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QUEEN’S TRINITY CROSS MEDAL DEEMED UNLAWFUL A medal awarded by the Queen has been declared unlawful, according to this article in Britain's Times. The Trinity Cross (top) is to be replaced by the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (below). -Editor  An honour established by the Queen has been declared unlawful after Muslims and Hindus complained that its Christian name and cross insignia were offensive. The Trinity Cross of the Order of Trinity was established by the Queen 40 years ago to recognise distinguished service and gallantry in the former colony of Trinidad and Tobago. It has been received by 62 people including the cricketers Garfield Sobers and Brian Lara, the novelist V. S. Naipaul and many of the islands’ leading politicians and diplomats. The Privy Council in London has ruled that the decoration is unconstitutional because it discriminates against non-Christians. The Trinity Cross was established in 1969 and took precedence over all other decorations except the Victoria Cross and George Cross. The title and choice of insignia followed six years of consultation and research of national awards in other countries. Questions were raised, though, about the overtly Christian nature of the words “Trinity” and “Cross” and the use of a cross insignia, which led to some of those nominated refusing to accept the decoration. The law lords refused to make the order retrospective, meaning that the recipients will not be stripped of their honours. Hugh Peskett, editor-in-chief of Burke’s Peerage and Gentry, said that changing the names of titles to remove their Christian references would destroy hundreds of years of history. “Part of the significance of an honour is its antiquity and I can see no reason why they should be changed,” he said. To read the complete article, see: Queen’s Trinity Cross honour deemed unlawful by Privy Council (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article6245144.ece) Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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