A tricky topic to brooch

From Royal ribands to tartan sashes, these noble accessories are worn with pride by those entitled to them. But what do they really signify?

- LUCY HIGGINSON

WHEN it comes to dressing for a special occasion, few things are more princely, impressive or mystifying than a sash. Whether worn at a Royal (or Disney) wedding, a Palace dinner or a Caledonian ball, they indicate another level of grandeur and membership of a rather exclusive club. But as a friend asked plaintively, after swooning over photographs from a recent State banquet, what do they really signify? Who gets to wear one and what are the rules behind them? The sashes worn by members of the Royal Family and other VIPs at State occasions aren't technically sashes at all but are properly known as ribands. They come with Royal or State Orders bestowed by the head of state, with similar systems in place in many other countries. In Britain there are also a few Orders in the personal gift of the sovereign, and recipients of those awards are clearly members of an extremely exclusive cohort indeed. But part of the reason they're so little understood is because they are often bestowed without much public fanfare, such as the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order given to HRH The Princess of Wales by Her Late Majesty The Queen 'for services to the sovereign'.

For a greater understanding, who better to consult than someone with insider knowledge: Adam Bruce, a Scottish lawyer who is also Marchmont Herald, an Officer of Arms based in Edinburgh (and a member of the Scottish Royal Household). These Orders, he says, date back to the high Middle Ages and initially came with a 'collar' (actually a rather grand gold chain worn around the shoulders) and badge sometimes worn from a ribbon around the neck. The sashes may have come later, as male fashions changed.