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2 Composition

The Kings of Scotland—later the Kings of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom—have served as Sovereigns of the Order. When James VII revived the Order, the statutes stated that the Order would "consist of the Sovereign and twelve Knights-Brethren in allusion to the Blessed Saviour and his Twelve Apostles." In 1827, George IV augmented the Order to sixteen members. Women (other than Queens regnant) were originally excluded from the Order; Elizabeth II, however, allowed the admission of Ladies of the Thistle in 1987.

From time to time, individuals may be admitted to the Order by special statutes. Such members are known as "Extra Knights" and do not count towards the sixteen-member limit. Members of the British Royal Family are normally admitted through this procedure; the first to be so admitted was a younger son of George III, HRH The Prince William Henry (later William IV). Olav V, King of Norway, the first foreigner to be admitted to the Order, was also admitted by special statute in 1962.

The Sovereign has historically had the power to choose Knights and Ladies of the Order. From the eighteenth century onwards, the Sovereign made his or her choices upon the advice of the Government. George VI felt that the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle had been used only for political patronage, rather than to reward actual merit. Therefore, with the agreement of the Prime Minister ( Clement Attlee) and the Leader of the Opposition ( Winston Churchill) in 1946, the Order of the Thistle returned to the personal gift of the Sovereign.

Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be admitted to the Order of the Garter. Formerly, many, but not all, Knights elevated to the senior Order would resign from the Order of the Thistle. The first to resign from the Order of the Thistle was John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll in 1710; the last to take such an action was Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland in 1872. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be deprived of their knighthoods. The only individual to have suffered such a fate was John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar who lost both the knighthood and the earldom after participating in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715.

The Order has four officers: the Dean, the Chancellor, the Usher, the King of Arms and the Secretary. The Dean is normally a cleric of the established Church of Scotland. The Chancellor is normally one of the knights, though not necessarily the most senior one. The Usher of the Order is the Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod (unlike his Garter equivalent, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, he does not have another function assisting the House of Lords). The King of Arms of the Order, responsible for heraldry, is the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Scottish Heraldry. (The Lord Lyon is also the most junior of the Great Officers of Scotland and the post was formerly held by an important nobleman, whose functions were in practice carried out by his assistant, the Lyon-Depute. The practice of appointing Lyon-Deputes, however, ceased in 1866.) The Lord Lyon often—but not invariably—also serves as the Secretary.

3 Vestments and accoutrements

For the Order's great occasions, such as its annual service each June or July, as well for coronations, the Knights and Ladies wear an elaborate costume:

The mantle is a green robe worn over their suits or military uniforms. The mantle is lined with white tafetta; it is tied with green and gold tassels. On the left shoulder of the mantle, the star of the Order (see below) is depicted.
The hat is made of black velvet and is plumed with white osprey feathers.
The collar is made of gold and depicts thistles and sprigs of rue. It is worn over the mantle.
The St Andrew, also called the badge-appendant, is worn suspended from the collar. It comprises a gold enamelled depiction of St Andrew, wearing a green gown and purple coat, holding a white saltire. Gold rays are shown emanating from St Andrew's head.

Aside from these special occasions, however, much simpler insignia are used whenever a member of the Order attends an event at which decorations are worn.

The star of the Order consists of a silver St Andrew's saltire, with clusters of rays between the arms of thereof. In the centre is depicted a green circle bearing the motto of the Order in gold majuscules; within the circle, there is depicted a thistle on a gold field. It is worn pinned to the left breast. (Since the Order of the Thistle is the second-most senior chivalric order in the UK, a member will wear its star above that of other orders to which he or she belongs, except that of the Order of the Garter; up to four orders' stars may be worn.)
The broad riband is a dark green sash worn across the body, from the left shoulder to the right hip.
At the right hip of the Riband, the badge of the Order is attached. On the obverse, the badge depicts St Andrew in the same form as the star. On the reverse, it depicts a thistle, on a green ground and surrounded by the Order's motto.

However, on certain "collar days" designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the Order's collar over their military uniform, formal wear, or other costume. They will then substitute the broad riband of another order to which they belong (if any), since the Order of the Thistle is represented by the collar.

Upon the death of a Knight or Lady, the insignia must be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. The badge and star are returned personally to the Sovereign by the nearest relative of the deceased.

Officers of the Order also wear green robes. The Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod also bears, as the title of his office suggests, a green rod. Lord Lyon wears a tabard depicting the Royal Arms.

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