| Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of a Knight of the Order of St. Patrick | |
| Awarded by the monarch of the United Kingdom .svg){kind=small} | |
| Type | Order of chivalry |
| Established | 1783 |
| Motto | Quis separabit? |
| Criteria | At the monarch's pleasure |
| Status | Last appointment in 1936 Dormant order since 1974 |
| Sovereign | Charles III |
| Grades | Knight (KP) |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of the Thistle |
| Next (lower) | Order of the Bath |
 Riband of the Order of St. Patrick | |
The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is a dormant British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. The Order was created in 1783 by King George III at the request of the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, The 3rd Earl Temple (later created Marquess of Buckingham). The regular creation of knights of the Order lasted until 1922, when most of Ireland gained independence as the Irish Free State, a dominion within what was then known as the British Commonwealth of Nations. While the Order technically still exists, no knight of St Patrick has been created since 1936, and the last surviving knight, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, died in 1974. Charles III, however, remains the Sovereign of the Order, and one officer, the Ulster King of Arms (now represented in the office of Norroy and Ulster King of Arms), also survives.[citation needed] Saint Patrick is patron of the order; its motto is Quis separabit?, Latin for "Who will separate [us]?": an allusion to the Vulgate translation of Romans 8:35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"[1]
Most British orders of chivalry cover the entire United Kingdom, but the three most exalted ones each pertain to one constituent country only. The Order of St Patrick, which pertains to Ireland, is the most junior of these three in precedence and age. Its equivalent in England, the Most Noble Order of the Garter, is the oldest order of chivalry in the British Isles, dating from the mid-fourteenth century. The Scottish equivalent is the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, dating in its present form from 1687.
- ^ According to Galloway (pp. 171–172), the motto was borrowed from the Order of the Friendly Brothers of St Patrick, but was also appropriate politically in expressing a desire for unity.