Rahul Sharma (Editor)

National Order of the Leopard

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Type
  
Order

Sovereign
  
President

Established
  
24 May 1966

Status
  
Currently constituted

Chancellor
  
President

Grades
  
Grand Cordon Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight

The National Order of the Leopard is the highest honorific decoration of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was instituted on 24 May 1966 in the ordonnance-law n° 66-330 by the President Joseph-Désiré Mobutu. Its rewards the high military or civil merits rendered to the Republic.

Contents

The President of the Republic is the Grand Chancellor of the Order. Its administration is in the care of the Chancellor.

Ranks

The National Order of the Leopard is composed of five grades :

  • Grand Cordon
  • Grand Officer
  • Commander
  • Officer
  • Knight

    • Notable recipients

    Grand Cordons :

  • Emperor Akihito of Japan
  • Elizabeth II
  • Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
  • Juan Carlos I of Spain
  • Queen Sofía of Spain

    • Commander:

  • Fernand Kazadi Lupelekese
  • Sir Hugh Wontner

    • Officer:

  • Baron Peter Piot
  • Sir Robin Gillett

    • Trivia

    The funerals of late King Baudouin of Belgium are remembered in two ways :

  • Elizabeth II exceptionally attended the funerals, which she rarely does.
  • A famous "incident" happened about honorific orders. By some mistake of Buckingham Palace services, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh has worn the sash of his Grand Cordon of "National Order of the Leopard" instead of the highest Belgian Order he was awarded, the Grand Cordon of Order of Leopold, as protocol would have required. See this photo illustrating the fact ...

    • References

    National Order of the Leopard Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA