Order of the Elephant

• Title — Order of the Elephant Elefantordenen • Awarded By — Sovereign of Denmark • Type — Chivalric order in one class • Motto — Magnanimi Pretium (Latin: The prize of greatness) • For — At the Monarch's pleasure • Status — Currently constituted • Head Title — Sovereign • Head — Frederik X • Grades — Knight (Ridder, abbr.: R.E.) • Date — 1693 • First Induction — 1693 Denmark Christian V of Denmark • Last Induction — 2026 Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda • Higher — None (Highest) • Lower — Order of the Dannebrog • Caption2 — Order of the Elephant ribbon • Illustration — Coat of arms of Frederick X of Denmark and Norway surrounded by the collars of the Order of the Elephant and the Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Elephant (Elefantordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in 1849, is now almost exclusively used to honour royalty and heads of state.

A Danish religious confraternity called the "Fellowship of the Mother of God", limited to about fifty members of the Danish aristocracy, was founded during the reign of Christian I during the 15th century. The badge of the confraternity showed the Virgin Mary holding her Son within a crescent moon and surrounded with the rays of the sun, and was hung from a collar of links in the form of elephants much like the present collar of the Order. After the Reformation in 1536, the confraternity died out, but a badge in the form of an elephant with his profile on its right side was still awarded by Frederick II. This latter badge may have been inspired by the badge of office of the chaplain of the confraternity which is known to have been in the form of an elephant. The order was instituted in its current form on 1 December 1693 by King Christian V as having only one class consisting of only 30 noble knights in addition to the Grand Master (i.e., the king) and his sons. The statutes of the order were amended in 1958 by a Royal Ordinance so that both men and women could be members of the order. The elephant and castle design derives from the howdah, a carriage that is mounted in the back of an elephant. This type of carriage was mostly utilized in the Indian subcontinent, and the Danish adopted this design since they ruled parts of India as part of their small colonial empire. The unfamiliar Indian howdah has been replaced in this instance by a familiar European castle, although the Indian rider has been kept on the elephant.

• Illustration — Iver Rosenkrantz wearing the robes of the Order • The collar of the order is of gold. It consists of alternating elephants and towers. On the cover of the elephants there is a D which stands for Dania, mediaeval Latin for Denmark. According to the statutes of the order, the collar is usually worn on New Year's Day (during the Danish monarch's New Year's Court) and on major occasions (coronations or jubilees) only. • The badge of the order is an elephant made of white-enamelled gold with blue housings. It is about 5 cm high. On its back the elephant is bearing a watch tower of pink enameled masonry encircled by a row of small table cut diamonds at the bottom with another row just below the crenellation at the top. In front of the tower and behind the elephant's head (which has a diamond set in its forehead and smaller diamonds for its eyes) a colorfully attired and turbaned Moor mahout is sitting, holding a golden rod; on the right side of the elephant there is a cross of five large table cut diamonds and on the left side the elephant bears the crowned monogram of the monarch reigning when it was made. At the top of the tower is a large enameled gold ring from which the badge can be hung from the collar or tied to the sash of the Order. There are about 72 elephants at the chancery of the Order or in circulation. It is estimated that together with an unknown number of elephants in museums around the world, the total number of the elephants is about a hundred. • The star of the order is an eight-pointed silver star with smooth rays. At its center there is a red enameled disc with a white cross, surrounded by a laurel wreath in silver. It is worn on the left side of the chest. • The sash of the order is of light-blue silk moiré and 10 cm wide for men 6 cm wide for women. It is placed on the left shoulder with the elephant resting against the right hip. The collar is not worn when the sash is used. • The order originally had a distinctive habit worn by the knights on very solemn occasions consisting of a white doublet, white breeches, white stockings and white shoes, over which was worn a red mantle with a white lining and with the star of the order embroidered in silver on left side. Over this red mantle was worn a short white shoulder cape with a standing collar, embroidered with scattering of numerous gold flames, upon which was worn the collar of the order (the habit was always worn with the collar of the order, never its ribbon). The habit also had a black hat with a plume of white and red ostrich feathers. This habit was almost identical to that worn by the knights of the Order of the Dannebrog. Upon the death of a Knight of the Order of the Elephant, the insignia of the order must be returned. There are a few exceptions known. • Paris, Chancellery museum – collar on display • Sash and badge of Dwight Eisenhower, on display at his presidential library in the US.

