An Investiture is a very special day when an individual who has been awarded an honour receives their award in person from The Queen, The Prince of Wales or occasionally The Princess Royal.
Around 25 Investitures are held each year. The majority happen in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace, but others take place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle.
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Investitures are also occasionally held overseas, during a State visit by The Queen or a foreign visit by another member of the Royal Family.
Recipients can bring with them to the Investiture up to three friends or relations, who are invited to sit in the audience to witness the occasion.
View themed galleries showing recipients collecting their honours:
Investitures and the Arts
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Investitures and Sport
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Investitures: Charity and Community
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Investitures and the Armed Forces
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At the start of the ceremony The Queen enters the room attended by two Gurkha orderly officers, a tradition begun by Queen Victoria in 1876.
Also on duty are members of The Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard, which was created by Henry VII in 1485. Music is provided by either a military band or an orchestra from the Purcell School of Music.
The Queen, or the member of the Royal Family holding the Investiture, remains standing throughout. Each Investiture takes about an hour.
After the National Anthem has been played either the Lord Chamberlain or a Lord in Waiting announces the name of each recipient and the achievement for which he or she is being honoured. The Queen then places the decoration on the person concerned before congratulating them on receiving the award.
Those who are to receive a knighthood (and who are therefore entitled to style themselves 'Sir'), kneel on an Investiture stool before The Queen. Her Majesty uses the sword that belonged to her father, King George VI, to dub the knight.
As well as receiving awards within one of the Orders of Chivalry, recipients may also attend to receive a decoration for gallantry such as the George Cross or The Queen's Gallantry Medal.
Occasionally, an award for gallantry may be made posthumously, and in this case The Queen presents the decoration or medal to the recipient's next of kin at a private ceremony before the formal Investiture begins.
The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, which is a branch of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, is responsible for the organisation of each Investiture.
The Central Chancery also organises the distribution of British insignia awarded by The Queen throughout the Commonwealth.
View footage of Catherine Zeta-Jones speaking after attending an Investiture at Buckingham Palace:
