Actor Gary Oldman has been knighted alongside David Beckham on a King’s Birthday Honours list that also recognises Strictly Come Dancing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
The Oscar winner and the former football England captain are among 19 new sirs, while 21 damehoods have been announced, including singer and actress Elaine Paige and Regeneration novelist Pat Barker.
There are MBEs for teenage world darts champion Luke Littler and Love Island star Georgia Harrison for her work on online privacy and cyber crime.
Overall, 1,200 people are on the main honours list issued by the Cabinet Office, of which 48% are women. The youngest person being honoured is 11 while the oldest is 106.
The list features a range of well-known names, including from the arts, politics and sports, but it is primarily made up of people being recognised for their work in the community, including campaigners and fundraisers.
Actor Sir Gary has enjoyed an illustrious career on screen and stage since the early 1980s and in 2018, won best actor at the Academy Awards for playing wartime prime minister Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. More recently, he won acclaim for his portrayal of an MI5 agent in Apple TV’s Slow Horses.
Daly and Winkleman are made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to broadcasting.
Both have had a long association with Strictly, which has aired 22 series. Daly started as a co-presenter with Sir Bruce Forsyth in the first season in 2004, while Winkleman originally hosted a spin-off programme. They have hosted the main show as a duo since 2014.
“I am ridiculously lucky and will celebrate with Tess by doing a paso doble,” Winkleman said.
Daly said she almost missed out on accepting the honour after the letter was sent to the wrong address – and added that she cried when she opened the envelope.
Sir David’s knighthood for services to sport and charity has been confirmed, having been widely reported earlier this month. The 50-year-old ex-footballer said he was “immensely proud”.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003, and became an ambassador for Unicef in 2005 and for The King’s Foundation last year, supporting King Charles’ education programme and efforts to promote nature.
“I’m so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I’m grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment,” Beckham said.
Evita star Dame Elaine also received her honour for services to music and charity. “I’ve been very lucky in my life and my career, I’m in a very privileged position,” she told the BBC. “When you are in a position to help others, that is something I wanted to do.”
Sir Roger Daltrey, frontman of 1960s-formed rock group The Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust – known for its annual fundraising concerts at the Royal Albert Hall – has been knighted for services to charity and music.
Sir Roger said he was accepting the knighthood “on behalf of all those unsung people who had worked to make the charity the success it had become”.
Georgia Harrison, 30, made her name on reality TV shows like Love Island and The Only Way is Essex. More recently, after her ex-partner was jailed in 2023 for posting intimate footage of her online, she has campaigned for sexual assault victims to be prioritised in the justice system and partnered with Thames Valley Police to encourage conversations about consent.
