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A record of distinction

The stories behind the UK Honours

Search recipients of the Birthday and New Year Honours - from the Birthday Honours 2026 to historic knighthood lists - by name, award, theme or region.

Browse the Birthday Honours List 2026Honours & awards
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Birthday Honours 2026

All Birthday Honours 2026 recipients

In focus

Stories from the honours

Profile

Karl Lester's MBE: a soldier's second calling on the mountains

Karl Lester of Penmachno, Conwy, was appointed MBE in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours for voluntary services to mountain rescue, after more than 555 call-outs with the Ogwen Valley team and a 23-year Army career.

John Casson's MBE: from policing to the high seas, and £750,000 for charity

The Coventry-born former police officer built one of the UK's largest security firms, helped bring the industry under statutory regulation, and gave close to £750,000 to causes from a Himalayan school to military charities - recognised with an MBE in the 2019 Birthday Honours.

Lisette Van Riel's BEM: how DoggyWarriors raised £150,000 for dogs in need

The co-founder of DoggyWarriors and DoggyLottery built a community of dog lovers that has raised over £150,000 for more than 100 rescues since 2020 - recognised with a British Empire Medal in the 2026 Birthday Honours for services to animal welfare charities.

The Hollingworths' mammoth graveyard: from a Swindon quarry to a BEM

Sally and Dr Neville Hollingworth, the husband-and-wife palaeontologists behind the Swindon ‘mammoth graveyard’ and a David Attenborough documentary, were each appointed BEM in the 2026 Birthday Honours for opening up geology and palaeontology to everyone.

Danny Proctor's MBE: the engineer behind two royal operations

When the nation mourned one monarch and crowned the next, the Royal Navy's part in both had to run without a hitch. Daniel 'Danny' Proctor, who led its logistics for Operation London Bridge and Operation Golden Orb, was appointed MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours.

Steven Gray's OBE: financing British trade across West Africa

Steven Gray spent three decades getting difficult deals over the line across Africa and the Middle East. As UK Export Finance's man in West Africa, he was appointed OBE in the 2022 Birthday Honours for helping British firms win and deliver work in some of the world's toughest markets.

Adrian Isaac's BEM: 25 years of woods for Boston

Adrian Isaac, founder and chair of the Boston Woods Trust, received the British Empire Medal in the 2026 Birthday Honours for services to the environment, after a quarter-century creating accessible woods and parkland around the Lincolnshire town.

Public life

A microscopist and a Lioness: King's in the 2026 Birthday Honours

Two King's College London community members were recognised in the 2026 Birthday Honours: William Luckhurst BEM, honoured for four decades of electron microscopy, and Michelle Agyemang MBE, the Euro 2025 Lioness and King's student, at 20 among the round's youngest recipients.

In this list

Notable in the 2026 Birthday Honours

The names you know.

Public life

The most senior honours - including two of the country's 65 Companions of Honour.
Dame Helen MirrenCompanion of Honour

Dame Helen Mirren

Actor - for services to Drama

Sir Don McCullinCompanion of Honour

Sir Don McCullin

Photojournalist

Dame Malorie BlackmanDame (DBE)

Dame Malorie Blackman

Writer - Noughts & Crosses

Dame Julia DonaldsonDame (DBE)

Dame Julia Donaldson

Writer - The Gruffalo

Sport

A Ryder Cup captain, a knighthood for rugby, and a rising Lioness.
Sir Kevin SinfieldKnighthood

Sir Kevin Sinfield

Rugby & MND fundraising

Luke DonaldOBE

Luke Donald

Golf - Ryder Cup captain

Emily ScarrattOBE

Emily Scarratt

England rugby union

Michelle AgyemangMBE

Michelle Agyemang

Football - Lioness

David DeinOBE

David Dein

Football administrator

Politics & public service

From the green benches to the senior civil service.
Sir Greg HandsKnighthood

Sir Greg Hands

Member of Parliament

Dame Jessica MordenDame (DBE)

Dame Jessica Morden

Member of Parliament

Sir Chris MullinKnighthood

Sir Chris Mullin

Former MP & author

Science & engineering

Britain's honoured minds - cosmology, dementia research and engineering.
Sir Carlos FrenkKnighthood

Sir Carlos Frenk

Astrophysics & cosmology

Dame Hayaatun SillemDame (DBE)

Dame Hayaatun Sillem

Engineering

CB
Dame (DBE)

Dame Carol Brayne

Dementia research

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons.

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Honours near you

Find honours in your area

Jump to your town or county, or search by postcode, to see who has been recognised near you.

Stories behind the UK honours

Honoured more than once

774 people have been recognised more than once - a progression from the British Empire Medal or an MBE up to an OBE, CBE, or a knighthood. See who, and how their awards built up.

Explore the progression

In focus · Honours explainer

Nominations for the 2027 honours are open - here’s how to put a name forward

Anyone can nominate someone for an MBE, OBE, CBE or knighthood. Our plain-English guide explains how the system works, what stays confidential, how long it takes, and the simple steps to nominate.

Read the guide

Honours Q&A

Ask a question about the honours

Count, compare, list or define awards - and see the awards and people behind each answer.

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Browse the record

Explore the honours

By year

Every Birthday and New Year Honours list, year by year. Open a round to see who was recognised, the split across the award ranks, the themes that ran through it, and where recipients came from.

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By award

From the British Empire Medal and the MBE up to a knighthood, the George Cross and the Order of Merit. What each honour means, the post-nominal letters it carries, and everyone who has held it.

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By location

Search by postcode or town to find honours recipients near you, plotted on a map. Browse county by county across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and overseas.

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By topic

From music and medicine to community work and sport - the topics behind the honours, read from the citations. Explore who has been recognised for a cause, and how each topic breaks down.

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From the Cabinet Office