The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (Norwegian: Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or Sanct Olafs Orden, the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on August 21, 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav.
Just before the union with Sweden was dissolved in 1905, the Order of the Norwegian Lion was instituted in 1904 by King Oscar II, but no appointments were awarded by his successor, King Haakon VII. The Order of St. Olav thus became the kingdom's only order of chivalry for the next 80 years.
The Grand Master of the order is the reigning monarch of Norway. It is used to reward individuals for remarkable accomplishments on behalf of the country and humanity. Since 1985, appointments to the order has only been conferred upon Norwegian citizens, though foreign heads of state and royalty may be appointed as a matter of courtesy.
- The King awards the order upon the recommendation of a six-member commission, consisting of a chancellor, vice chancellor, the Lord Chamberlain (acting as treasurer), and three other representatives. The Lord Chamberlain nominates the members of the commission, and the monarch approves them. Nominations for the award are directed at the commission through the county governor.
- With the exception of foreign royalty and heads of state, the Order of St. Olav is only bestowed on Norwegian nationals. The Collar of the Order may also be conferred by the King on holders of the Grand Cross. The Grand Cross with the Collar represents the order’s highest class.
Grades and classes
The reigning monarch of Norway is the order's Grand Master. The order consists of three grades, of which two are divided into two classes, and may be awarded for either civilian or military contributions, in descending order of distinction. The collar is awarded as a separate distinction of the Grand Cross to those recipients deemed exceptionally worthy.
- Grand Cross (Storkors) – awarded to heads of state as a courtesy and in rare cases to individuals for merit; wears the badge on a collar (chain), plus the star on the left chest. If the collar is not worn the badge may be worn on a sash on the right shoulder;
- Commander, which is divided into two classes:
- Commander with Star (Kommandør med stjerne) – wears the badge on a necklet, plus the star on the left chest;
- Commander (Kommandør) – wears the badge on a necklet;
- Knight, which is divided into two classes:
- Knight 1st Class (Ridder av 1. klasse) – wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest;
- Knight (Ridder) – wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest.
Insignia
The collar of the Order is in gold, with five enameled and crowned monograms "O" (for "Oscar", the royal cipher of Oscar I, the Order's founder), five enameled and crowned coat-of-arms of Norway, and 10 gold crosses bottony each flanked by two battle axes with silver blades and golden shafts (The latter element is also featured in the coat of arms of the Church of Norway).
The badge of the Order is a white enameled Maltese Cross, in silver for the knight class and in gilt of the higher classes; crowned monograms "O" (for "Oscar") appear between the arms of the cross. The obverse central disc is red with the golden Norwegian lion rampart bearing a battle axe; the reverse disc bears the King Oscar's motto «Ret og Sandhed» – "Justice and Truth" in Norwegian; both discs are surrounded by a white-blue-white ring. The cross is topped by a crown; military awards have crossed swords between the crown and the cross.
The star of the Order for the Grand Cross is an eight-pointed silver star with faceted rays, bearing the obverse of the badge of the Order (minus the crown on the top).
The insignia are expected to be returned either upon the receiver's advancement to a higher level of the order or upon his or her death. The insignia are produced in Norway by craftsmen.
Eligibility and appointment
The King makes appointments upon the recommendation of a six-member commission, none of whom may be a member of the government, consisting of a chancellor, vice chancellor, the Lord Chamberlain (acting as treasurer), and three other representatives. The Lord Chamberlain nominates the members of the commission, and the monarch approves them. Nominations to the order are directed at the commission through the county governor.
Princes and Princesses with succession rights to the throne are appointed to the highest degree upon reaching their age of majority.[4]
Ranking
The Order of St. Olav is the highest civilian honour currently conferred by Norway and only ranks after the military War Cross among all Norwegian decorations still awarded in the general ranking.
In the order of precedence used at the royal court of Norway, bearers of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav with collar are ranked 15th in the order of precedence, directly after the Mistress of the Robes and generals and directly before recipients of the War Cross with Sword. Bearers of the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav are ranked 16th.
Current holders of the Grand Cross
(Wikipedia list as of 3/25/2019)
This list contains holders of the Grand Cross, some of whom have also been awarded the Collar and gives the year of their appointment. The list is collated alphabetically by the last name; those recipients not possessing the last name, such as royalty and most Icelanders are collated by the first name. Six of the listed are not heads of states or royals; these are marked by names in bold. Before the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit was created in 1985, appointments to the Order of St Olav was awarded to members of a foreign delegation during state visits. Many holders of the Grand Cross who are not heads of state are not listed here.
