Actually it’s the Grand Duke that grants the title. Apparntly the Royal family and the Grand Ducal family are related.
We can receive Orders of Chivalry, but we cannot accept Knighthood. Technically, they are two different animals.
An Order of Chivalry is sort of a club, whose members get to wear the medals and to put the initials after their names.
Knighthood is a quasi-nobiliary rank, which used to confer legal priveliges.
A UK national receives the 5th rank of an Order (Member).
Then he receives the 4th rank of the Order (Officer).
Then he receives the 3rd rank of the Order (Commander).
Then he kneels before the monarch and receives the Accolade (the sword-tap on the shoulders) and becomes a Knight, and gets the “Sir” prefix to his name.
Then he receives the 2nd rank of the Order (Knight Commander).
Then he receives the 1st rank of the Order (Knight Grand Cross).
A US citizen can receive Orders, wear the medals, and put the initials after his name, but he cannot accept the Accolade or use the “Sir” prefix. Any rank above Commander is only on an honorary basis.
So, their beatle can become Sir Paul McCartney, KBE.
But our mayor can only become Rudy Giuliani, KBE.
The Order of Canada, the Order of Australia, and the Order of New Zealand originally had all five grades, but in recent decades only the bottom three have been awarded.
Thank you for the explanation.