LONDON (AP) — Arise Sir David, Sir Gary and Sir Roger. And Dame Elaine, Dame Pat and Dame Penny.
Former England soccer captain David Beckham, Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman and The Who’s frontman Roger Daltrey were knighted in King Charles III’s birthday honors list released late Friday.
Elaine Paige, the renowned musicals singer, Booker Prize-winning novelist Pat Barker and former Conservative government minister Penny Mordaunt were given damehoods, the female equivalent of a knighthood.
The honors, which aim to reward individuals for their contributions to British life, are awarded twice a year to celebrities and public figures as well as ordinary people: Once at New Year’s, and then in June to mark the king’s birthday.
The winners are chosen by civil servants’ committees based on nominations from the government and the public. The awards are usually given out by the king or a senior royal acting in his place at Buckingham Palace.
The Sirs
Beckham, 50, was widely expected to be knighted following speculation last week that appeared to be based on a conversation he had with the monarch at the Chelsea Flower Show last month.
As well as representing England 115 times, including 59 times as captain, Beckham played for some of Europe’s most venerable clubs, most notably Manchester United and Real Madrid.
He has been knighted for his services to sport and to charity, having partnered with UNICEF, the U.N.’s children’s fund, for two decades and campaigned with a charity working to eradicate malaria. Beckham also played a pivotal role in London being awarded the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
“Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honor,” he said.
Oldman, 67, was recognized for his services to drama both on screen and on stage. He won an Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the 2017 film “Darkest Hour,” and recently dazzled audiences in the Apple TV spy thriller series “ Slow Horses.”
Daltrey, who co-founded The Who in 1964, has been recognized for services to charity as well as music, having been a patron of “Teenage Cancer Trust” since 2000.
The 81-year-old, who led the charity’s concert series at Royal Albert Hall for more than two decades, said he was humbled by the award.
“It’s a dream come true for me, but it’s especially a dream because the charity means so much,” he said.
The Dames
Paige, 77, was honoured for her services to charity as well as music. She has held senior roles at a charity supporting young people with acquired brain injury and another one that supports disabled tennis players.
“I’ve got all these different emotions coming at me all at once,” she said. “I’m proud and I feel grateful and I’m thrilled and surprised, and so it’s been quite a lot to take in.”
Barker, 82, known for “The Regeneration Trilogy,” said she thought the letter announcing her damehood was from “really angry” tax authorities.
“Nobody else does that kind of quality of paper,” she said. “I still sort of had to read the first paragraph several times before it sank in.”
A year on from losing her seat at the general election when her Conservative Party lost office, Mordaunt said it was “lovely to be appreciated in this way.”
Mordaunt, 52, saw her profile boosted during the king’s coronation ceremony in 2023. The former lawmaker made a memorable appearance bearing the “sword of state,” the first time the duty had been carried out by a woman.
The ‘Companion’
Antony Gormley, the sculptor who was knighted in 2014, was made a “Companion of Honour” for his services to art. The award is one of the most prestigious that the monarch can bestow to citizens in Britain and across the Commonwealth, as there are only 65 companions at any one time.
Introduced in 1917 by King George V, the award recognizes people who have made “a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time.” Current members include British environmentalist David Attenborough, Canadian author Margaret Atwood and one of Britain’s greatest-ever athletes Sebastian Coe.
Hundreds more are awarded
The honors don’t just reward people in the public eye. More than 1,200 people received honours in the latest list. Women made up 48% of those honored, with 11% of recipients from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The oldest recipient was 106-year-old World War II veteran William Irwin, who was awarded a British Empire Medal, for his services to the community.
The youngest was 11-year-old disability campaigner Carmela Chillery-Watson, who was made a “Member of the Most Excellent Order British Empire,” or MBE. Chillery-Watson, who has LMNA congenital muscular dystrophy, has become the youngest ever recipient of the award for helping raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Muscular Dystrophy UK.
In what is thought to be a first, three members of the same family were named in the same list. Jenna Speirs, her mother Caroline and father Duncan were each awarded a British Empire Medal for founding a children’s cancer charity called Calum’s Cabin after Jenna’s twin brother died of an inoperable brain tumour aged 12.
Campaigners who have fought to tackle the rise of knife crime were also recognized. Pooja Kanda, whose 16-year-old son was murdered with a ninja sword near his home, was awarded the Order of the British Empire, or OBE. Alison Madgin, the mother of 18-year-old Samantha Madgin, who was knifed to death, was made an MBE alongside her daughter Carly Barrett.
