New Year Honours 2023
Brian May,
Knight Bachelor
Musician • Songwriter and Animal Welfare Advocate
“For services to Music and to Charity.”
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Wikipedia
London Gazette notice
Knights Bachelor
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
St. James’s Palace, London SW1
31 December 2022
The KING has been graciously pleased to signify his intention of conferring the honour of Knighthood upon the undermentioned:
Dr. Brian Harold MAY, C.B.E.
Musician, Songwriter and Animal Welfare Advocate
For services to Music and to Charity.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 63918 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
Location
Surrey
In context
Each honour in context
Role, region and citation as recorded for each award.
Knight Bachelor
New Year Honours 2023- Role at the time
- Musician, Songwriter and Animal Welfare Advocate
- Region
- Surrey
“For services to Music and to Charity.”
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New Year Honours 2023
Brian May,
Knight Bachelor
“For services to Music and to Charity.”
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New Year Honours 2023
Brian May,
Knight Bachelor
“For services to Music and to Charity.”
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New Year Honours 2023
Brian May,
Knight Bachelor
“For services to Music and to Charity.”
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In context
The bigger picture
How common is this award?
The Knight Bachelor was awarded 19 times in the New Year Honours List 2023 — about 1% of the list.
What organisation were they with?
Musician, Songwriter and Animal Welfare Advocate.
How widely is this recognised?
4,560 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture.
Counts reflect the 1937–2026 honours lists in our records; earlier years are not yet included.
Honoured alongside them
Others awarded the Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours 2023
Christopher Bryant
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Porth, Mid Glamorgan
“For Political and Public Service.”
Grayson Perry
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to the Arts.”
Ian Bauckham
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
“For services to Education.”
Ivan Menezes
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Business and to Equality.”
James Appleby
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Manchester, Greater Manchester
“For services to Medicine and Mental Health.”
John Akomfrah
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to the Arts.”
John Crabtree
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Crowle, Worcestershire
“For services to Sport and to the community in the West Midlands.”
Julian Lewis
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Southampton, Hampshire
“For Political and Public Service.”
Luke Rittner
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Dance and the Arts.”
Martin Read
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Bishops Waltham, Hampshire
“For services to Industry and for Public and Voluntary Service.”
Mayur Lakhani
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Rothley, Leicestershire
“For services to General Practice.”
Norman Skeoch
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
“For services to the Financial Sector.”
Peter Mathieson
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
“For services to Higher Education.”
Professor Bogdanor
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Political Science.”
Professor Chapman
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
“For services to Global Fusion Energy.”
Robin Millar
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Music, to People with Disabilities, to Young People and to Charity.”
Roland Keating
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Literature.”
William Robertson
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Elgin, Moray
“For services to the Construction Industry and to Charity in Scotland.”
In the same field
Others recognised for Arts & Culture
Across the 1937–2026 honours lists in our records, 4,560 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture. See the full list →
Malorie Blackman
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Literature.”
Cerys Matthews,
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
“For services to Music.”
Mukesh Sharma
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Newtownabbey, County Antrim
“For services to Heritage.”
Julia Catherine Donaldson
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Horsham, West Sussex
“For services to Literature.”
Richard Starrs
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Stockton on Tees, North Yorkshire
“For services to Heritage.”
Adam Joolia
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Brighton, East Sussex
“For services to Young People and to Music.”
Julia Jones
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Carmarthenshire, Dyfed
“For services to Music.”
Margaret Irvine
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Birsay, Orkney
“For services to Drama and to the community in Orkney.”
Shirley Henderson (shirley Mcgill)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Aberdeen, City of Aberdeen
“For services to Drama.”
James Fraser
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Dunblane, Stirling and Falkirk
“For services to Tourism and Heritage in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.”
John Fannon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Weymouth, Dorset
“For services to Heritage.”
Helen Fannon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Weymouth, Dorset
“For services to Heritage.”
Daniel Crow
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Southampton, Hampshire
“For services to Artists and to Arts and Heritage.”
David Cottle
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Swansea, West Glamorgan
“For services to Jazz Music.”
Rebecca Chapman
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Norwich, Norfolk
“For services to Inclusive Theatre.”
Marilyn Blieck
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Prestwick, Ayrshire and Arran
“For services to Music and to the community in Ayrshire.”
Christopher Gaze
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
“For services to British Arts and Culture in Canada.”
Stephen Watson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Belfast, City of Belfast
“For services to Broadcasting and to Kidney Transplant Awareness and to Fundraising in Northern Ireland.”
Iain Varah
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Dunmow, Essex
“For services to Public Libraries, Culture and Leisure.”
Peter Talbot
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Eastbourne, East Sussex
“For services to the Arts.”
Paul Stacey
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Theatre.”
Lisa Riley
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Leeds, West Yorkshire
“For services to Drama and to Charity.”
Garry Richardson
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Seale, Surrey
“For services to Sport Broadcasting.”
Suzanne Raine
PersonMember Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
“For services to Heritage.”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
Knight Bachelor · 2023
London Gazette (official record), issue 63918, notice 4245753. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2023).
Published 30 December 2022.
Location (Surrey) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
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