A knighthood has a prominent role in the British Honours System and is a recognition of a pre-eminent contribution in any field, typically one that is seen as inspirational, nationally significant and demonstrates sustained commitment.
While famous recipients naturally attract the most public attention, you certainly don’t need to be a household name to receive one.
So, who has been knighted, and what can some of the most notable examples tell us about the achievements and contributions recognised at this level?
Who Has Recently Been Knighted?
Recent honours lists demonstrate just how varied the reasons for receiving a knighthood can be.
Sir Idris Elba
Sir Idris Elba was recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours for his services to young people.
While internationally recognised for roles in US crime series The Wire and the police drama Luther, Elba’s knighthood highlighted his work with both the Elba Hope Foundation and his campaigning against knife crime.
Sir Christopher Dean
One half of the legendary Torvill and Dean partnership, Sir Christopher Dean was knighted in the same ceremony for services to figure skating and charity.
His achievements include Olympic gold in 1984, Olympic bronze in 1994 and four world titles and four European titles, alongside support for charitable causes, including his charity cycle ride for motor neurone disease (MND) research.
Both Sir Idris Elba and Sir Christopher Dean demonstrate an important feature of many honours: recognition typically extends well beyond the achievement they’re best known for.
Sir David Beckham
Beckham received a knighthood in the 2025 Birthday Honours list for services to sport and charity. Beyond his football career, Beckham has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005 and has supported the King’s Foundation’s education programme.
Sir Billy Boston
Meanwhile, Sir Billy Boston, one of rugby league’s greatest, and most popular, players, became the first rugby league player to receive a knighthood.
Across his 17-year career, Boston scored 571 tries in 562 matches, won a World Cup with Great Britain, three Challenge Cups and a league championship with Wigan. It’s safe to say that his outstanding achievements are truly worthy of such a prestigious level of recognition.
Famous Knighthoods in Arts, Entertainment and Literature
The arts have produced some of the most recognisable knights of recent decades.
Showstopping stars: Caine, McKellen and Kingsley
Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Michael Caine and Sir Ben Kingsley are among the UK’s most celebrated actors, with acclaimed careers spanning stage and screen.
Sir Ian McKellen
Sir Ian McKellen has had an illustrious career across stage and screen.
A versatile actor, McKellen has acted in a range of both Shakespearean and contemporary productions. He is probably best known for his role as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Beyond his career, McKellen is also a dedicated gay rights activist, having spent his life as an active campaigner for LGBTQ+ equality in the UK.
Sir Michael Caine
Similarly, Caine has spent his entire career gracing our stages and screens, with 42 award wins and 70 nominations under his belt.
Sir Michael Caine came from a working-class background and has previously claimed that he never felt like he belonged in his own country. But with his knighthood, Caine was finally awarded the recognition he deserved in the year 2000, for his services to the British screen.
Sir Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley says he felt overjoyed to be joining the company of “philanthropic, intelligent, outward-looking, dignified, chivalrous people” when he was knighted.
Born in the East Riding of Yorkshire as Krishna Bhanji, Kingsley is best known for his role as Gandhi, and, more recently, his portrayal of Ibrahim in The Thursday Murder Club.
Musical greats: McCartney, Starr and John
Music has produced an equally famous list of knighthoods. Sir Paul McCartney was knighted in 1997, with fellow Beatle Sir Ringo Starr receiving the same honour in 2018. Sir Elton John is another of Britain’s most internationally recognised musical artists with a knighthood.
Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr
Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr, in 1997 and 2018 respectively, were knighted for their services to music.
It’s difficult to dispute that the Beatles were an international sensation, sweeping across the music scene with a ‘mania’ that was absolutely unprecedented at the time. Their success was initially celebrated with an MBE for each member of the band in 1965, and then elevated with McCartney’s and Starr’s knighthoods, after their continued commitment to British music.
Sir Elton John
Sir Elton John was knighted for his services to music and for raising money for Aids charities in 1997.
Known for his flamboyant style, colourful glasses and eccentric nature, many will also vividly remember his performance of Candle in the Wind at the beloved Princess Diana’s funeral. John says his knighthood is the “icing on the cake” of his vibrant career.
Literary triumphs: Pratchett and Pullman
The craft of literature is represented at this level of the British Honours System too.
Sir Philip Pullman
“Very surprised and honoured”, Sir Philip Pullman joined the esteemed company of extraordinary people to be celebrated with such an honour.
Best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy – which has been adapted both into a film starring Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman, and later a TV series with James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson – Pullman has also been outspoken for authors’ rights and against library closures, extending his services for literature beyond his professional work.
Sir Terry Pratchett
With more than 55 million copies sold worldwide of his Discworld series, Sir Terry Pratchett is another literary giant deserving of a Royal Honour for his services to literature. After announcing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Pratchett has also made major donations to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust.
These names demonstrate that fame itself has never been the deciding factor when it comes to national recognition; their extraordinary cultural contributions, achievements and public services matter much more than the name attached to them.
Which Sporting Stars Have Been Knighted?
British sport provides another impressive list of knighthoods.
Sir Steve Redgrave
Five-time Olympic rowing gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave received his knighthood following one of the most remarkable careers in British Olympic history.
