Only those who have the honor are permitted to attend, and King Charles was joined by his siblings at the service for the Royal Victorian Order earlier this week at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.
The Prince of Wales did have other obligations on the actual day, but since he does not hold the honor, he would not have been among the attendees.
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However, both his brother, the Duke of Sussex, and his wife, the Princess of Wales, do.
The Royal Victorian Order was founded by Queen Victoria in 1896 to enable her to acknowledge and recognise personal service to the Sovereign.
William holds other higher honors, such as Knight of the Order of the Thistle and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior knighthood in the British honors system. As the heir to the throne, he will one day be Sovereign of the Order (the highest honour available in Scotland).
As Charles is now the Sovereign of the Order and, like William, held other higher honors when he was Prince of Wales, the late Queen did not grant him a Royal Victorian Order.
In 2019, the Queen declared the then-Duchess of Cambridge to be a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO). Catherine has recently worn the sash and medal to state dinners and diplomatic receptions.
At the Queen’s state funeral in September, Prince Harry, who was named a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 2015, wore the order around his neck.
The Queen Consort Camilla, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of York, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra are other members of the royal family who have received the honor.