• The King of Denmark

• Name — Date appointed — Notes • Denmark Queen Margrethe II of Denmark — 20 April 1947 — Royal family Then Princess Margrethe of Denmark • Denmark The Dowager Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg — Royal family Then Princess Benedikte of Denmark • Denmark Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes — Royal family Then Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark • Japan The Emperor Emeritus of Japan — 8 August 1953 — Then Crown Prince • Denmark Count Ingolf of Rosenborg — 17 February 1961 — Royal family Then Prince Ingolf of Denmark • Empress Farah of Iran — 3 May 1963 — Then Empress consort • Sweden The King of Sweden — 12 January 1965 — Then Crown Prince • Japan The Prince Hitachi — 28 September 1965 • Belgium King Albert II of Belgium — 18 June 1968 — Then Prince of Liège • Denmark Prince Joachim of Denmark — 14 January 1972 — Royal family • Sweden Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson — 6 January 1973 — Then Princess Christina of Sweden • Norway Queen Sonja of Norway — 12 February 1973 — Then Crown Princess • United Kingdom The King of the United Kingdom — 30 April 1974 — Then Prince of Wales • Netherlands Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands — 29 October 1975 — Former Queen • Spain King Juan Carlos I of Spain — 17 March 1980 — Then King • Spain Queen Sofía of Spain — Then Queen consort Born Princess of Greece and Denmark • Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadóttir — 25 February 1981 — President of Iceland (–) • Portugal António Ramalho Eanes — 25 June 1984 — President of Portugal (–) • Sweden The Queen of Sweden — 3 September 1985 • Norway The King of Norway — 20 July 1991 — Then Crown Prince • Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway — 13 October 1992 • Poland Lech Wałęsa — 5 July 1993 — President of Poland (–) • Belgium Queen Paola of Belgium — 16 May 1995 — Then Queen consort • Sweden The Crown Princess of Sweden — 14 July 1995 • Denmark The Countess of Frederiksborg — 17 November 1995 — Formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark • Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson — 18 November 1996 — President of Iceland (–) • Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece — 14 January 1997 — Also Prince of Denmark • Latvia Guntis Ulmanis — 18 March 1997 — President of Latvia (1993–1999) • Netherlands The King of the Netherlands — 31 January 1998 — Then Prince of Orange • Jordan Queen Noor Al Hussein of Jordan — 27 April 1998 — Then Queen consort • Japan The Empress Emerita of Japan — 2 June 1998 — Then Empress consort • Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso — 3 May 1999 — President of Brazil (1995–2002) • Romania Emil Constantinescu — 23 May 2000 — President of Romania (–) • Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov — 17 October 2000 — President of Bulgaria (1997–2002) • Thailand The King of Thailand — 7 February 2001 — Then Crown Prince • Finland Tarja Halonen — 3 April 2001 — President of Finland (2000–2012) • Slovenia Milan Kučan — 10 October 2001 — President of Slovenia (–) • Belgium The King of the Belgians — 28 May 2002 — Then Duke of Brabant • Luxembourg Grand Duke Henri Luxembourg — 20 October 2003 — Then Grand Duke • Luxembourg Grand Duchess Maria Teresa Luxembourg — Then Grand Duchess • Denmark The Queen of Denmark — 9 May 2004 — Royal family Then Mary Donaldson • Japan The Emperor of Japan — 16 November 2004 — Then Crown Prince • Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov — 29 March 2006 — President of Bulgaria (2002–2012) • Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — 12 September 2007 — President of Brazil (2003–2010; 2023–present) • Mexico Felipe Calderón Hinojosa — 18 February 2008 — President of Mexico (–) • Denmark Princess Marie of Denmark — 24 May 2008 — Royal family • South Korea Lee Myung-bak — 11 May 2011 — President of South Korea (–) • Slovakia Ivan Gašparovič — 23 October 2012 — President of Slovakia (–) • Finland Sauli Niinistö — 4 April 2013 — President of Finland (2012–2024) • Norway The Queen of Norway — 17 May 2014 — Then Crown Princess • Croatia Ivo Josipović — 21 October 2014 — President of Croatia (2010–2015) • Netherlands The Queen of the Netherlands — 17 March 2015 • Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto — 13 April 2016 — President of Mexico (–) • Iceland Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson — 24 January 2017 — President of Iceland (–) • Belgium The Queen of the Belgians — 28 March 2017 • France Emmanuel Macron — 28 August 2018 — President of France (2017–present) • Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier — 10 November 2021 — President of Germany (2017–present) • Norway The Crown Princess of Norway — 21 January 2022 — Then Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway • Denmark The Crown Prince of Denmark — 15 October 2023 — Royal family Then Prince Christian of Denmark • Spain The King of Spain — 6 November 2023 • Spain The Queen of Spain • Denmark Princess Isabella of Denmark — 14 January 2024 — Royal family • Denmark Prince Vincent of Denmark • Denmark Princess Josephine of Denmark • Sweden Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland — 6 May 2024 • Iceland Halla Tómasdóttir — 8 October 2024 — President of Iceland (2024–present) • Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi — 6 December 2024 — President of Egypt (2014–present) • Finland Alexander Stubb — 4 March 2025 — President of Finland (2024–present) • Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs — 28 October 2025 — President of Latvia (2023–present) • Estonia Alar Karis — 27 January 2026 — President of Estonia (2021–present) • Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda — 28 January 2026 — President of Lithuania (2019–present)

