Royal Order of Cambodia

Royal Order of Cambodia
Star, medal and current Great Ribbon of the Order
Awarded by King of Cambodia
Type	Order
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	Norodom Sihamoni
Grades	Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight
Statistics
Established	1864
Ribbon of the order

The Royal Order of Cambodia (Khmer: គ្រឿងឥស្សរិយយសព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា; French: Ordre royal du Cambodge) was a French colonial chivalric order in French Cambodia, and is still in use in the present-day Cambodia.

For French appointments, the recipient had to be at least 29 years old and enter the Order first as a knight, to be promoted to a higher grade after a certain period. Only officers of the Légion d'honneur could become a commander in the Order and only commanders of the Légion d'honneur could be Commanders or Officers of the Order. Apart from decorations for bravery or merit during foreign campaigns, the French colonial orders also required that a certain number of years had to have been spent in the tropics or overseas to be eligible - in this case, three years in Indochina, preferably in Cambodia. From 1933 the Order was also granted for the organization of exhibitions dedicated to Cambodia and sacred events important to the French colonies. None of these rules applied for grants by the King of Cambodia himself.

The colonial and overseas orders were immediately contingent on the French orders and awarded on ministerial orders. Those awarded it not only had to pay for their own registration and qualifications, but also had to buy their own insignia.

In 1948 France ceased granting the order. Formally it remained a French colonial policy, but it was now only granted by the King of Cambodia. The order has since then been one of the historical orders of France.

On September 1, 1950 the (colonial) French order-system was reformed. The Order of the Star of Anjouan and the Order of the Black Star were formalised as French Overseas Orders. The other three were the "Order of States Associated to the French Union" (French: "Ordre des États de l'Union Française Associés"). In 1955, Cambodia became independent. The order was approved by King Norodom Sihanouk during his government and also granted during his exile in Beijing. Even after the restoration of the Khmer dynasty it remained the highest Cambodian distinction.