On 14 March 1981 the Queen co-signed letters patent amending the Constitution of the Order of Australia to create her son, the heir to the Australian throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, a knight of the Order of Australia.Amendments to the Constitution of the Order of Australia to make The Prince of Wales a Knight of the Order, 14 March 1981 – refer Letters Patent dated 7 January 2015. This procedure was necessary as Prince Charles, not being an Australian citizen, would not otherwise have qualified for a substantive knighthood and would have been eligible only for an honorary award.
