Commonwealth of Australia
It is notified for general information that Her Majesty The Queen has approved amendments to the Constitution of the Order of Australia to make His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a Knight of the Order as detailed in the following Letters Patent and Schedule of amendments.
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| Original signed “Elizabeth R” ELIZABETH THE SECOND, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth: TO ALL to whom these Presents shall come, GREETING: WHEREAS, by Letters Patent dated 14 February 1975, We established a society of honour known as the “Order of Australia” and made provision with respect to the membership and the Constitution of the Order; AND WHEREAS it is desirable that His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, be a Knight of the Order and have precedence in the Order immediately after Our Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia; AND WHEREAS, by Letters Patent dated 14 March 1981, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales was made a Knight of the Order, and it is desirable that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales have precedence in the Order immediately after His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: KNOW YOU that We do, by these Presents, declare Our pleasure that the Letters Patent dated 14 February 1975, as subsequently amended by Our Letters Patent, be further amended, but without prejudice to anything lawfully done under them, as set out in the Schedule. IN WITNESS whereof We have caused these Our Letters to be made Patent. GIVEN under the Great Seal of
Australia at Our Court at
St James’s on 7 January 2015 Original signed “Tony Abbott” By Her Majesty’s Command Prime Minister |
Schedule—Amendment of the Constitution of the Order of Australia
1 Subsection 2A(2)
Repeal the subsection, substitute:
(2) His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, shall be a Knight in the General Division of the Order and shall have precedence in the Order immediately after the Governor-General.
(3) His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales shall have precedence in the Order immediately after His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Overview
The Letters Patent, Gazetted as C2015G00155, is an amendment to the Constitution of the Order of Australia, enacted in 2015. This amendment was introduced to recognise the contribution of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, by making him a Knight of the Order of Australia and assigning him precedence immediately after the Governor-General. The policy objective of these amendments, as conveyed through the Letters Patent, is to honour the Duke of Edinburgh’s distinguished service and relationship with Australia. The enacting body is Queen Elizabeth II, who approved these amendments by issuing Letters Patent on 7 January 2015. These changes were made without prejudice to anything lawfully done under the original Letters Patent from 1975, ensuring the integrity and continuity of the Order of Australia’s constitution.
Scope and Application
The Letters Patent and Schedule of amendments to the Constitution of the Order of Australia, approved by Her Majesty The Queen, establish His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a Knight of the Order. The Order of Australia is a society of honour established by Letters Patent dated 14 February 1975. This particular amendment, approved on 7 January 2015, and signed by the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, on behalf of Her Majesty, introduces specific precedence within the Order. The amendment specifies that The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, will be a Knight in the General Division of the Order and will have precedence immediately after the Governor-General, while His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will have precedence immediately after The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. This amendment applies to the members of the Order of Australia, specifically altering the precedence of certain members within the Order. The Letters Patent and their subsequent amendments apply on a national level, as they are issued under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia. There are no stated exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds in this specific amendment, and it does not extend or restrict application through subordinate instruments.
Key Provisions
The principal operative sections of this piece of legislation amend the Constitution of the Order of Australia, as established under Letters Patent dated 14 February 1975, to make His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a Knight of the Order with precedence immediately after the Governor-General (Schedule, Subsection 2A(2)). It further stipulates that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales shall have precedence immediately after His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Schedule, Subsection 2A(3)).
The Act imposes no specific obligations or requirements on the parties or entities it governs. Instead, it primarily serves to amend the constitutional structure of the Order of Australia by designating the precedence of certain members within the Order. This adjustment is purely honorary and pertains to the protocol and ceremonial aspects of the Order.
There are no offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences outlined in the legislation for breaches of the amended constitutional provisions. The changes are administrative and honorific, intended to reflect the desired precedence of certain members within the Order of Australia without imposing legal consequences for non-compliance.