| Royal Service Order | |
| Award Information | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by | |
| Type |
Medal |
| Eligibility |
Royal government civil servants |
| Awarded for |
"meritorious performance of duty with distinction in the Empire's civil service" |
| Description |
A medal suspended from a red, gray, and purple ribbon
|
| Approving authority | |
| Presenting authority |
Consul or higher |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | |
| Next (lower) | |
The Royal Service Order was an order of merit in the Golden Empire. It recognized "meritorious performance of duty with distinction in the Empire's civil service", and was awarded to civilian members of the Empire's bureaucracy. It was junior to the Order of the Phoenix and senior to the Order of Distinction.
Grades and awards[]
Unlike the Order of the Phoenix, which was usually exclusive to very senior government officials, the Royal Service Order could recognize distinguished service at any level of the civil service. It was awarded in four degrees—Superior, Knight, Companion, and Member. In general, higher degrees were awarded to more senior officials, although they might also be given to particularly outstanding junior civil servants.
Each of the four RSO medals was suspended from a red, gray, and purple ribbon. All four had a badge featuring a gold image of Rin Sakaros's crown. Before 147 ABY, the medal featured her three-pointed crown; after the crown was redesigned by Rayne Turgachia, the new crown was incorporated into Royal Service Order medals. The ribbons for the Superior, Knight, and Companion grades featured smaller, all-gold badges of their respective medals.
Recipients of the Royal Service Order were entitled to the post-nominal letters SRSO (Superiors), KRSO (Knights), CRSO (Companions), and RSO (Members). Additionally, they were styled "Sir" or "Lady".
| Superior | Knight | Companion | Member |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Ribbon | |||
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Behind the scenes[]
The design of the Royal Service Order was partly inspired by the British Distinguished Service Order; specifically, the use of the crown as the medal's main feature. The name of the award itself was inspired by the Imperial Service Order.