- Time Period: Pre World War I
- Institution: 1811
- Country: Sweden
The Royal Order of Charles XIII (Kungliga Carl XIII in Swedish) is a distinguished Swedish order of merit established by King Charles XIII in 1811.
Membership of the order is limited to Freemasons of the Protestant faith. The King of Sweden, currently King Carl XVI Gustaf, serves as the Lord and Master of the Order. The order’s membership is structured as follows:
- Thirty lay members, with a maximum of seven non-Swedish members, each holding the XI (highest) degree of the Swedish Rite of Freemasonry, such as regional or national heads.
- Three clerical members, typically priests or bishops of the Church of Sweden.
- All princes of the Royal House of Sweden are born members but only wear the insignia if they hold the Knight and Commander rank of the Red Cross of the Swedish Order of Freemasons. As a result, the King and the Duke of Värmland, both born Knights of the Order, do not wear the insignia.
- Foreign princes of royal lineage may be granted honorary membership if they are senior Freemasons, regardless of their affiliation with the Swedish Order or another. While they enjoy full membership rights, they are not included in the order’s membership limits. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (United Kingdom), was admitted to the Order on November 6, 2000.
The total membership cannot exceed 33 individuals concurrently. Members of royal descent are automatically included in the count but do not consume slots from the allotted 33.
The Order of Charles XIII Design
The insignia of the order features a red St. George cross, with a white globe at its center bearing the monogram of the founder, consisting of two letters “C” surrounding “XIII” in gold.
On the reverse side of the globe, there is a gold letter “B” within an equilateral triangle bordered in black and gold. A closed golden crown is mounted atop the cross. The insignia is worn around the neck on a red ribbon. Additionally, there exists a red breast cross, making the insignia equivalent to that of a Commander 1st Class, and recipients are ranked accordingly following the Commanders 1st Class of the Swedish Royal Orders.
The ribbon is red.
