The Most Distinguished Order of the Nation is an Antiguan and Barbudan

order of chivalry An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and paired with medieval concept ...

recognising distinguished and outstanding service to

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two majo ...

, the Caricom region or the international community. Originally established by the National Awards Act 1987, that act was repealed and the order was re-established and constituted by the

Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda The Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda consists of the King of Antigua and Barbuda, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Parliament as a whole is charged with certain responsibilities and is given special powers and privileges in orde ...

under the National Honours Act 1998 which received

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

from the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda on 31 December 1998.

History

The Order of the Nation was first established and constituted by the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda under the National Awards Act 1987 on February 27, 1987. The order initially had only one grade, with the

post-nominal Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

of ON. At the time, it was the highest award of the honours system of Antigua and Barbuda and was awarded for, "heroic service to Antigua and Barbuda." The National Awards Act 1987 was repealed and the Order was re-established and re-constituted under the National Honours Act 1998, which was amended in 2000, 2001, and 2015. Persons who were members of the Order before the 1998 Act came into force became Knights or Dames Grand Cross of Order. The award criterion was changed to be "distinguished and outstanding service to Antigua and Barbuda."

Composition

The Order is composed of the

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

, Chancellor and six classes of members, in descending order of precedence, as follows: # Knight Grand Collar (KGN) or Dame Grand Collar (DGN) # Knight Grand Cross (KGCN) or Dame Grand Cross (DGCN) # Knight Commander (KCN) or Dame Commander (DCN) # Commander (CN) # Officer (ON) # Member (MN) The Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda is ''ex officio'' Chancellor of the Order. Ordinary Members of the order are citizens of Antigua and Barbuda as well as the Sovereign, the Sovereign's Consort, and the Heir to the Throne. Citizens of other countries may be admitted to the order as members ''ad honorem''. Appointments of new Knights and Dames Grand Collar, Officers and Members have now been discontinued.

Officers

The Order has four officers who compose the Chancery of the Order, as follows:{{citation needed, date=January 2016 * Chancellor * Secretary General * Antigua Herald * Barbuda Herald

Appointments

Appointments to the Order are made by the Chancellor on the advice of the

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda is the head of government of the country. The current prime minister is Gaston Browne, since 13 June 2014.Jacqueline Charles"Browne becomes new prime minister of Antigua, youngest ever" ''The Miami He ...

and the Honours Committee established under the 1998 Act. The Honours Committee consists of a person appointed by the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, two Members of the Senate of Antigua and Barbuda and four Members of the

House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda The House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral parliament. The current House of Representatives has a total of 19 members. 17 members are directly elected to five-year terms from single me ...

. The Governor General appoints the Chairperson of the Honours Committee from amongst its members. Posthumous appointments to the Order may be made, but a deceased recipient does not appear on the current list of members of the Order. New appointments are announced each year on the occasion of the

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

of Antigua and Barbuda (1 November). The Grand Master conducts investitures at Government House in St John's. Among current members of the Order are statesmen, royalty, business leaders, religious leaders and sportsmen.

Precedence and privileges

Titles

Recipients of Knights Grand Collar, Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander of the Order may use the title ‘

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

’ in front of their forename, and their wives may use the title ‘

Lady The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inf ...

’ in front of their husband's surname. Similarly, Dames Grand Collar, Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander of the Order may use the title ‘

Dame ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...

’ in front of their forename. No specific privilege exists for their husbands. The use of titles associated with the awards outside of Antigua and Barbuda remain the prerogative of each recipient's relevant home jurisdiction.

Post-nominals and precedence

Members of the Order are entitled to place post-nominals after their names as indicated above. They are also assigned a place in the order of precedence of Antigua and Barbuda.

Heraldic privileges

Knights and Dames Grand Collar and Knights and Dames Grand Cross may petition for heraldic supporters to be granted to their arms. They may also encircle their arms with a circlet bearing the motto of the Order. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may encircle their arms with the circlet. The pendent insignia of the Order may be shown below the arms of all members of the Order.

References

Orders, decorations, and medals of Antigua and Barbuda * Awards established in 1987 1987 establishments in Antigua and Barbuda