The Star And Garter

In the Entered Apprentice degree we instruct a candidate that his apron is "more honorable than the Star and Garter."  That award or, "The Most Noble Order of the Garter" is a British order of knighthood generally reserved for the gentry.  Its membership is limited to the monarch, the Prince of Wales and no more than 24 others.  Its badge is an eight-pointed silver star surrounding the cross of St. George, the order's patron saint.  Below the knee, the recipient wears a garter bearing the order's French motto “Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense,” or “Shame on he, who thinks evil of this.”  Only the reigning monarch of England can bestow the order.  Although reserved for a select few members of the upper class, it is considered the pinnacle of the honors system in the United Kingdom.