The badge was worn and attached to a light blue bow, edged in white, on the left shoulder.
Elizabeth II, in her uniform as Colonel-in-Chief of the Scots Guards, wears the badge of the order as a medal (first on left). (Trooping the Colour, 1986)
Recipients
Rani Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore wearing the badge and ribbon of the order
1878–1900
1878:
Alexandra, Princess of Wales
1878:
Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Germany
1878:
Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine
[1]
1878:
Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
1878:
Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne
1878:
Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom
1878:
Maria Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh
1878:
Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge
1878:
Grand Duchess Augusta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
1878:
Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck
1878:
Maharani Bamba Singh
1878:
Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal
1878: Maharani Sita Vilas Dawaji Ammani Anaro of
Mysore
1878: Maharanee Jumnabai Sahib Gaekwad of
Baroda (widow of Maharaja Khanderao)
1878: Dilawar un-Nisa Begum Sahiba, of
Hyderabad
1878: Nawab Qudsia, Begum of
Bhopal
1878:
Vijaya Mohana Muktamba Bai Ammani Raja Sahib of
Tanjore
1878:
Maharani Swarnamoyee of
Cossimbazar
1878:
Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
1878:
Georgina Gascoyne-Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury
1878: Henrietta Vyner,
Marchioness of Ripon , Vicereine of India
1878:
Lady Mary Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville
1878: Mary Bruce, The Countess of Elgin
1878: The Countess of Mayo
1878: Lady Susan Bourke
1878:
Mary Wood, Viscountess Halifax
1878: Lady Hobart (Mary Hobart, wife of
Lord Hobart , Governor of the Presidency of Madras)
1878: Lady Jane Baring
1878: Anne Napier, Baroness Napier (wife of
Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier , Governor of the Presidency of Madras, 1866–1872)
1878:
Edith Bulwer-Lytton, Countess of Lytton
1878: Harriette Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence
1878: Cecilia Northcote, Countess of Iddesleigh
1878: Catherine Frere, Lady Frere (wife of
Sir Henry Frere, 1st Baronet , Governor of the Presidency of Bombay)
1878: Mary Temple, Lady Temple (wife of
Sir Richard Temple, 1st Baronet , Governor of the Presidency of Bombay)
1878: Caroline Denison, Lady Denison (wife of
Sir William Denison , Governor of the Presidency of Madras)
1878: Katherine Strachey, Lady Strachey (wife of
Sir John Strachey , acting Viceroy of India 1872)
1878: Jane Gathorne-Hardy, Countess of Cranbrook
1878:
Princess Frederica of Hanover
1878:
Princess Marie of Hanover
1879:
Thyra, Duchess of Cumberland
1879:
Louise Margaret Duchess of Connaught
1879: Lady Napier of Magdala (wife of
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala , Commander-in-Chief India 1870–1876 and acting Viceroy of India, 1862–1863)
1879: Lady Frances Cunynghame
1879: Dowager Lady Pottinger (widow of Sir
Henry Pottinger , Governor of the Presidency of Madras 1848–1854)
1881:
Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi , Senior Rani of
Attingal
1881: Lady Fergusson (Olive Fergusson, wife of
Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet , Governor of the Presidency of Bombay, 1880–1885)
1881: Mrs William Patrick Adam (Emily Adam, widow of
William Patrick Adam , Governor of the Presidency of Madras 1880–1881)
1882:
Helen, Duchess of Albany
1883: Lady Grant Duff (Anna Julia Grant Duff, wife of
Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff , Governor of the Presidency of Madras 1881–1886)
1884: Edith Fergusson (daughter of
Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet , Governor of the Presidency of Bombay, 1880–1885)
1884:
The Countess of Dufferin (wife of
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, Earl of Dufferin , Viceroy of India, 1884–1888)
1885:
Lady Randolph Spencer-Churchill (wife of
Lord Randolph Churchill , Secretary of State for India, 1885–1886)
1885: Lady Reay (Fanny Georgiana Jane Mackay, wife of
Donald Mackay, 11th Lord Reay , Governor of the Presidency of Bombay 1885–1890)
1886: Viscountess Cross (Georgina Cross, wife of
Richard Assheton Cross, 1st Viscount Cross , Secretary of State for India 1886–1892)
1887:
Princess Louise of Wales
1887:
Princess Victoria of Wales
1887:
Princess Maud of Wales
1887: Maharanee Sunity Devee of
Kuch Behar
1888:
Maud Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne , Vicereine of India
1889:
Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
1889:
Princess Victoria Mary of Teck
1890: Lady Harris (Lucy Ada Harris, wife of
George Harris, 4th Baron Harris , Governor of the Presidency of Bombay, 1890–1895)
1891: Maharanee Sakhiabai Raje Sahib Scindia Bahadur, Regent of
Gwalior (widow of Maharaja Sir Jayajirao Scindia Bahadur)
1891: Lady Wenlock (Constance Mary Lawley, wife of
Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock , Governor of the Presidency of Madras 1891–1896)
1892: Maharanee Chimnabai Sahib Gaekwad of
Baroda (wife of
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III )
1892: Lady Nandkuverbai Bhagvatsinh Jadeja, Rani Sahib of
Gondal
1893: Maharani
Kempananjammanni Devi of
Mysore (wife of
Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar X )
1893:
Marie, Crown Princess of Romania
1893:
Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
1893:
Princess Aribert of Anhalt
1894:
