NZ members of Order of the British Empire invited to church

8 December 2011

London’s calling - New Zealand members of the Order of the British Empire invited to church service

New Zealanders who hold Order of British Empire honours are invited to attend a church service to be held in London early next year for its members—but they need to apply quickly for a ticket.

Niels Holm, Official Secretary at Government House, said the service would be held at St Paul’s Cathedral on 7 March 2012. The service would be attended by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, who is Grand Master of the Order.

While Imperial Honours ceased to be a part of New Zealand’s Royal Honours system in 1997, many New Zealanders are members of the Order of the British Empire. They include holders of the GBE, KBE, DBE, CBE, OBE, MBE and BEM.

Members of the Order who want to attend need to visit www.obeservice.org.uk or write to the Registrar, Order of the British Empire, Central Chancery, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BH, before 13 January 2012 to request a ticket.

Mr Holm said the Registrar had advised that in the case of those coming from overseas, members and medallists may be accompanied by one guest (spouse or friend), but due to the size of the Order it was not possible to allow each applicant more than one extra ticket for the service.

ENDS

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