The Order of Merit

The Order of Merit is a special honour awarded to individuals of great achievement in the fields of the arts, learning, literature and science.

The Order was founded by King Edward VII at the time of his coronation in 1902, to be ‘given to such persons, subjects of Our Crown, as may have rendered exceptionally meritorious services in Our Crown Services or towards the advancement of the Arts, Learning, Literature, and Science or such other exceptional service as We are fit to recognise’.

The Order of Merit is in the sole gift of the Sovereign and is restricted to 24 members as well as additional foreign recipients.

Past British holders of the Order have included [year of appointment] [member no.]

• Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, VD, PC, FRSGS (British Victorian era general who became one of the most successful British military commanders of his time. Commands held: Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in South Africa, Ireland, India, Kabul and Kandahar) - [1902] [1]
• Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC (Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and in the early part of WWI. Also: "Ambassador of Darkness" in the Anglo Boer war) - [1902] [3]
• John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh OM, PC, PRS, Nobel Prize in Physics 1904 (British mathematician and physicist who made extensive contributions to science; 39th President of The Royal Society 1905-1908) - [1902] [4]
• Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, OM, PC, FRS, FRCSE (medicine - the father of modern antisepsis; 37th President of the Royal Society 1895-1900) - [1902] [6]
• Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, OM, RA (artist-painter, famous for his depictions of the luxury and decadence of the Roman Empire) - [1905] [15]
• Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1902 - 1905. Later, as Foreign Secretary, he authored the Balfour Declaration of 1917, supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine) - [1939] [16]
• William Holman-Hunt, OM (Welsh painter - His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour and elaborate symbolism) - [1905] [18]
• Florence Nightingale OM, RRC "The Lady with the Lamp" (English nurse, writer and statistician. She laid the foundation of professional nursing) - [1907] [25]
• Thomas Hardy OM, (English novelist and poet) - [1910] [29]
• Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO, (English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire) - [1911] [31]
• Sir Joseph John "J. J." Thomson, OM, PRS OM FRS, Nobel Prize in Physics 1906 (British physicist and Nobel Laureate in Physics, credited with the discovery of the electron; 42nd President of the Royal Society 1915–1920) - [1912] [33]
• Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC (British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from 1915 to the end of the War) - [1919] [42]
• David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, KStJ, PC (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1916 -1922. A Liberal Party politician from Wales; he led the United Kingdom during WWI; led social-reform policies & had a leading role in the Paris Peace Conference, and in negotiating the establishment of the Irish Free State) - [1919] [44]
• Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM, (Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered for writing Peter Pan (1904) - [1922] [45]
• Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, OM, PRS, HonFRSE,Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1908 (New Zealand-born British chemist and physicist who became known as the father of nuclear physics; 44th President of the Royal Society 1925–1930) - [1925] [49]
• John Galsworthy, OM Nobel Prize in Literature 1932 (English novelist and playwright; best known for his trilogies of novels: "The Forsyte Saga", "A Modern Comedy" and "End of the Chapter") - [1929] [53]
• Sir William Henry Bragg, OM KBE PRS Nobel Prize in Physics 1915 (English physicist, chemist, mathematician, and active sportsman; 46th President of the Royal Society 1935–1940) - [1931] [59]
• Ralph Vaughan Williams OM (English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores) - [1935] [62]
• Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins OM PRS Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1929 (English biochemist discovered the vitamins & the amino acid tryptophan. He was 45th President of the Royal Society 1930-1935) - [1935] [63]
• Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB, (A lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement) - [1937[ [66]
• Augustus Edwin John, OM, RA (English painter - he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom) - [1942] [73]
• Edgar Douglas Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian OM PRS Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine 1932 (English electrophysiologist; 49th President of the Royal Society 1950-1955) - [1942] [74]
• Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG OM CH TD PCc DL FRS RA, (British politician, statesman, army officer, and writer, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1940 - 1945 and 1951 - 1955) - [1946] [82]
• T. S. Eliot - Thomas Stearns Eliot OM, Nobel Prize in Literature, 1948 (American-born English poet, playwright, and literary critic, arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century)
• Edward Morgan Forster OM, CH (English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist) - [1948] [90]
• Sir Robert Robinson OM PRS FRSE Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1947 (British organic chemist recognised for his research on plant dyestuffs (anthocyanins) and alkaloids. In 1947; 48th President of the Royal Society 1945-1950) - [1949] [91]
• Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS (British Labour politician; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1945 - 1951; Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 - 1955) - [1951] [96]
• Edward James "Ted" Hughes OM (English poet and children's writer, ranked as one of the best poets of his generation) - [1998] [101]
• Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, GCB, OM, GBE, PC (British Liberal politician; party leader 1931 - 1935. He was the first nominally-practising Jew to serve as a Cabinet minister and to become the leader of a major British political party. First High Commissioner for Palestine, 1920) - [1958] [104]
• Graham Vivian Sutherland OM (English artist: painter of abstract landscapes, portraits of public figures, printmaking, tapestry and glass design) - [1960] [107]
• Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, OM, CBE, AFC, RDI, FRAeS (English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. The aircraft company he founded produced the Mosquito, which has been considered the most versatile warplane ever built; his Comet was the first jet airliner to go into production) - [1962] [108]
• Henry Moore OM (sculptor, known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures) - [1963] [113]
• Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten OM CH (English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music) - [1965] [114]
• Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin OM PRS HonFRSC Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1964 (English chemist who advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of biomolecules, which became essential for structural biology, 53rd President of the Royal Society 1970–1975) - [1965] [115]
• Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC (British statesman, naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family) - [1965 ] [116]
• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten, was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from his wife's accession on 6 February 1952 until his death in 2021) - [1968] [122]
• Sir Isaiah Berlin OM CBE FBA (Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas) - [1931] [130]
• Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC, FRS (British statesman and Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1957 - 1963. Nicknamed "Supermac", he was known for his pragmatism, wit, and unflappability. - [1976] [134]
• Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier OM English actor and director was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career he had considerable success in television roles) - [1981] [143]
• Henry Graham Greene OM CH (English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century) - [1986] [150]
• Frederick Sanger OM CH CBE FRS FAA twice Nobel Prize in Chemistry: 1958 & 1980 (British biochemist twice Nobel Laureate - for determining the amino acid sequence of insulin and numerous other proteins and DNA sequencing) - [1986] [151]
• Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin OM, KBE (American-born British violinist and conductor of Jewish origin; considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century) - [1987] [153]
• Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, DStJ, PC, FRS, HonFRSC (British stateswoman and Conservative politician; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1979 - 1990 & Leader of the Conservative Party 1975 - 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position) - [1990] [158]
• Sir Aaron Klug, OM PRS, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1982 (British chemist & biophysicist. 58th President of The Royal Society 1995 - 2000) - [1995] [166]
• Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH (English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades; he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century) - [1996] [167]
• Cardinal Basil Hume OSB OM (Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster, Primate of England and Wales) - [1999] [172]
• Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, OM, GBE, FRCA, Hon FKC, Hon FBA, CVO (British peer, investment banker and member of the Rothschild banking family; held important roles in business and British public life, and was active in charitable and philanthropic areas) - [2002] [179]

