your Sovereign Lord, love and respect him and his royal prerogatives" and replicate promises made at the Tomb. Due its statutes, the order was originally a dynastic (elector, later king as Grand Master, princes as Grand Priors), a religious (Defense of the Immaculate Conception), and an Order of Merit (promotion of every second Kight Commander and Commander by the Grand Master; limitation of different grades) at the same time. Order in 19th and 20th centuries In reforming the various military and noble Orders, Maximilian I. confirmed the privileges already enjoyed by the knights of Saint George, giving them precedence after the knights of Saint Hubert. By a new Constitution of 25 February 1827, Maximilian's son and successor, Ludwig I declared that the King was always to be Grand Master, the Crown Prince the first Grand Prior, and other Princes of the Bavarian Royal House second Grand Priors. These statutes, which have remained largely in force, established six Grand Commanders, twelve hereditary commanders, and unlimited knights. The requirements have always been formidable, as originally a member had to prove 32 quarterings with 32 noble German ancestors. Since the 1871 reforms, the requirement has been revised to proof of four hundred years of nobility in each of the four quarters and proof that all 32 great-great-great-grandparents were noble, still rigidly enforced. The statutes were again revised on 11 December 1999 (approved by the present Head of the House, Duke Franz, on 11 January 2000), suppressing the separate clerical class (priests may join the Order as regular members, provided they have the necessary nobiliary qualifications) and simplified the regulations. A candidate must be at least 21 years of age, and before admission, is examined by a committee of knights. The last King of Bavaria continued to maintain the Order after abdicating his throne and was succeeded by his son, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria. The present Grand Master of the Order is Franz Herzog von Bayern who succeeded his father, Duke Albrecht in 1996. Unlike other noble Orders, the rules requiring noble proofs are strictly enforced and there is no category of "honorary" or "grace" knights. The Order is dedicated to the practice of works of charity and the establishment of hospitals, and until recently maintained a 100-bed hospital. There are about ninety members and the Order celebrates its feast days on Saint George's Day (24 April) and the Feast of the Immaculate