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Order of Charles III | |
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![]() Star and sash of the Order | |
Awarded by ![]() the King of Spain | |
Type | Order of merit, Knighthood |
Established | 1771 |
Royal house | House of Bourbon |
Motto | VIRTUTI ET MERITO ("Virtue and Merit") |
Awarded for | Actions in benefit to Spain and the Crown |
Status | Currently Constituted |
Sovereign | King Felipe VI |
Grand Chancellor | Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister |
Grades | Knight/Dame of the Collar Knight/Dame Grand Cross Commander by Number Commander Knight's/Dame's Cross |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | None. Although the Order of the Golden Fleece is recognized by the Spanish State, and awards of it are made by Royal Decrees countersigned by the Prime Minister and published in the Official Bulletin of the State, it is considered a Dynastic Order and not strictly a State Order, being thus set apart from the rest of the Spanish honours system. |
Next (lower) | Order of Isabella the Catholic (sorted by year of inception) |
![]() Sash & ribbon of a Collar grade member of the order ![]() Sash & ribbon of an ordinary member of the order |
The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (Spanish: Real y Distinguida Orden Española de Carlos III, originally Spanish: Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III; Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Isabella the Catholic (established in 1815) and the Order of Civil Merit (established in 1926). It was established by the King of Spain Charles III by means of the Royal Decree of 19 September 1771, with the motto Virtuti et mérito. It rewards political appointees, heads of State and high-ranking government officials for their actions in benefit to Spain and the Crown.