Queen Elizabeth II knighting Governor-General Sir Carlyle Glean at Buckingham Palace, making him a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael & Saint George

Within the Commonwealth Realms, including Grenada, the King is the Fount of Honour, meaning that honours and awards by the state are issued by the King or in his name. Because of this, the King sits at the apex of Grenada’s honours system. Honours are granted to Grenadians for various achievements, and are given to recognise excellence and good service to Grenada or the Crown.

Grenada has 2 separate and parallel honours systems, both of which have the King at its head. Firstly is the National Honours system, which is regulated by the National Honours and Awards Act of 2007. Within the National Honours system are 2 Orders; the Order of Grenada, and the Order of the National Hero. Within the Order of Grenada is additionally a separate Order of knighthood, the Order of the Nation. The King is Sovereign (head) of all these Orders, while the Governor-General serves as Chancellor. As Chancellor, the Governor-General is tasked with administering the day-to-day operations of the order, and making appointments in the King’s name.

The second honours system in Grenada is the Royal Honours system. These are honours conferred by the King personally across the Commonwealth Realms, and which Grenada has access to because we have the King as head of state. These honours consist of a number of orders, titles and medals, among which are the Order of the British Empire and the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. These honours are conferred by the King on Grenadians either on the advice of the Grenadian government, or at personal discretion.

The Order of the National Hero is the highest order in the National Honours system. Receiving this award gives one the style of The Right Excellent, and makes the recipient a National Hero of Grenada. The order is granted by the Governor-General, in the King’s name, on the advice of the National Heroes Committee.

The Order of the Nation is an order of knighthood which exists within the Order of Grenada, and is as such not a fully separate order. The order consist of 6 grades, with the top 3 grades giving the recipient the title of Sir or Dame. All grades give recipients the right to the relevant letters after their name. The order is granted by the Governor-General, in the King’s name, on the advice of the National Honours Committee.

The Order of Grenada is second of the 2 main orders within the National Honours system, and contains within it the Order of the Nation. The highest recognition within the order, besides the Order of the Nation, is the rank of Companion of the Order of Grenada, which gives the right to the letters COG after your name. Other awards within the Order include the Medal of Honour and the Camerhogne Award. The order is granted by the Governor-General, in the King’s name, on the advice of the National Honours Committee.

The Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is the highest of the Royal Honours awarded to Grenadians. The order has 3 grades, with the top 2 giving the title Sir or Dame. All grades give recipients the right to the relevant letters after their name. The order is awarded by the King on the advice of the Grenadian government. All Governors-General are given the highest grade of the order.

The Order of the British Empire is the most common Royal Honour to be bestowed upon Grenadians. The order has 5 grades, with the top 2 granting the title Sir or Dame. All grades give recipients the right to the relevant letters after their name. The order is awarded by the King on the advice of the Grenadian government. Associated with the order though not a direct part of it is also the British Empire Medal, also commonly granted to Grenadians. The British Empire Medal gives recipients the right to the letters BEM after their name. Prominent Grenadian recipients of the order are Kirani James and Anderson Peters.

The title of King’s Counsel is an honorary title granted by the King to senior and experienced lawyers, to denote their rank and expertise. King’s Counsels have a right to the letters KC after their name. Prominent Grenadian KCs are Darshan Ramdhani and Arley Gill.

His Majesty’s Privy Council is the formal body of advisors to the King. Senior Grenadian politicians or judges can be appointed to the Privy Council by the King, giving them the right to the style of The Right Honourable for life. Grenadian judges who are made Privy Councillors may also sit on the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is Grenada’s court of final appeal. A prominent Grenadian Privy Councillor is former Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.