The ceremony, which dates to 1818, now recognizes service in foreign and Commonwealth affairs. The King asked attendees to remember "members of the Order lately departed," after which Sir Jonathan Taylor read the names of those who had died since the last ceremony.
The Duke of Kent, the oldest living royal, has remained active: the Court Circular lists a dozen-plus engagements for him in 2026, and he recently attended an April palace reception for the late Queen Elizabeth’s 100th birthday alongside his sister, Princess Alexandra.