Likened to a school prize giving, in which everyone watched as each recipient made small talk with the then-Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Charles, the long-running tradition was a mainstay of the Royal calendar and a moving moment for those honoured for their service to their country and community.
An old description of the ceremony, hosted on the Royal family website with a photograph of hundreds of gold and red velvet chairs, states: “The Ballroom is readied for recipients and their guests, ahead of their arrival at Buckingham Palace.”
The new version is instead hosted in the Throne Room. It sees recipients invited in one-by-one, while their families are in the room to one side watching.
Those asked are reported to have given feedback that the set-up felt more intimate, lessening their nerves as they talked to the King, Prince William or Princess Anne one-on-one without a large audience.
It retains its other traditional elements, including the attendance of two Gurkha orderly officers dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria in 1876, and a military band or orchestra playing in the background as the Royal host and recipient make conversation.
At Windsor Castle, it takes place in the Grand Reception Room, with a corridor outside with half a dozen professional photographers on hand to capture people smiling with their CBE, OBE, or MBE for a souvenir of the day.
They can also purchase a video of their day, with remote cameras in the room for their big moment with royalty.
