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Classes The Order of Léopold is issued in five classes: All five classes come in three divisions (civil, military, maritime). Only the Belgian king is entitled to chair the order and to be named Grand Master ('Grootmeester'). The Grand Cordon title is reserved to national and foreign royals. Insignia The collar of the Order is in gold, with nine crowns, nine face-to-face monograms "LR" (for King Léopold I), and eighteen lions. The badge of the Order is a white-enamelled Maltese Cross, in silver for the Knight class and in gold for the higher classes, with a green-enamelled wreath of laurel and oak leaves between the arms of the cross. The obverse central disc features a lion on a black enamel background; the reverse central disc has the face-to-face monogram "LR" (for King Léopold I); both discs are surrounded by a red enamel ring with the motto "Unity Is Strength" in French (L'union fait la force) and in Flemish (Eendracht maakt macht). The cross is topped by a crown, which might have crossed swords or anchors underneath it, depending on the division. The star of the Order is an eight-pointed faceted silver star for the Grand Cordon class, and a silver faceted Maltese Cross with straight rays between the arms for the Grand Officer class. The central disc has a lion on a black enamel background, surrounded by a red enamel ring with the motto as on the badge. Golden crossed swords or anchors might be added behind the medallion, depending on division. The ribbon of the Order is plain purple. See also | ||||||||||
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