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Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire | |
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![]() The insignia of a Knight Grand Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) | |
Awarded by the British monarch | |
Type | Order of chivalry |
Established | 1878 |
Motto | Imperatricis auspiciis |
Awarded for | At the monarch's pleasure |
Status | Not awarded since 1947 Dormant order since 2010 |
Founder | Victoria |
Sovereign | Charles III |
Grades | Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) Knight Commander (KCIE) Companion (CIE) |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Order of St Michael and St George |
Next (lower) | Royal Victorian Order |
![]() Ribbon bar of the Order of the Indian Empire |
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878.[1] The Order includes members of three classes:
Appointments terminated after 1947, the year that British India became the independent Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. With the death of the last surviving knight, the Maharaja Meghrajji III of Dhrangadhra, the order became dormant in 2010. The motto of the Order is Imperatricis auspiciis, (Latin for "Under the auspices of the Empress"), a reference to Queen Victoria, the first Empress of India. The Order is the junior British order of chivalry associated with the British Indian Empire; the senior one is The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India.