There are very few foreign recipients, although those given the Order have included:

• Dr Albert Schweitzer
• General Eisenhower
• Mother Teresa of Calcutta
• Nelson Mandela

There is also a military division included in the 24. Although the last member of this was Lord Mountbatten, the military division has never been abolished.

The badge is an eight-pointed cross of red and blue enamel surmounted by the imperial crown; in the centre, upon blue enamel and surrounded by a laurel wreath, are the words in gold lettering 'For Merit'.

Download an image of the badge: © Buckingham Palace.

The insignia for the military division (when used) is differentiated by crossed swords in the centre of the badge.

Between 1907 and 1913 portraits of 24 of the early members of the Order were commissioned, of which 14 were by William Strang. With the outbreak of the First World War this practice fell into abeyance. In 1987 The Queen revived the tradition with the intention that each member should be drawn by a different artist. Since 1987 nearly 60 further portraits of members of the Order of Merit have been added to the Royal Collection. (The only current member of the order not so far to have been drawn for the series is Neil MacGregor, appointed in November 2010.)

View a gallery of images of the latest eight portraits commissioned by Her Majesty

Motto: For merit

Chapel: Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace

Ranks: Member

Post-nominals: OM

Founded: 1902

A list of current members (as of July 2024)

• Sovereign: King Charles III

Substantive Members: [year of appointment] [member no.] (birth year)

1. Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM, RA, HonFREng, (English architect and designer; recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture) - [1997] [169] (b. 1935)
2. Sir Roger Penrose OM, FRS, HonFInstP, Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 (Mathematical physicist) - [2000] [175] (b. 1932)
3. Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL, HonFBA (Playwright) - [2000] [176] (b. 1937)
4. Sir David Attenborough OM, GCMG, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FSA, FRSA, FLS, FZS, FRSGS, FRSB, HonFLI (Broadcaster and naturalist) - [2005] [180] (b. 1926)
5. The Lord Eames OM (Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh) - [2007] [183] (b. 1937)
6. Sir Timothy "Tim" Berners-Lee OM, KBE, FRS, FREng, FRSA, FBCS (Inventor of the World Wide Web, Founder of the World Wide Web Foundation and Director of the World Wide Web Consortium) - [2007] [184] (b. 1955)
7. The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM, PRS, FREng, FMedSci, FRAS, HonFInstP (Astronomer Royal and 60th President of the Royal Society 2005-2010) - [2007] [185] (b. 1932)
8. Jean Chrétien OM, CC, KC, PC (Prime Minister of Canada) - [2009] [186] (b. 1934)
9. Neil MacGregor OM, AO, FSA (Art historian and Director of the British Museum) - [2010] [187] (b. 1946)
10. David Hockney OM CH RA (English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer; considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries) - [2012] [188] (b. 1937)
11. John Howard OM, AC (Prime Minister of Australia) - [2012] [189] (b.1937)
12. Sir Simon Rattle OM, CBE (Conductor) - [2014] [190] (b. 1955)
13. Sir Magdi Yacoub OM, FRS (Cardiothoracic surgeon) - [2014] [192] (b. 1936)
14. The Lord Darzi of Denham OM, KBE, PC, FRS, FMedSci, FRCSI, FRCS, FRCSE, FRCPGlas, FACS, FRCP, FREng (Surgeon) - [2016] [193] (b. 1960)
15. Dame Ann Dowling OM, DBE, FRS, FREng (Mechanical engineer) - [2016] [194] (b. 1952)
16. Sir James Dyson OM, CBE, RDI, FRS, FREng, FCSD, FIEE (Inventor and industrial designer) - [2016] [195] (b.1947)
17. Dame Elizabeth Anionwu OM, DBE, FRCN (Nurse) - [2022] [196] (b. 1947)
18. The Baroness Benjamin OM, DBE, DL (Broadcaster) - [2022] [197] (b. 1950)
19. Margaret MacMillan OM, CC, CH, FRSL, FRSC, FBA, FRCGS (Historian) - [2022] [198] (b. 1944)
20. Sir David Adjaye OM, OBE, RA (Architect) - [2022] [199] (b. 1967)
21. Sir Paul Nurse OM, CH, PRS, FMedSci, HonFREng, HonFBA, MAE, Nobel Prize on Physiology or Medicine 2001 (Geneticist, 61st President of the Royal Society 2010–2015) ) - [2022] [200] (b.1949)
22. Sir Venkatraman "Venki" Ramakrishnan OM. PRS, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009 (Structural biologist & the 62nd President of the Royal Society 2015 - 2020) - [2022] [201] (b. 1952)