Honors are typically exchanged during state visits. When honors are not exchanged it is usually because that country usually does not give or accept honors.
| Color | UK Honor | Foreign Honor |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Order of Garter | Extra Special, Rarely Given (Only given to Foreign Monarchs) |
| Pink | Order of Bath | Most Common for Heads of State |
| Blue | Royal Victorian Order | Other |
| * Yellow | No honor given, as the person previously received a top honor from the country. (And as a result, there is likely no honor to give). | |
(Colors are used to denote the different honors on the chart. They do not correspond to the color of the honor's sash, ribbon, etc. )
- UK honors
- Order of Garter (Green) - UK's highest Order of Chivalry, usually only given to European Monarchs (& a select few monarchs outside of Europe)
- Order of Bath (Pink) - The most common order given to Foreign Heads of State.
- Royal Victorian Order (Blue) - The lowest of the 3 UK honors on this list. This honor is given for service to the British Monarchy.
King Charles's Reign
(2022-Present)
| Year | Visiting Country | Honor King Charles Received | Honor Other Head of State Received | Head of State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming 2024 | Qatar | Sword of the Founder | Order of Bath | Amir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani |
| Outgoing 2024 | Samoa | - | - | O le Ao o le Malo Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II |
| Incoming 2024 | Japan | Order of the Chrysanthemum (Upgraded) | Order of Garter | Emperor Naruhito |
| Incoming 2023 | South Korea | Grand Order of Mugunghwa | Order of Bath | President Yoon Suk Yeol |
| Outgoing 2023 | Kenya | - | - | President William Ruto |
| Outgoing 2023 | France | * | - | President Emmanuel Macron |
| Outgoing 2023 | Germany | Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany | Order of Bath | President Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
| Incoming 2022 | South Africa | - | Order of Bath | President Cyril Ramaphosa |
Note:
South Africa - South Africa has honors system. But has not given out honors to foreign heads of state recently. King Philippe of Belgium made a State Visit to South Africa a few months later and did not receive any honors.
France - No reason was given why the Order of Bath was not given to President Macron.
Kenya - Kenya has honors system. But does not have an honor they normally give out to Foreign Heads of state.
Japan- King Charles, while heir, had previously been made Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum. During State Visit, he was upgraded and given the Collar, the highest honor reserved for foreign monarchs.
Samoa - Has honors system. But has does not have an honors that they give out to foreign heads of state.
Queen Elizabeth's Reign
(2010-2022)
Some countries (USA, Ireland, etc) do not give or receive foreign honors for their head of State, which is why none was given.
| Year | Visiting Country | Honor Queen Received | Honor Other Head of State Received | Head of State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming 2019 | USA | - | - | President Donald Trump |
| Incoming 2018 | Netherlands | * | Order of Garter | King Willem Alexander |
| Incoming 2017 | Spain | * | King Felipe | |
| Incoming 2016 | Colombia | * | Order of Bath | President Juan Santos |
| Incoming 2015 | China | - | - | President Xi Jinping |
| Outgoing 2015 | Germany | * | Order of Bath | President Joachim Gauck |
| Incoming 2015 | Mexico | * | President Enrique Peña Nieto | |
| Incoming 2014 | Singapore | * | President Tony Tan | |
| Outgoing 2014 | France | * | President François Hollande | |
| Incoming 2014 | Ireland | - | - | President Michael D. Higgins |
| Incoming 2013 | South Korea | * | Order of Bath | President Park Geun-hye |
| Incoming 2013 | UAE | * | * | Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Incoming 2012 | Kuwait | * | Order of Bath | Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah |
| Incoming 2012 | Indonesia | * | President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono | |
| Incoming 2011 | Turkey | * | * | President Abdullah Gül |
| Incoming 2011 | USA | - | - | President Barack Obama |
| Outgoing 2011 | Ireland | - | - | President McAleese |
| Outgoing 2010 | Oman | * | Royal Victorian Order | Sultan Haitham bin Tariq |
| Outgoing 2010 | UAE | Order of Zayed | Order of Bath | Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Incoming 2010 | Qatar | * | Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani | |
| Incoming 2010 | South Africa | * | President Jacob Zuma |
