Which royal family order did Queen Victoria institute in 1862?

Queen Victoria instituted the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert in 1862.

She created the order on 10 February 1862, shortly after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in December 1861. Named for both sovereigns, it served as Victoria’s royal family order and recognised personal service by women of the British royal family and female courtiers.

The order had four classes. Its badges prominently featured portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the first three classes, while the fourth used a jewelled cipher. The order was enlarged several times, including in 1864, 1865 and 1880, as its structure and membership developed.

It was not a general order of chivalry like the Order of Merit or the Order of the Indian Empire. Nor was it the Royal Victorian Chain, which Edward VII introduced in 1902 as a separate personal decoration. No further appointments were made after Victoria’s death in 1901.