Analysis
Seven in ten honours went to community recognition
Of 1,182 recipients, 807 — about 68% — were MBEs and British Empire Medals: the community-level awards that recognise the volunteers, carers and coaches at the heart of local life.
Analysis & trends
The honours, by the data
Independent analysis of the UK Birthday and New Year Honours — volume, award tiers, citation themes and geography, and how each round compares with history.
Latest list
The 2026 King’s Birthday Honours
1,182 people recognised — and roughly seven in ten at community level. Explore the full breakdown: the rank split, the causes behind the citations, where recipients are from, and the names you know.
In focus
Stories from the 2026 Birthday Honours
Public life
The names you know
Two new Companions of Honour — Dame Helen Mirren and war photographer Sir Don McCullin — plus damehoods for Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson and Malorie Blackman, and a knighthood for rugby's Kevin Sinfield.
Themes
What Britain chose to honour
Taken together, the citations name education as the cause Britain honoured most this year, ahead of health and community service. Science is strongly represented at the top end — cosmologist Sir Carlos Frenk, dementia researcher Dame Carol Brayne and engineer Dame Hayaatun Sillem.
Community
The 306 local heroes
The British Empire Medal is the most local honour there is, and 306 were awarded this year — to Dean Allen in Telford, Alison Brittle in Saddleworth, Campbell Best in Portadown, and hundreds more like them. For most, that short citation is the only public record of a lifetime of quiet service.
Community
Twelve foster carers, honoured
A quiet cluster of fifteen foster carers were recognised this year — and Birmingham Children's Trust appears three times across the foster-care awards.
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.
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Sport
A Ryder Cup captain, a knighthood for rugby, and a rising Lioness.
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Politics & public service
From the green benches to the senior civil service.
Science & engineering
Britain's honoured minds — cosmology, dementia research and engineering.
Portraits via Wikimedia Commons.
Honours over time
How the volume of UK honours has risen and fallen, year by year.
Read the analysisHonoured more than once
The recipients recognised several times — a progression from a medal up to a knighthood.
Read the analysisDeclined honours
People who turned down a British honour — from an MBE to a knighthood — over time, with references.
Read the analysisRenounced honours
People who renounced or handed back an honour they had already been awarded.
Read the analysisForfeited honours
Honours removed by the Forfeiture Committee since 2023 — granted, then revoked, over time.
Read the analysis
Going deeper on the data
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