The most ancient and most noble Order of the Thistle is the highest honor Scotland can bestow. It is the Scottish equivalent of the Order of the Garter, but fewer people are installed into the Order of the Thistle. The number of knights is limited to 16, and a new one is appointed whenever a knight passes away.

Prince William joins family members already in the order: HRH Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Prince Charles Prince of Wales, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and the HRH Princess Anne Princess Royal.

The Earl of Strathearn – as the prince is known in Scotland – joined the other existing knights in the order which has been running in continuous form since 1687. Historians are divided on the origins of the order, although the tradition is thought to date back to 809, when Achaius, the Pictish King of Scots, formed an alliance with Emperor Charlemagne of France. Some accounts believe Achaius established the order in 786 after winning the Battle of Athelstaneford in East Lothian, when he reputedly saw the cross of St Andrew in the sky.

The ceremony took place in one of Edinburgh’s best-known landmarks, the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle, in St. Giles’ Cathedral.  The chapel was only recently added to St Giles’ Cathedral, just over a century ago, but it is one of Scotland’s most breath taking architectural treasures. When the order was revived by James VII, the number of knight’s was 12, to symbolise the 12 apostles of Christ.  There has always been a strong religious element to the order. The installation of Prince William as a royal knight was in celebration of his recent 30^th birthday. Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Donald Wilson offered the city’s warmest congratulations to Prince William on his installation as a Knight of the Thistle.”