The order consists of eight grades, with two crosses and three medals attached to the order:
Grand Cross - wears the badge with a crown on a sash on the right shoulder, and the plaque on the left chest ;
Grand Officer - wears the badge with a crown on a necklet, and the plaque on the left chest;
Commander of the Crown - wears the badge with a crown on a necklet;
Commander / Cross of Honour for Ladies - men wear the badge on a necklet; women wear the badge with a crown on a ribbon tied as a bow at the left chest ;
Officer of the Crown - wears the badge with a crown on a chest ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
Officer - wears the badge on a chest ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
Knight of the Crown - wears the badge with a crown on a chest ribbon on the left chest;
Knight - wears the badge on a chest ribbon on the left chest;
Members of the order belong to either the Civil or the Military Division. The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the Grand Master of the order. Attached to the order are the following crosses and medals of merit:
Crosses in Gold and Silver - wears the cross on a ribbon on the left chest;
Medals in Gold, Silver and Bronze - wears the medal on a ribbon on the left chest.
The medals and crosses do not confer membership in the order upon the recipient. Foreigners may also be made members of the order, and it is common as a diplomatic award. The order was used as well in World War II to reward a handful of Allied officers who had helped liberate Luxembourg from the rule of Nazi Germany. Because of the small size of Luxembourg, and its minor role as a campaign theater, membership of the order was not awarded as frequently as other major World War II honours, such as the Croix de Guerre.
Insignia
The badge of the order is a gold cross, enamelled in white and featuring eight points, each of which ends in a gold pearl. The central disc of the front side bears the gold letter "A" in Gothic script the crowned by an imperial crown. The whole is encircled by a laurel crown on a blue-enamelled background on which the motto "Virtute" is inscribed in gold letters. The other side has the inscriptions "1292" and "1858", in gold letters on a white-enamelled background. The military division shows two additional crossed swords under the central medallion. The classes of the crown have a gold crown attached above the badge.
The plaque of the civil division of the order is an eight-pointed faceted silver star, or a faceted silver Maltese Cross with silver rays between the arms. The central disc is the same to that of the badge. The plaque of the military division shows two additional crossed swords under the central medallion, with gold hilts and silver blades, and the corresponding badge shows two crossed swords in gold.
The cross is shaped in the same form as the batch, but non-enamelled, and made of plain gold or silver.
The medal is roundly shaped, made of gold, silver or bronze, and with the portrait of Adolph, Duke of Nassau depicted on it.
The ribbon of the order is blue moiré with a small orange stripe at each edge.
Award criteria
"Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" :
Princes of Luxembourg
By statute of the order, princes and princesses of the Grand-Ducal House of Luxembourg are Grand Crosses of the order by birth, but they don't wear the order's decoration until they are 18 years old.
