Order of Grimaldi
Encyclopedia
The Order of Grimaldi is an Order (decoration)
established in Monaco
on 18 November 1954. This Order rewards personal service to the Sovereign Prince of Monaco; as such it is awarded on the sole discretion of the Prince, currently Albert II, Prince of Monaco
.
Order (decoration)
An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...
established in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
on 18 November 1954. This Order rewards personal service to the Sovereign Prince of Monaco; as such it is awarded on the sole discretion of the Prince, currently Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly...
.
Grades
The Order has five classes:- Knight Grand Cross, which wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest;
- Grand Officer, which wears the badge on a necklet, plus the star on the right chest;
- Commander, which wears the badge on a necklet;
- Officer, which wears the badge on a ribbon with rosetteRosette (decoration)A rosette is a small, circular device that is presented with a medal. The rosettes are primarily for situations where wearing the medal is deemed inappropriate. Rosettes are issued in nations such as France, Italy and Japan...
on the left chest; - Knight, which wears the badge on a plain ribbon on the left chest.
Insignia
- The badge of the Order is a white-enamelled Maltese Cross, in silver for Knight class, in giltGildingThe term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
for higher classes. The obverse central disc is in gilt, bearing a mounted knight carrying the coat-of-arms of Monaco (actually that of the Grimaldi family), surrounded by the legend "Rainer Grimaldi, Prince de Monaco". The reverse central disc, also in gilt, bears the year "1950" and the legend "Principauté de Monaco". The badge is topped by a crown.
- The star of the Order is a modern design in silver, formed by 16 rhombs (from the coat-of-arms of the Grimaldi family and of Monaco) arranged in a circle. The gilt central disc is the same as that on the obverse of the badge.
- The ribbon of the Order is white, with a thin red stripe near (but not touching) the edge of the ribbon.