The Countess of Elgin (wife of
Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin , Viceroy of India, 1894–1899)
1895: Mrs Henry Fowler (Ellen Fowler, wife of
Henry Fowler , later
Viscount Wolverhampton , Secretary of State for India, 1894–1895)
1895: The Lady Sandhurst (wife of
William Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst , later Viscount Sandhurst, Governor of the Presidency of Bombay, 1895–1900)
1895: Lady George Hamilton (wife of
Lord George Hamilton , Secretary of State for India, 1895–1903)
1897:
Alexandra, Hereditary Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
1897: Maharani Sahiba of
Udaipur (wife of Maharajadhiraja Fateh Singh)
1897: Nawab Shamsi Jahan, Begum Sahiba of
Murshidabad
1897: Lady Havelock (Anne Havelock, wife of
Sir Arthur Havelock , Governor of the Presidency of Madras, 1896–1900)
1899:
Lady Curzon of Kedleston , Vicereine of India
1900:
Princess Margaret of Connaught
1900: Lady Northcote (wife of
Henry Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote , Governor of the Presidency of Bombay, 1900–1903)
1900: Lady Roberts (wife of
Frederick Roberts, Baron Roberts , Commander-in-Chief India 1885–1893)
[2]
1900: Lady Stewart (Marina Katherine Stewart, widow of General
Sir Donald Stewart, 1st Baronet , Commander-in-Chief India 1881–1885)
[3]
1900: Lady White (Amelia Maria White, wife of General
Sir George White , Commander-in-Chief India 1893–1898)
[3]
1900: Lady Mary Katharine Lockhart (née Eccles; widow of General Sir
William Stephen Alexander Lockhart ,
Commander in Chief India , 1898–1900)
1900:
Lady Ampthill (wife of
Arthur Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill , Governor of the Presidency of Madras, 1900–1905)
1901–1947
Tara Devi, the Maharani of Jammu and Kashmir
1909:
The Countess of Minto (wife of
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto , Viceroy of India, 1905–1910)
[4]
1910:
Lady Hardinge of Penshurst (wife of
Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst , Viceroy of India, 1910–1916)
[5]
1911:
Princess Patricia of Connaught (Coronation of George V)
[6]
1911:
Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen (Coronation of George V)
[7]
1911: The Marchioness of Crewe (wife of
Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe , Secretary of State for India, 1910–1911)
1911:
Kaikhusrau Jahan, Begum of Bhopal
1911: Maharani Sri Nundkanvarba of
Bhavnagar
1916:
The Viscountess Chelmsford (wife of
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford , Viceroy of India, 1916–1921)
1917:
Lady Willingdon (wife of
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Baron Willingdon , later Marquess of Willingdon, Governor of the Presidency of Bombay, 1913–1918; Governor of the Presidency of Madras, 1919–1924; Viceroy of India, 1931–1936)
1918: Maji Sahiba Girraj Kuar, Maharani of Bharatpur, Regent of
Bharatpur , 1900–1918
1919:
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
1921:
Alice Isaacs, Countess of Reading , Vicereine of India
1926:
Lady Irwin (wife of
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Baron Irwin , later Earl of Halifax, Viceroy of India, 1926–1931)
1927: The Countess of Lytton (wife of
Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton , Viceroy of India, 1925–1926)
1928: Shrimati Chinkuraja Scindia, Senior Maharani of
Gwalior
1929: Puradam Thirunal
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi , Regent Maharani of
Travancore
1930: Lady Birdwood (wife of
William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood , Commander-in-Chief India, 1925–1930)
1931:
Elizabeth Duchess of York
1932: Begum Mariam Sultana, Lady Ali Shah (widow of
Aga Khan II )
1935: Maharani Bhatianiji Sri Ajab Kanwarji Sahib, of Bikaner, Rajputana
[8]
1935:
Lady Beatrix Taylour Stanley
[8]
1936:
Doreen Hope, Marchioness of Linlithgow , Vicereine of India
[9]
1937:
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
[10]
1937:
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
[11]
1937:
Doreen Knatchbull Lady Brabourne
[12]
1943: The Viscountess Wavell (wife of
Archibald Wavell, Viscount Wavell , later Earl Wavell, Viceroy of India, 1943–1947)
1945: Mrs Leopold Stennett Amery (Florence Amery, wife of
Leopold Stennett Amery , war-time Secretary of State for India, 1940–1945)
[13]
1946: Maharani Tara Devi of
Jammu and Kashmir
[14]
1947:
Edwina, Viscountess Mountbatten of Burma , Vicereine of India
[15]
1947:
Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom
[16]
1947:
Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom
[16]
1947: Agnes Anne, Baroness Clydesmuir (wife of
John Colville, 1st Baron Clydesmuir , Governor of the Presidency of Bombay)
[17]
Sources
Orders
Current
Dormant Defunct
Other
Current decorations and medals
Level 1 Level 2A Level 2B Level 3A Level 3B Level 4 Other
Obsolete decorations and medals
Level 1 Level 2A Level 2B Level 3A Level 3B
Constabulary Medal (Ireland)
Union of South Africa King's Medal for Bravery, Silver
Kaisar-i-Hind Medal (Gold, Silver, Bronze)
Indian Police Medal, for Gallantry
Ceylon Police Medal, for Gallantry
Sierra Leone Police Medal, for Gallantry
Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal, for Gallantry
Mauritius Police Medal for Meritorious Service
Colonial Police Medal, for Gallantry
Canada Medal
Queen's Medal for Chiefs
Indian Police Medal, for Meritorious Service
Ceylon Police Medal, for Merit
Sierra Leone Police Medal, for Meritorious Service
Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal, for Meritorious Service
Level 4
Exclusively for women: Included a class for women: