Fascinating Fridays (Orders of Knighthood Part 6)

The knight as we know from typical fairy stories set the ageless example of earned Nobility. The King takes out his sword and taps the worthy recipient on the shoulder to bestow the honour. This was always the grand reward for an impossible task accomplished and even Princes sought to be knighted. There are many different Orders of Knighthood and we have been discussing that and it being the reason why Royalty often appear at very formal function wearing coloured sashes over the last 5 weeks. Today we come to the Famous Order of the Diamond Star. 

The mystical and most noble order has its origins more than a thousand years in the past of the two kingdoms of Scotney and Britania. In the last years of the first millennium, two cousins found themselves rival kings over the then two haphazard kingdoms consisting of rebellious feudal barons and barbarian peasants. King John of Britania, in a time of drought envied his prosperous northern cousin and was implementing armed raids of the Scotney border marches. King Daniel sought peace but knew that in tough times men get desperate. It was in this climate of desperation that The Order of the Diamond Star was theoretically founded. In the year 999 the legendary King Daniel of Scotney reputedly followed a shooting star to where it fell. There he found five diamonds that he had made into a badge to be pinned on the first man to bring him an answer to his riddle: "How can man be free, when he is a prisoner of his own breath? " The man to give the answer was to be declared the first Knight of Scotney's Diamond Star. No man claimed the badge in King Daniel's life time. However many years later it was a Crown Prince of Britania who received the honour.

The current Head and Grand master of the Order of the Diamond Star and his wife, The Crown Prince Imperial and the Crown Princess Imperial of the United Empire of Scot-Britania.

This depiction of a stylised letter "D" is from a thirteenth century illuminated manuscript telling the story of the Order of the Diamond Star's origin. The red sash and diamond star badge can be seen in the picture depicting  St Christian, the King of Scotney who officially established the order in 1477 centuries after its mystical founding in the year 999. King Christian declared the Crown Prince of Britania the first Knight of the Diamond Star for bringing the answer to the legendary riddle. History does not record the exact events but it is often assumed that it was a staged "offer of peace" from the King of Scotney to Britania after years of fighting. It was a brilliant marketing campaign bringing years of peace and set the stage for the Knighthood to forever be shared by the two Kingdoms. It has been this legend etched in the minds of every Scot and Brit that has almost prophetic foreshadowed the eventual establishment of the United Empire of Scot-Britania. 

Through the ages members of the order have been powerful leaders and influential pillars of society. The order has continued unabated until today. This highest ranking Knighthood and Order of Merit has been fortunate to have survived the 96 Revolution and it seems like a total miracle as the revolution took so much from Royalty and indeed world history. It managed to survive due to its almost mystical quality. Both democratic governments of independent Scotney and Britania have officially never disbanded the Order of the Diamond Star. Even though all remnants of Royalty and the Empire were vehemently annihilated, for some reason the veneration of the Order of of the Diamond Star kept it legally alive as a national honour in both the separate states. It was however never used by either governments who for lack of a better explanation just swept it under the carpet.

The 2009 revelation that the Crown Prince Imperial escaped the 96 Revolution with his life immediately made it clear that the Knighthood's Head and Grand Master was not the new democratic governments of Scotney and Britannia. This contention was resolved by letters from both governments relinquishing all rights and acknowledging the Crown Prince Imperial's position. This historic event was however kept entirely outside the media glare for security purposes. No new Knights were created since the revolution except one that was created by the Crown Prince Imperial after these formalities were finalised. This knight is the Crown Princess Imperial.

This pre-revolution photo shows the Knights of the Diamond Star as they were in the late 1980's. The Grand Master is not present in this photo.

The insignia of the order consists of a red sash hung over the left shoulder and pinned with a four sided diamond star badge. The Grand Master of the Order may also wear a neck collar consisting of a red ribbon hung with a four sided Diamond Star Badge and a sash with red and gold strips platted together. This tradition is however rarely seen. Due to its preeminent age and limited membership, the Order of the Diamond Star is considered to be the most prestigious Order of Knighthood. There can never be more than 24 knights, 12 men and 12 women. The Grand Master is always the King of Scotney and the Crown Prince of Britania is always automatically a member. Theoretically this binds the two nations of Scotney and Britania together in perpetuity. Another automatic member is the Duke of Swann who claims membership by hereditary succession. It was declared so by the King of Scotney at the establishment of the constitution of the independant Principality of Swann. Current members of the order are; The Crown Prince Imperial, the Crown Princess Imperial, Empress Crystobel, Princess Augusta and the Duke of Swann. 

Empress Crystobel has relinquished the Headship of the Order of the Diamond Star to her son. She is the first monarch of Scotney to do so but considers it another result of the revolution. As an ousted Head of State she felt it more advantageous to put all her effort into supporting her son rather than to claim anything in her own right.

We look forward to the proliferation of the Order of the Diamond Star to its former glory.