The order was constituted by Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah on 21 February 1964.

The order is conferred on the rulers of the Malay states, their consorts, foreign heads and their consorts, senior members of the royal families and eminent individuals for their most distinguished services to Kedah and Malaysia.

The Royal Family Order of Kedah is conferred in a single class of Member.

The insignia of the order comprises a collar, a sash, a star and the badge.

The sash of the order is yellow with red and green side stripes and is worn from the left shoulder to the right hip [2]