Back وسام النجم القطبي الملكي السويدي Arabic Ордэн Палярнай зоркі Byelorussian Orde de l'Estrella Polar Catalan Řád polární hvězdy Czech Nordstjerneordenen Danish Nordstern-Orden German Ordeno de la Polusa Stelo Esperanto Orden de la Estrella Polar Spanish Põhjatähe orden Estonian Pohjantähti-ritarikunta Finnish
| Royal Order of the Polar Star Kungliga Nordstjärneorden | |
|---|---|
 Cross and star of the order | |
| Awarded by the monarch of Sweden | |
| Type | Five grade order of merit |
| Royal house | Bernadotte |
| Motto | Nescit Occasum (It knows no decline) |
| Eligibility | Swedish and foreign persons |
| Awarded for | Until 1975: Civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions. After 1975: Services to Sweden |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Sovereign | King Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Chancellor | Svante Lindqvist [1] |
| Grades | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkNO) Commander 1st Class (KNO1kl) Commander (KNO) Knight/Member 1st Class (RNO1kl) Knight/Member (RNO) |
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 1748 |
| Last induction | 22 October 2024[2] |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Royal Order of the Sword |
| Next (lower) | Royal Order of Vasa |
 1748–1975 (all recipients) 2013–2023 (Swedish princes only) 2023–present (all recipients)  1975–2023 (foreign recipients) Ribbon bars of the order | |
The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: Kungliga Nordstjärneorden), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the Polar Star is intended as a reward for Swedish and foreign "civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions".
Its motto is, as seen on the blue enameled centre of the badge, Nescit Occasum, a Latin phrase meaning "It knows no decline". This is to represent that Sweden is as constant as a never setting star. The Order's colour is black. This was chosen so that when wearing the black sash, the white, blue and golden cross would stand out and shine as the light of enlightenment from the black surface. The choice of black for the Order's ribbon may also have been inspired by the black ribbon of the French Order of St. Michael, which at the time the Order of the Polar Star was instituted was also awarded to meritorious civil servants. From 1975–2023, the ribbon of the Order was blue with yellow stripes near the edges (i.e., the national colors, but the reverse of the Order of the Sword's yellow ribbon with blue stripes near the edges). The black ribbon was reintroduced in 2023 when guidelines to once again award Swedish honours to Swedish citizens were introduced. Women and clergymen are not called Knight or Commander, but simply Member (Ledamot).
From the reorganization of the orders in 1975 until 2023, the Order was only awarded to foreigners and members of the royal family, often being awarded to foreign office holders (such as prime and senior ministers) during Swedish state visits. It is also awarded to junior members of royal families who would not qualify for the more prestigious Royal Order of the Seraphim. In 2019, a parliamentary committee was instructed to establish guidelines on how to re-introduce the Swedish orders, including the Order of the Polar Star, into the Swedish honours system, and how Swedish citizens again can be appointed to Swedish orders.[3] The committee presented its findings in September 2021 and the Government declared that a bill on the subject would be presented to the Riksdag on 19 April 2022. The bill passed the Riksdag by a large majority on 19 June 2022. On 20 December 2022, the Swedish Government published a new regulation that repealed the 1974 regulation, and once again opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens and reactivated the Order of the Sword and the Order of Vasa, which came in effect on 1 February 2023.[4][5][6]
It was first awarded again in 2024 when Svante Pääbo among others were appointed to the order.[7]
- ^ "Hovkalender". Riksmarskalkämbetet (Office of the Marshal of the Realm). 2019: 23.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Ordnar till tio utländska medborgare". kungligmajestatsorden.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ "Dir. 2019:76 Kommittédirektiv Det offentliga belöningssystemet, de allmänna flaggdagarna och utformningen av anslaget till hovet" (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ "Ett offentligt belöningssystem för Sveriges främsta utmärkelser" (Media Release) (in Swedish). Justitiedepartementet, Regeringskansliet. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ "Förordning om Sveriges främsta utmärkelser" (PDF). Svensk författningssamling (SFS 2022:1800) (in Swedish). Regeringskansliet. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Sunnqvist, Martin (30 January 2023). "Det är nytt med vårt nya ordenssystem" (in Swedish). Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "H.M. Konungen har beslutat om ordensförläningar för exceptionella insatser". www.kungahuset.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-10-08.