Membership in the order is conferred by the reigning monarch personally on those who have served the sovereign, the royal family – or Governors-General during the heyday of the British empire.
There are five different grades of the order – CVO is ranked third after Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander. It is common practice for Lord Lieutenants to receive the award.
All members receive a badge showing a Maltese cross depicting the Royal Cypher of Queen Victoria surrounded by a blue ring bearing the motto of the order, Victoria, surmounted by a Tudor crown.
The peer, Philip Sidney, who lives at Penshurst Place, has already been the recipient of an MBE and is a member of the Order of St John.
Tonbridge resident Sonja Meryl Drew, deputy head of senior staff human resources in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was awarded an MBE for public and charitable services.
