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Much in the article suggests that this is actually a "self-styled order", rather than a legitimate one. First, because any chivalric order requires a fons honorum or "fount of honor", which this order apparently lacks. A fons honorum is, as described by Paul Hieronymussen in "Orders, medals, and decorations of Britain and Europe in Colour", thus: "In practice, it may be found that the Royal Knighthoods still extant and the true Orders of Merit are identical, but they can differ in their external presentation. The Order can be either the prerogative of The Sovereign, which means that the reigning member of the Royal House rules the institution as the Master of the Order, or it can be a State institution, the President of the country, as Grand Master of the State Orders, having the final decision in all question concerning the Order." The Royal Order of Francis I was allegedly founded (according to the article) in 1829, about one year before Francis I was deposed; however, this claim is not supported in the article by any reference to primary sources. Furthermore, although a deposed monarch may still act as a fons honorum during their lifetime, their successor(s) generally may not, especially if the nation which their ancestor once ruled has specifically repudiated the validity of such an order, as France has. The current alleged fons honorum, Prince Carlo has never been a monarch, and is just one of multiple claimants to the nonexistent Throne, so he cannot serve as a fons honorum. Finally, the article claims a number of legitimate members of nobility as members of the Order, but provides no evidence that membership was actually *accepted* by said members. For example, I could mail an artwork I made to Queen Elizabeth but, just because it was not explicitly refused by her, I cannot accurately claim that Queen Elizabeth is "a collector of my art", or that my art "is in the collection of Queen Elizabeth". Has Baroness Thatcher or the Duke of Westminster actually acknowledged membership in this Order? Or were they just "gifted" with it? The article does not say. Bricology (talk) 08:10, 24 March 2013 (UTC)[reply]
