The individual has to be prepared to undertake the numerous duties expected of him over the year, most of which entail being on parade nearly every Sunday. Installation as a Military Knight will usually be before the age of 67. It is usual for applicants to be married and preference is given to those in needy circumstances. The Knights are all retired Army Officers dependent on their Army Pensions as, apart from a small stipend, they are not paid for their duties. This dress is still worn today and comprises a scarlet tailcoat (in the summer), sword, sash and cocked hat with plume. In 1833, King William IV, changed the designation of the Alms Knights to that of ‘The Military Knights of Windsor’ and at the same time granted them permission to wear uniform of Army Officers on the Unattached List. New regulations for the establishment and governance of the Alms Knights were drawn up under the Statutes of 1559. All the Alms Knights were unaccompanied in their somewhat monastic existence in the Castle, though undoubtedly some must have been married.ĭue to the decline in the number of Alms Knights once there was no longer a requirement for accommodation by ransomed landowners, King Henry VIII reduced the establishment to 13, and in accordance with his will, Queen Elizabeth I improved the accommodation of the Knights so that they were housed individually with one of their number appointed as Governor, and installed in the old belfry, now known as the Mary Tudor Tower.
26 ‘Poor Knights’, mirroring the 26 Garter Knights, were given accommodation in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle in exchange for daily prayer in St George’s Chapel for, and on behalf of, the Monarch and the Garter Knights. Known as the Alms Knights, they formed part of the College of St George which was created to support the establishment of the Most Honourable and Noble Order of the Garter. This often meant selling up their complete estates in order to raise sufficient money.
Formed by King Edward III shortly after the Battle of Creçy, the foundation consisted of Knights who, having taken their private armies to France to fight for the King, had been taken prisoner by the French who demanded heavy ransoms in return for their release. The Military Knights of Windsor claim to be the oldest military establishment in the Army List.