• 1808–1821: Abraham Kall, historian • 1827–1851: Laurids Engelstoft, S.K., historian • 1852–1893: C.F. Wegener, S.K., historian • 1897–1921: Troels Troels-Lund, S.K., historian • 1921–1951: Louis Bobé, K.1., historian • 1951–1957: Bjørn Kornerup, K.1., historian • 1958–1976: Albert Fabritius, K., historian • 1976–1994: Tage Kaarsted, K., historian • 1994–2018: Knud J.V. Jespersen, K.1., historian • 2018–2026: Jes Fabricius-Møller, historian • 2026–: Ronny Skov Andersen, historian

• 1671–1690: Bolle Luxdorph • 1690–1742: Vincents Lerche, Master of Ceremonies • 1742–1748: Niels Gersdorff, Chamberlain • 1749–1771: Victor Christian von Plessen • 1771–1778: Volrad August von der Lühe, Chamberlain • 1778–1784: Engel Schack, Lord Chamberlain • 1790–1791: Joachim Ulrich von Sperling • 1792–1793: Johan Bülow, S.K., Lord Chamberlain • 1793–1794: Ferdinand Ahlefeldt • 1794–1808: Adam Wilhelm Hauch, Lord Chamberlain • 1808–1836: Frederik Moltke, Prime Minister of Denmark • 1840–1858: Carl Emil Moltke, Chamberlain • 1860–1871: E.C. Werlauff, S.K., historian • 1874–1885: J.P. Trap, private secretary to Frederik VII and Christian IX of Denmark • 1888–1910): F.V.F. Rosenstand, private secretary to Christian IX of Denmark • 1912–1936: Anthonius Krieger, Chamberlain and private secretary to Christian X of Denmark • 1936–1957: Gunnar Bardenfleth, private secretary to Christian X and Frederik IX of Denmark • 1957–1972: Morten Olufsen, Chamberlain and private secretary to Frederik IX of Denmark • 1972–1987: Mogens Wahl, Chamberlain and private secretary to Margrethe II of Denmark • 1987–2007: Niels Eilschou Holm, private secretary to Margrethe II of Denmark • 2007–2024: Henning Fode, Chamberlain and private secretary to Margrethe II of Denmark

