Knight or Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath | |
|---|---|
| Order | Most Honourable Order of the Bath |
| Awarded by | The Sovereign |
| Precedence | 9 |
| Post-nominals | KCB |
| Style | Sir or Dame |
The Knight or Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) is the second class of the Order of the Bath. It is part of the honours system, and a holder is styled "Sir" or "Dame", and holders use the letters KCB after their name.
Contents
The order
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath was founded by King George I in 1725. Its name comes from the medieval ceremony in which a new knight bathed as a sign of purification. It has three classes, Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCB), Knight or Dame Commander (KCB or DCB) and Companion (CB), and is given mainly to senior civil servants and senior officers of the armed forces. Its chapel is the Henry VII Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey, and its motto is "Tria juncta in uno" (Three joined in one).
Appointment
Honours are awarded by The Sovereign, usually on the advice of the Prime Minister. In UKOGB any member can nominate another for an honour on the website, with a citation explaining why. Once it is awarded, the honour and the date it was given appear on the holder's profile, and their styled name changes to include it.
This page was last edited on 3 November 2026.