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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Knight Commander</span></span>
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</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about the British rank of knighthood. For the Masonic Scottish Rite title, see <a href="Scottish_Rite#Degree_Structure_in_the_United_States_and_Canada" title="Scottish Rite">Scottish Rite</a>.</div>
<p><b>Knight Commander</b> (or <b>Dame Commander</b>) is the second most senior grade of seven <a href="United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">British</a> <a href="Order_of_chivalry" title="Order of chivalry">orders of chivalry</a>, three of which are dormant (and one of them continues as a German house order). The rank entails admission into <a href="Knighthood" class="mw-redirect" title="Knighthood">knighthood</a>, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' (male) or 'Dame' (female) before his or her name. In the <a href="Commonwealth_Realms_orders_and_decorations" class="mw-redirect" title="Commonwealth Realms orders and decorations">British system of precedence</a>, Knights (and Dames) Commander rank after the <a href="Order_of_the_Companions_of_Honour" title="Order of the Companions of Honour">Order of the Companions of Honour</a> (although Companions of Honour obtain no knighthood or other status) and before <a href="Knight_Bachelor" title="Knight Bachelor">Knights Bachelor</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Dorling_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Dorling-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The Orders that award the rank of Knight Commander, and related <a href="Post-nominal_letters" title="Post-nominal letters">post-nominal letters</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Dorling_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Dorling-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> are (dormant orders in <i>italics</i>):
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<ul><li><a href="Order_of_the_Bath" title="Order of the Bath">Order of the Bath</a> (KCB / DCB)</li>
<li><i><a href="Order_of_the_Star_of_India" title="Order of the Star of India">Order of the Star of India</a> (KCSI)</i></li>
<li><a href="Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George" title="Order of St Michael and St George">Order of St Michael and St George</a> (KCMG / DCMG)</li>
<li><i><a href="Royal_Guelphic_Order" title="Royal Guelphic Order">Royal Guelphic Order</a> (KCH)</i></li>
<li><i><a href="Order_of_the_Indian_Empire" title="Order of the Indian Empire">Order of the Indian Empire</a> (KCIE)</i></li>
<li><a href="Royal_Victorian_Order" title="Royal Victorian Order">Royal Victorian Order</a> (KCVO / DCVO)</li>
<li><a href="Order_of_the_British_Empire" title="Order of the British Empire">Order of the British Empire</a> (KBE / DBE)</li></ul>
<p>Knights (and Dames) Commander rank behind the most senior rank in each order, that of <a href="Knight_Grand_Cross" class="mw-redirect" title="Knight Grand Cross">Knights (or Dame) Grand Cross</a>. The third most senior rank in each order is a Companion for three-class orders (<span class="nobold noexcerpt nowraplinks" style="font-size:;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath" class="mw-redirect" title="Companion of the Order of the Bath">CB</a></span> <span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Star_of_India" class="mw-redirect" title="Companion of the Order of the Star of India">CSI</a></span> <span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="Companion_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George" class="mw-redirect" title="Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George">CMG</a></span> <span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Indian_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire">CIE</a></span></span>) and Commander for five-class orders (<span class="nobold noexcerpt nowraplinks" style="font-size:;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="Commander_of_the_Royal_Victorian_Order" class="mw-redirect" title="Commander of the Royal Victorian Order">CVO</a></span> <span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Commander of the Order of the British Empire">CBE</a></span></span>).<sup id="cite_ref-PH_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-PH-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p><a href="Insignia" title="Insignia">Insignia</a> include a breast star and a badge, worn from the neck on a ribbon.<sup id="cite_ref-Dorling_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Dorling-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>It is also a grade in the orders of other countries, such as the <a href="Papal" class="mw-redirect" title="Papal">Papal</a> <a href="Order_of_St._Gregory_the_Great" title="Order of St. Gregory the Great">Order of St. Gregory the Great</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-PH_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-PH-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Italian equivalent is <a href="Order_of_Merit_of_the_Italian_Republic#Grades" title="Order of Merit of the Italian Republic">Commendatore</a>.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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<li id="cite_note-Dorling-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Dorling_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Dorling_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Dorling_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">
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</style><cite id="CITEREFDorling1956" class="citation book cs1"><a href="H._Taprell_Dorling" title="H. Taprell Dorling">Dorling, H. Taprell</a> (1956). <i>Ribbons and Medals</i>. London: A. H. Baldwin & Sons. pp. 16, <span class="nowrap">28–</span>36. <a href="OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/930416375">930416375</a>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-PH-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-PH_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-PH_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFHieronymussen1970" class="citation book cs1">Hieronymussen, Paul (1970). <i>Orders, medals, and decorations of Britain and Europe in colour</i>. London: Blandford Press. pp. 29, 224. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>978-0-7137-0445-7</bdi>.</cite></span>
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