it was victoria's son, edward vii, who eventually founded the order of merit, on 26 june 1902 the date for which his coronation had been originally planned as a means to acknowledge "exceptionally meritorious service in our navy and our army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of art, literature and science"; all modern aspects of the order were established under his direction, including the division for military figures. from the outset, prime ministers attempted to propose candidates or lobbied to influence the monarch's decision on appointments, but the royal household adamantly guarded information about potential names. after 1931, when the commonwealth of nations came into being and the former dominions of the british empire became independent states, equal in status to the uk, the order of merit remained an honour open to all the king's realms; thus, as with the monarch who conferred it, the order ceased to be purely british.