The Chancery of the Netherlands Orders is the civil service body behind the Dutch honours system. It provides support to both the Civil Honours Council and the Military Order of William Council in advising the Dutch government on proposals for the award of royal decorations. It is also responsible for the administration of the insignia of a large number of state and other decorations, and for maintaining the registers of the Dutch Orders: the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands, the Order of Orange-Nassau and the Military Order of William. Finally it supports the Chancellor of the Netherlands Orders in preserving the integrity and dignity of the Dutch honours system. The Chancery’s origins date back to 1815, when the Military Order of William and the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands were created, with a separate chancery for each. In 1844 the two chanceries merged to become the Chancery of the Netherlands Orders. The organisation is housed in a historic building on Nassaulaan in The Hague.