Country, Name, Charge, Year of appointment
- Argentina - Mauricio Macri, President, 2018 (b. 8 Feb 1959)
- Austria - Heinz Fischer, Former President, 2007 (b. 9 Oct 1938)
- Belgium - Albert II, Former King, 1964 (b. 6 Jun 1934)
- Belgium - Mathilde, Queen, 2003 (b. 20Jan 1973)
- Belgium - Paola, Former Queen,1997 (b. 11 Sep 1937)
- Belgium - Phillippe, King, 2003 (b. 15 Apr 1960)
- Brazill - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Former President, 2003 (b. 27 Oct 1945)
- Bulgaria - Georgi Parvanov, Former President, 2006 (b. 28 Jun 1957); Wikipedia - Georgi Parvanov
- Croatia - Ivo Josipović - Former president, 2011 (b. 28 Aug 1957); Wikipedia - Ivo Josipović
- Denmark - Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess, 1974 (b. 29 Apr 1944)
- Denmark - Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Crown Prince, 1990 (b. 26 May 1968)
- Denmark - Joachim, Prince, 1991 (b. 7 Jun 1969)
- Denmark - Margrethe II, Queen, 1958 (b. 16 Apr 1940)
- Denmark - Marie, Princess, 2014 (b. 6 Feb 1976); Wikipedia - Princess Marie of Denmark
- Denmark - Mary, Crown Princess, 2005 (b. 5 Feb 1972);
- Estonia - Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Former President, 2014 (b. 26 Dec 1953)
- Estonia - Arnold Rüütel, Former President, 2002 (b. 10 May 1928)
- Finland - Martti Ahtisaari, Former President, 1994 (b, 23 Jun 1937)
- Finland - Tellervo Koivisto, Former President’s wife, 1993 (b. 2 Jan 1929)
- Finland - Sauli Niinistö, President, 2012 (b. 24 Aug 1948); Wikipedia - Sauli Niinistö
- Finland - Tarja Halonen, Former President, 2000 (b. 24 Dec 1943)
- France - Jacques Chirac, Former President, 2000 (b. 29 Nov 1932)
- France - Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, Former President (when Minister of France), 1962 (b. 2 Feb 1926)
- Germany - Joachim Gauck, Former President, 2014 (24 Jan 1940); Wikipedia - Joachim Gauck
- Germany - [Horst Köhler Horst Köhler[, Former President, 2007 (b. 22 Feb 1943)
- Germany - Marianne von Weizsäcker, Former first lady, 1986 (b. 17 May 1932); [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_von_Weizsäcker Wikipedia - Marianne von Weizsäker]
- Greece - Constantine II, Former King, 1964,1962 (b. 2 Jun 1940)
- Iran - Farah Pahlavi, Former Empress, 1965 (b. 14 Oct 1938); Wikipedia - Farah Pahlavi
- Iceland - Guöni Thoriacius Jóhannesson, President, 2017
- Iceland - Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson, Former President, 1998 (b. 1943); Wikipedia - Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
- Iceland - Vigdis Finnbogadóttir, Former President, 1982 (b. 1930)
- Italy - Sergio Mattarella, President, 2016 (1941)
- Japan - Akihito, Emperor, 2001,1953 (b. 23 Dec 1933)
- Japan - Masako, Crown Princess, 2001 (b. 9 Dec 1963); Wikipedia - Masako, Crown Princess of Japan
- Japan - Michiko, Empress, 2001 (b. 20 Oct 1934); Wikipedia - Empress Michiko
- Japan - Naruhito, Crown Prince, 2001 (b. 23 Feb 1960); Wikipedia - Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan
- Japan - Nobuko, Princess, 2001
- Jordan - Abdullah II, King, 2000 (b. 30 Jan 1962)
- Jordan - Hassan, Prince (when Crown Prince), ?
- Jordan - Rania, Queen, 2000
- Latvia - Guntis Ulmanis, Former President, 1998 (b. 13 Sep 1939); Wikipedia - Guntis Ulmanis
- Latvia - Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Former President, 2000 (b. 1 Dec 1937); Wikipedia - Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
- Latvia - Andris Bērziņš, Former President, 2015 (b. 10 Dec 1944); Wikipedia - Andris Bērziņš (Latvian President)
- Lithuania - Valdas Adamkus, Former President, 1998 (b. 3 Nov 1926)
- Lithuania - Dalia Grybasuskalté, Former President, 2011
- Luxembourg - Henri, Grand Duke, 2011 (b. 16 Apr 1955)
- Luxembourg - Jean, Former Grand Duke, 1964 (b. 5 Jan 1921]
- Luxembourg - Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess, 1996 (b. 22 Mar 1956)
- Netherlands - Beatrix, Former Queen (when Princess), 1964 (b. 31 Jan 1938)
- Netherlands - Margriet, Princess, 1964 (b. 19 Jan 1943)
- Netherlands - Willem-Alexander, King, 1996 (b. 27 Apr 1967)
