Grand cross

Grand Cross is the highest class in many chivalric orders. Sometimes a holder of the highest class or grade are referred to as "Commander Grand Cross", "Knight Grand Cross" or just "Grand Cross"; in other cases the actual insignia is referred to as the "grand cross".

Alternatively, in some orders, the highest class may be called the "Grand Cordon", "Grand Collar", etc. In those cases, the rank of Grand Cross may come after another rank (e.g. the Portuguese Order of Saint James of the Sword).

In the United Kingdom, the rank entails admission to knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title "Sir" (male) or "Dame" (female) as a style before his or her name, while entitled "Knight Grand Cross" or "Dame Grand Cross". This stands in contrast to the typical practice in other countries where knighthood is conferred at the initial, lowest rank of the order, typically "Knight".

The orders in which the highest rank (or second after "Collar") is named "Grand Cordons" include the following orders:

or was the highest :

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