Even after retirement, Redgrave has continued to have a lasting legacy across sport, business and public life. Most notably, he raised a record £1.8 million for charity by completing the London Marathon in 2006, as well as becoming one of the torchbearers at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
Sir Andy Murray
Following his second Wimbledon win and second Olympic gold, Sir Andy Murray is also a three-time Grand Slam champion and has spent his career speaking up for women’s issues and women’s rights, especially in tennis. This level of advocacy demonstrates Murray’s sustained dedication to making the sport a more inclusive environment for men and women alike.
Sir Lewis Hamilton
Similarly, Sir Lewis Hamilton has shown he’s committed to a brighter future for Formula One.
His career has been a spectacle to watch, especially with the knowledge that he grew up on a council estate in Hertfordshire, with his honour showing that Royal Honours celebrate recipients from all walks of life.
Not only has Hamilton overcome racial barriers by rising through the ranks in a predominantly white sport, but he has also gone on to use his platform to encourage greater diversity in the sport he loves. Alongside supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, the F1 driver also set up the Hamilton Commission, which helps more black young people with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths).
Sir Mo Farah
With 10 global titles, including his ‘double double’ of gold medals at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, Sir Mo Farah’s dedication to athletics has been truly remarkable.
From humble beginnings in Somalia, Farah has dedicated his life since retirement to supporting young people. Mo’s Mission helps “build brighter futures through the power of sport”.
Sir Gareth Southgate
More recently, former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate was knighted after leading the men’s national team through one of its most successful periods in decades.
Alongside the more recent knighthoods of David Beckham, Billy Boston and Christopher Dean, these examples show the different ways sustained excellence, leadership and wider contribution can be recognised within sport.
Knighthoods for Science, Technology and Innovation
Knighthoods are by no means confined to those whose careers are played out on stages, screens and sports pitches.
Sir David Attenborough
Attenborough has had the extraordinary honour of being knighted twice. First knighted by the Queen in 1985, Sir David Attenborough was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George 37 years later.
Recognised for his services to television and conservation, Attenborough has spent decades transforming the public’s understanding of the natural world and protecting vulnerable species.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee
Inventor or “father” of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee is another outstanding example. His work fundamentally changed the way people around the world communicate and access information, creating the basis of the net that we still use today.
Sir Demis Hassabis
More recently, Sir Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of DeepMind, was knighted for services to artificial intelligence (AI) in a special Honours list announced in March 2024. Additionally, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work predicting protein structures using AI.
Hassabis is an undeniably bright mind changing the landscape of the collaboration between science and technology.
Sir James Dyson
And from the world of invention and enterprise, Sir James Dyson was knighted for services to business, having built an internationally used appliance that has revolutionised the domestic market.
Viewed together, these recipients demonstrate another recurring characteristic of high-level honours: the potential for an individual’s work to create an impact far beyond their immediate organisation or profession.
Lesser-Known Knighthoods with Remarkable Stories
Some of the most interesting knighthoods belong to people who were not household names when their contribution first began.
Sir Alan Bates
Sir Alan Bates is a striking recent example.
The former sub-postmaster spent around 20 years campaigning for justice for those affected by the Post Office Horizon scandal. He founded the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance and played a leading role in the legal and public campaign that brought the experiences of affected sub-postmasters to the public’s consciousness.
He was knighted in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to justice, demonstrating how determined, sustained campaigning can ultimately have an enormous national impact.
Sir Peter Lauener
Another, less familiar, example is Sir Peter Lauener, knighted in the 2025 Birthday Honours for services to education. His career included serving as Chief Executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency and as a board member at the Department for Education.
His name may be less immediately recognisable than Beckham, McCartney or Attenborough, but that doesn’t make his achievements any less extraordinary. Many Honours recipients have spent decades creating significant change within their profession or public service without becoming celebrities themselves.
What Do These Knighthoods Have in Common?
At first glance, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mo Farah, Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Alan Bates might appear to have very little in common. Their routes to recognition certainly couldn’t be more different. Yet, upon closer inspection, some recurring themes begin to emerge:
- Sustained achievement: A knighthood will typically reflect a substantial body of achievement or service rather than a single moment of success.
- Impact: The strongest examples show how an individual’s contribution has affected a profession, industry, community or wider society.
- Leadership and influence: Whether that means pioneering innovation, reaching the very highest level of a profession, championing change or using an established position to benefit others.
- Going above and beyond: As several of the examples above demonstrate, an individual’s contribution can extend significantly beyond their primary career. Charitable, voluntary and public service can form an important part of the overall picture.
The truth is that there’s no single formula for receiving a knighthood. These examples instead demonstrate the extraordinary variety of ways in which people can make an exceptional contribution.
Who Can be Nominated for a Knighthood?
The British Honours System recognises people who have made exceptional achievements or committed themselves to serving and helping the UK, either on a national or global level.
Honours are generally announced twice a year, in the New Year Honours and The King’s Birthday Honours, although special Honours lists are occasionally announced at other times.
Crucially, the system isn’t reserved for celebrities.
Behind the famous names are thousands of people recognised throughout the Honours system for achievements and service in areas ranging from business, science and education to charity, healthcare and their local communities.
And while the people on this particular list have very different stories, their knighthoods demonstrate a uniting principle: truly extraordinary achievement is about so much more than personal success. Instead, it’s the scale, significance and impact of someone’s contribution that can make their story worthy of royal recognition.
If you know someone whose achievements and service deserve greater recognition, our team at Awards Intelligence can help you understand the honours process and what is required to build a compelling nomination for a Royal Honour.