- Netherlands - Máxima, Queen, 2013 (b. 17 May 1971)
- Norway - Edvard Drabløs, Theatre Director, 1953 (1 Apr 1883 - 29 Apr 1976); Revolvy.com - Edvard Drabløs
- Norway - Astrid, Princess, 1956 (b. 12 Feb 1932)
- Norway - Kjell Magne Bondevik, Former Prime Minister, 2004 (b. 3 Sep 1947); Wikipedia - Kjell Magne Bondevik
- Norway - Lars Petter Forberg, Former Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, 2004 (b. 16 Apr 1947); Wikipedia - Lars Petter Forberg (translated to English)
- Norway - Áge Bernhard Grutle, Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, 2015 (b. 19 Jun 1952); Wikipedia - Åge Bernhard Grutle
- Norway - Haakon, Crown Prince, 1991 (b. 20 Jul 1973)
- Norway - Magne Hagen, Former Cabinet Secretary to the King, 2000 (b. 25 Jan 1938); Wikipedia - Magne Hagen
- Norway - Harald V, King, (Grand Master), 1955,1991
- Norway - Märtha Louise, Princess, 1989 (b. 22 Sep 1971)
- Norway - Mette-Marit, Crown Princess, 2001, 2016 (b. 19 Aug 1973)
- Norway - Edvard Moser, Professor, psychologist & neuroscientist, Nobel laureate, 2018 (b. 27 Apr 1962); Wikipedia - Edvard Moser
- Norway - May-Britt Moser, Professor, psychologist & neuroscientist, Nobel laureate, 2018 (4 Jan 1963); Wikipedia - May-Britt Moser
- Norway - Arne Omholt, Marshal of the Court, 2016 (b. 22 Feb 1950); Wikipedia - Arne Omholt (translated to English)
- Norway - Carsten Smith, Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway, 2003 (b. 13 Jul 1932); Wikipedia - Carsten Smith
- Norway - Berit Tversland, Cabinet Secretary to the King, 2012 (b. 25 Jul 1950); Wikipedia - Berit Tversland (translated to English)
- Poland - Andrzej Duda, President, 2016 (b. 16 May 1972); Wikipedia - Andrzej Duda
- Poland - Bronislaw Komorowski, Former President, 2012 ( b. 4 Jun 1952); Wikipedia - Bronislaw Komorowski
- Poland - Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Former President, 1996 (15 Nov 1954); Wikipedia - Aleksander Kwaśniewski
- Poland - Lech Wałęsa, Former President, 1995 (b. 29 Sep 1943); Wikipedia - Lech Wałęsa
- Portugal - António Ramalho Eanes, Former President, 1978 (b. 25 Jan 1935); Wikipedia - António Ramalho Eanes
- Portugal - Jorge Sampaio, Former President, 2004 (b. 18 Sep 1939); Wikipedia - Jorge Sampaio
- Portugal - Anibal Cavaco Silva, Former President, 2008 (b. 14 Jul 1939); Wikipedia - Aníbal Cavaco Silva
- Romania - Emil Constantinescu, Former President, 1999 (b. 19 Nov 1939); Wikipedia - Emil Constantinescu
- Slovakia - Andrej Kiska, President, 2018 (b. 2 Feb 1963); Wikipedia - Andrej Kiska
- Slovakia - Ivan Gašparovič, Former President, 2010 (b. 27 Mar 1941); Wikipedia - Ivan Gašparovič
- Slovenia - Danilo Türk, Former President, 2011 (b. 19 Feb 1952); Wikipedia - Danilo Türk
- Spain - [Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbon y Grécia, Infanta de España Cristina, Princess, 1995 (b. 13 Jun 1965)
- Spain - Elena, Princess, 1995 (b. 20 Dec 1963)
- Spain - Felipe, King, 1995 (b. 30 Jan 1968)
- Spain - Juan Carlos I, Former King,1982 (b. 5 Jan 1938)
- Spain - Sofia, Former Queen, 1982 (b. 2 Nov 1938)
- Sweden - Carl XVI Gustaf, King, 2005 (b. 30 Apr 1946)
- Sweden - Carl Phillip, Prince, 2005 (b. 13 May 1979)
- Sweden - Christina, Princess, 1992 (b. 3 Aug 1943)
- Sweden - Désirée, Princess, 1992 (b. 2 Jun 1938)
- Sweden - Madeleine, Princess, 2005 (b 10 Jun 1982)
- Sweden - Silvia, Queen, 1995 (b. 23 Dec 1943)
- Sweden - Victoria, Crown Princess, 1995 (b. 14 Jul 1977)
- Thailand - Sirikit, Former Queen, 1965 (b.12 Aug 1932) Wikipedia - Sirikit
- Turkey - Abdullah Gül, Former president, 2013 (b. 29 Oct 1950) Wikipedia - Abdullah Gül
- United Kingdom - Elizabeth II, Queen, 1955 (b. 21 Apr 1926)
- United Kingdom - Philip, Prince consort & Duke of Edinburgh, 1952 (b. 10Jun 1921)
- United Kingdom - Andrew, Prince & Duke of York, 1988 (b. 19 Feb 1960)
- United Kingdom - Charles, Prince of Wales, 1978 (b. 14 Nov 1948)
- United Kingdom - Edward, Prince & Duke of Kent, 1988 (b. 9 Oct 1935)
- United Kingdom - Richard, Prince & Duke of Gloucester, 1973 (b. 26 Aug 1944)