all citizens of the commonwealth realms are able to be given the order of merit. there can only be 24 living people in the order at any given time, not including honorary appointees, and new members are personally selected by the reigning monarch of the 16 realms, presently queen elizabeth ii, with the help of her private secretaries; the order has thus been described as "quite possibly, the most prestigious honour one can receive on planet earth." within the limited membership is a designated military division, with its own unique insignia; though it has not been abolished, it is currently unused, the earl mountbatten of burma having been the last person so honoured. honorary members form another group, to which there is no limit, though such appointments are rare; individuals from countries in the commonwealth of nations that are not headed by elizabeth ii are considered foreigners, and thus are granted only honorary admissions, such as nelson mandela (south africa) and mother teresa (india).