Although The Royal and Hashemite Order of the Pearl was formally established in June 2011, it is an institution whose roots are much deeper. When the current Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo, His Majesty Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram decided to establish a Order, using His sovereign right as "Fons honorum", it was uniting of the royal, nobiliary and chivalrous traditions of Sultanate, in a manner appropriate international standards.1