The Queen presented the Order of Merit to former prime minister Jean Chrétien, accompanied by wife Aline, at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. (Ian Nicholson, pool/Associated Press)

The Queen presented former prime minister Jean Chrétien with the Order of Merit in a ceremony Tuesday at Buckingham Palace in London.

Chrétien is only the fourth Canadian to be honoured with the Order, which is considered to be a personal gift from the monarch.

Past Canadian recipients include neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield and two former prime ministers, William Lyon Mackenzie King and Lester B. Pearson.

Other past honorary recipients include Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer and Nelson Mandela.

"It is a big honour because there are very few of us — 24, including Prince Philip and Prince Charles — and very few people from political background," Chrétien told CBC News.

The award, founded in 1902 by King Edward VII, is given to "individuals of exceptional distinction in the arts, learning, sciences and other areas such as public service," according to the Queen's office.

The order is restricted to 24 members from countries where the British monarch is the sovereign, as well as additional honorary foreign recipients.