Type Royal Family Order Sovereign Queen Elizabeth II | Ribbon White Post-nominals VA | |
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Eligibility Female members of the British Royal Family and female courtiers Status Defunct; not awarded since the death of Queen Victoria, 1901 | ||
The Royal Order of Victoria and Albert was a British Royal Family Order instituted on 10 February 1862 by Queen Victoria, and enlarged on 10 October 1864, 15 November 1865, and 15 March 1880. No awards were made after the death of Queen Victoria.
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The order had four classes and was only granted to female members of the British Royal Family and female courtiers. For the first three classes, the badge consisted of a medallion of Queen Victoria and Albert, The Prince Consort, differing in the width and jewelling of the border as the classes descend, whilst the fourth substitutes a jewelled cipher. All four were surmounted by a crown, which was attached to a bow of white silk moiré ribbon. The honour conferred no rank or title upon the recipient, but recipients were entitled to use the post-nominal letters "VA".
The last holder of the Order, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, died in 1981. Like other British Orders which have fallen into disuse, it has never been formally abolished. Each British monarch since Victoria has become Sovereign of the Order upon accession to the throne. The current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, thus has been Sovereign of the Order since 1952.