Modern Application
Official orders are conferred with the sanction of a sovereign state. Ultimately, it is the authority of the state, whether exercised by a reigning monarch or the president of a republic, that distinguishes orders of chivalry from private organizations. Private individuals, whether commoners, knights, or noblemen, no longer have the right to confer titles of nobility, knighthood or orders of chivalry upon others.
In the United Kingdom, where the fount of honour is the monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, some private societies (such as the Royal Humane Society) have permissions from the monarch to award medals which may be worn by those in uniform provided the private society's medal is worn on the right-side rather than the usual left. In France, however, with very few exceptions, non-government orders and medals are not allowed to be worn at all. In Spain the fount of honour is King Juan Carlos as the head of state.
Read more about this topic: Fount Of Honour
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