Peerage and Orders and the like are still very confusing to me which is why I stumbled upon this list in the first place. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this means that George H.W. Bush has been granted arms by the King of Arms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Knights_Grand_Cross_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath
A quick review of the list reveals other noteworthy Americans, including:
Gen.Douglas MacArthur
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz
and a couple of surprises:
Benito Mussolini
Hirohito
Hall/Perdue;54901 wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this means that George H.W. Bush has been granted arms by the King of Arms.
I think this means he’s eligible, but not necessarily that they’ve been granted.
Yes, Darren is correct. Not all knights have arms; they have to apply and pay the fees like anyone else.
Mr. Bush would have been eligible for an honorary English grant in any case, regardless of the knighthood, since his pedigree back to colonial Connecticut is iron-clad.
Hall/Perdue;54901 wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Knights_Grand_Cross_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath
A quick review of the list reveals other noteworthy Americans, including:
Gen.Douglas MacArthur
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz
and a couple of surprises:
Benito Mussolini
Hirohito
Mussolini and Emperor Hirohito shouldn’t be surprises. The Bath is quite a "political" order and is often dished out in the exchange of presents/awards that accompanies a state visit. Japan was a close ally of the UK up till the 1920s.
It seems likely that the Emperor received the Bath during his European tour as Crown Prince in 1921. He was also a member of the Order of the Garter (1929-1941, restored 1971).
I can’t say when Mussolini received his Bath.
A more recent controversial figure with a GCB was Nicolae Ceauşescu. He received it during a UK visit in 1978 and was stripped of it the day before he was shot.
James
Here in Sweden we also have had our share of unfortunate recivers of our highest order the Order of the Seraphim which was bestowed on Mussolini in 1930 in recognition of services in conjunction with the sending home of the remains of Swedish Queen Victoria which died in Italy. Ceausescu was also awarded the Seraphim during a state visit to Sweden.
As a late come recognition of the unwise gesture of these award it was decided that Mussolini and Ceaseascu will not have stall plates with their arms made.
Marcus K;54928 wrote:
Ceausescu was also awarded the Seraphim during a state visit to Sweden.
From what I can tell, Nicolae Ceauşescu did quite well for orders. According to Wikipedia (not always accurate) he also received the Elephant from the Danes.
James
The bestowal of foreign honours played an important role in the Ceauşescu propaganda machine. According to state controlled media these honours were portrayed as proofs of the great leader’s wisedom and importance on the world stage.
James Dempster;54930 wrote:
From what I can tell, Nicolae Ceauşescu did quite well for orders. According to Wikipedia (not always accurate) he also received the Elephant from the Danes.
But was in fact also stricken from the rolls of that Order, and his "stall plate" which bore the Romanian state "arms" of the Communist era has been removed from the chapel of the Danish Orders of Knighthood,