Order of St John Investiture

In a very hot ceremony this afternoon, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior of The Order of St John, invested the Lord-Lieutenant of  County Antrim, Mr David McCorkell, Knight Commander of Ards, as a Knight of The Order of St John (KStJ) in the Priory Church at St John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, London. St John's Gate is the HQ of the Order of St John and St John Ambulance.

​HRH was received by HM's Lord-Lieutenant for Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa, OBE, CStJ. 

The Order of St John is a recognised British Order of Chivalry, with HM The Queen as the Sovereign Head. However, it does not confer any title, like ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’, unlike other recognised British Orders of Chivalry (i.e. The Garter, The Thistle or Royal Victorian Order). That said, Mr McCorkell is still recognised by the Crown as holding the rank of a Knight. The Lord-Lieutenant was invested as a Knight of Justice of the Order of St John. There are two categories of Knights/Dames of St John; Knights/Dames of Justice and Knights/Dames of Grace.  Mr McCorkell's appointed as a Knight of St John, by HM The Queen, was announced in the Gazette in March 2021 and can be viewed here. 

The Lord-Lieutenant is pictured with his his son, who is a Priory Esquire of the Priory of England and The Islands. He is carrying the Banner for the Commandery of Ards. The Commandery of Ards oversees the Order's charitable work in Northern Ireland.