 Male members of the Order are titled " Knights Companion , " and female members are called " Ladies Companion . " Formerly , the Sovereign filled vacancies upon the nomination of the members . Each member would nominate nine candidates , of whom three had to have the rank of earl or higher , three the rank of baron or higher , and three the rank of knight or higher . The Sovereign would choose as many nominees as were necessary to fill any vacancies in the Order . He or she was not obliged to choose those who received the most nominations . Candidates were last nominated in 1860 , and appointments have since been made by the Sovereign acting alone , with no prior nominations . The statutes prescribing the former procedure were not amended , however , until 1953 . 
