What happens to decorations after death?

Following the recent deaths of King Harald and Princess Astrid, what happens to the chivalric decorations they were bestowed throughout their life? How many did they hold in total? What about the countries that no longer exist? Find out more below. 

King Harald V and Princess Astrid of Norway were among the most decorated royals in the world. The late King and late Princess travelled the globe, promoting Norway and its traditions as the Kingdom’s most senior representatives of the Kingdom —the Sovereign and, for a time, First Lady.

Their decades of contributions garnered respect worldwide that was recognised in the bestowal of some of the world’s highest and oldest orders of chivalry, most of the time, the most exclusive club of people. While some are rarely seen, wearing sashes or chains ordered from abroad clearly reminds us of the diplomatic and friendly relations between the two countries.

One such example is the bestowal of orders during state visits. One of the most recent and prestigious was when Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the Order of the Garter on King Harald in June 2001. The late King also held other high honours such as Sweden’s Order of the Seraphim, Denmark’s Order of the Elephant and Japan’s Order of the Chrysanthemum — he was Norway’s most decorated person.

Princess Astrid was honoured with Sweden’s Royal Order of the Polar Star and the Dutch Order of the House of Orange, among others. All of these orders are intricately designed, some containing precious stones that reflect the high honour the person holds.

In total, King Harald received honours from 36 countries, while Princess Astrid received 12.

So, what happens to all of these high honours now that their recipients have died? The simple answer is they will be returned to their country of origin. This is a custom in many countries where such high honours have been bestowed upon a person after death. Lower honours, such as Britain’s OBE and MBE, are usually kept by the family after a person passes away.

What about countries that no longer exist? Countries such as Yugoslavia and the Kingdom of Greece ceased to exist. This is a point of contention without confirmation, but it is believed the royal house will keep the orders for history. While the late King was bestowed the Order of the Yugoslav Star — the highest national order of merit awarded in Yugoslavia (1945–1992) — both King Harald and Princess Astrid were recipients of Greece’s Commemorative Badge of the Centenary of the Royal House of Greece that was given to those who attended the 1963 centenary celebrations in Athens.

It remains to be seen what will officially happen to the high orders and distinctions awarded to King Harald and Princess Astrid.