The death of Lady Thatcher leaves a vacancy in the stalls of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. Usually there are 24 Knights of the Garter, and former prime ministers Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden, Harold Wilson, Jim Callaghan, Ted Heath and John Major were all honoured.
Harold Macmillan declined the title and Lord Home, as a Scot, was already a Knight of the Thistle.
Perhaps the time has come for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to step into the breach, or are they still out of favour with the Queen, who didn’t invite them to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton? Another suggestion is that Blair and Brown might be more eligible for the Thistle.
Following the deaths of the Duke of Grafton and Viscount Ridley in 2011 and 2012 respectively, and now Thatcher, there are currently three vacancies for the Garter but they are usually appointed two at a time. “The date of the next announcement is St George’s Day on April 23,” says a Buckingham Palace spokesman. “It would be unusual for a vacancy to be filled so soon after the death of the previous incumbent.”
The usual form is for the dead person’s stall to be cordoned off, leaving a plate with a coronet, then the banner is presented to the family after a ceremony.
Other contenders for the Garter include Field Marshal Lord Guthrie and former Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Lord Crathorne. Former Foreign Secretary Lord Hurd and Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup are also in the running.
