victoria cross
The highest military honor awarded in the United Kingdom and various other Commonwealth countries. Known as the VC for short, it is so named because Queen Victoria instituted it in 1856 to recognize acts of bravery during the Crimean War.
Officially, it is awarded for "most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy" and is often personally presented by the King or Queen. Specifically, since 1857, Britain's monarch has done so more than two thirds of the time, and most of those have been at Buckingham Palace. In 1940, King George VI introduced the George Cross, which is equal in stature and awarded for "acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger" and may also be awarded to civilians.