• 1808–1826: Johan Sigismund von Møsting, Minister of Finance • 1826–1828: Ove Ramel Sehested, Minister of the Privy Council • 1828–1831: Frantz Bülow • 1831–1833: Johan Frederik Bardenfleth • 1834–1840: Christian Ove Haxthausen, Chamberlain • 1840–1852: Frederik Bardenfleth • 1852–?: Sophus Danneskiold-Samsøe, S.K. • 1876–1888: C.G.W. Johannsen, LL.D. • 1888–1898: Carl Løvenskiold, Chamberlain • 1898–1905: Ludvig Castenskiold • 1905–1909: Hugo Egmont Hørring • 1909–1918: Christian Moltke • 1918–1933: Frederik Raben-Levetzau, Minister of Foreign Affairs • 1944–1954: Johannes Hørring, LL.D. • 1955–?: Rudolf Lassen • 1991–2010: Paul Henning Fischer, LL.D., Ambassador, Chamberlain • 2010–: Per Thornit, Chamberlain

Previous knights have included: • James III, King of Scots and son-in-law of Christian I of Denmark (1469) • Tycho Brahe, astronomer (1578) • Heinrich Rantzau, German-Danish humanist, writer, astrologer and statesman (1580) • Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam, Dutch lieutenant-admiral (1659) • Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer, Dutch vice-admiral (1659) • Cornelis Tromp, Dutch and Danish admiral-general (1676) • Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein, military leader (1676) • Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann, politician and landowner (1790) • Duke William Frederick Philip of Württemberg, Danish general and Governor of Copenhagen during the (Battle of Copenhagen (1801)) • Albert, Prince Consort, (10 January 1843) • Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil. • J.B.S. Estrup, Danish landowner, politician and President of the Council of State (1878) • Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy (1891) • Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1909) • Vilhelm Thomsen, professor, Dr. Phil., Danish linguist (1912) • H.N. Andersen, Danish businessman, Consul-General, titular Councilor of State (1919) • C.G.E. Mannerheim, President of the Republic of Finland, Marshal of Finland (1919) • Umberto II, King of Italy, then Prince of Piedmont as heir to the throne (1922) • Hirohito, Emperor of Japan then Crown prince (1923) • Stanisław Wojciechowski, President of the Republic of Poland (1923) • Tomáš Masaryk, President of the Czechoslovak Republic (1925) • Reza Shah of Persia (former name of Iran) (1937) • Miklós Horthy, Austro-Hungarian vice-admiral, Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1940) • Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, British Field Marshal (1945) • Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, General of the Army (1945) • Niels Bohr, professor, Dr. Phil. & Scient. & Techn., Danish physicist and Nobel laureate, Manifested Copenhagen interpretation ("atom theory") (1947) • Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1947) • Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (then Princess) (1947) • Sir Winston Churchill, British prime minister and Nobel laureate (1950) • Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia (21 November 1954) • Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran (1959) • Princess Elisabeth of Denmark, Danish diplomat and cousin of Margrethe II of Denmark (1962) • King Constantine II of Greece (1962) • Julius Nyerere, President of the United Republic of Tanzania (1970) • Josip Broz Tito, President of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (1974) • Richard von Weizsäcker, President of the Federal Republic of Germany (1989) • Nicolae Ceaușescu, President of the Socialist Republic of Romania (Note: Awarded on the November 1980 state visit to Denmark, but revoked by the Queen on 23 December 1989. The insignia have been returned to Denmark and Ceaușescu's name has been deleted from the official rolls.) • Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, President of the Italian Republic (1993) • Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa (1996) • Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, Danish shipping magnate (2000)