Hi! First of all, I want to apologize for my absence. I've been a bit busy lately.

Today, I bring you something that many people are unfamiliar with.

If you follow Royals or have happened to come across them on magazines, you most certainly have noticed they wear tons of Bric-à-brac. You see the men wearing military uniforms with all their medals, a large sash crossing their body, and some bejeweled stars. And the women, aside from their jewelry to go with the dress, you also see a sash and a star, and depending on wich Royal family, a ribbon with a tiny portrait. After all, what on Earth are those? What do they mean? When are they worn?

Those are called Orders. More specifically: Regimental, Chivalry and Merit orders. The gifting of the sash depends on the receiver's status, work and dedication to the country or other countries, and they represent the Sovereign's trust on the wearer, showing that they are dignified and trustworthy.

An heir to the throne, always receives the highest national and foreign order, consisting of the sash, grand collar, neck medal (if the heir is male) and star. On the other hand, their spouses receive the second-most-important order in both cases. A sash can be gifted to a royal if they visit a certain country multiple times in official duties like State visits (as it is customary to gift heirs on a state visit, for example: King Felipe of Spain was awarded the Order of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth last year) or just informal visits to undertake charity work. This last one is the way to receive a merit sash, which is usually ranked below the sashes given to heirs.

Princess Victoria of Sweden is the perfect example, as she has made LOTS of state visits in her parents' name, thus receiving orders from many countries. While other royals like Prince William of Wales have no foreign orders because they have never had an official role outside their country. Prince Edward (Queen Elizabeth's youngest child) often represents her at foreign weddings. He wears the Order of the Garter, the highest British order, because he lacks foreign orders. The Duchess of Wessex, his spouse, joined the family in 1999 and only ten years later, with much work and dedication, she received the Royal Victorian Order by her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II. Many wonder why Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge hasn't received one, not even the Family order*. She most likely won't receive one untill she starts working seriously as a full-time royal. Another theory is that she will only receive one on the reign of Charles III, as QEII is very strict with the protocol.

Other monarchs, though, give away an order more easily. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden received the insignia of the Order of the Seraphim (the one depicted on the photo) on her 18th birthday by her father. And her husband, Prince Daniel, on the eve of their wedding.

One thing only Swedish royal ladies display, is the King Carl Gustaf of Sweden family order, a tiny portrait of the king sourrounded by diamonds and attached to a ribbon that matches in color to the Order of Seraphim. These are only given to Swedish royal family members. The sash and ribbon are always worn on special national events, like weddings, christenings (women can leave the sash at home on this case) and state visits. While abroad, only the sash and star (if they don't own a foreign order) are required, or they can switch all that for just the grand-collar, worn around the shoulders.