Birthday Honours 2026
Julia Catherine Donaldson DBE
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire · 2026
“For services to Literature.”
Member of the Order of the British Empire · 2011
“Author and Playwright. For services to Literature.”
In focus
Stories featuring Julia Catherine Donaldson
Timeline
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Author and Playwright. For services to Literature.
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Recognised for
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London Gazette notice
Order of the British Empire
Civil Division
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
St. James’s Palace, London SW1
13 June 2026
THE KING has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of the Celebration of His Majesty’s Birthday, to give orders for the following promotions in, and appointments to, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
D.B.E.
To be Ordinary Dames Commander of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:
Julia Catherine DONALDSON C.B.E.
Writer
For services to Literature.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 65091 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
London Gazette notice
Order of the British Empire
Civil Division
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
St. James’s Palace, London SW1
29 December 2018
THE QUEEN has been graciously pleased to give orders for the following promotions in, and appointments to, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
C.B.E.
To be Ordinary Commanders of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:
Julia Catherine DONALDSON M.B.E.
Author
For services to Literature.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 62507 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
Location
See other people honoured from London →
Location comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, and isn’t available for every honour.
In context
Each honour in context
Role, region and citation as recorded for each award.
Member of the Order of the British Empire
Birthday Honours 2011- Region
- London
“Author and Playwright. For services to Literature.”
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
New Year Honours 2019- Role at the time
- Author
- Region
- West Sussex
“For services to Literature.”
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Birthday Honours 2026- Role at the time
- Writer
- Region
- Horsham, West Sussex
“For services to Literature.”
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Birthday Honours 2026
Julia Catherine Donaldson
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
“For services to Literature.”
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Birthday Honours 2026
Julia Catherine Donaldson
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
“For services to Literature.”
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Birthday Honours 2026
Julia Catherine Donaldson
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
“For services to Literature.”
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In context
The bigger picture
How common is this award?
The Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire was awarded 17 times in the Birthday Honours List 2026 — about 1% of the list.
In their area
3 Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire recipients are from West Sussex.
What organisation were they with?
Writer.
How widely is this recognised?
4,039 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture.
Counts reflect the 2000–2026 honours lists in our records; earlier years are not yet included.
Honoured alongside them
Others awarded the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Birthday Honours 2026
Anna Taylor
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Canterbury, Kent
“For services to Reforming the Food System.”
Beverly Lindsay
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Birmingham, West Midlands
“For services to the West Midlands and to Charity.”
Carol Brayne
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
“For services to Medicine, Medical Research and Public Health.”
Crystal Oldman
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Crowborough, East Sussex
“For services to Nursing.”
Hayaatun Sillem
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Engineering.”
Heather Stevens
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Vale of Glamorgan, South Glamorgan
“For services to the Environment, to Young People and to Philanthropy in Wales.”
Helen Gordon
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to the Property Industry.”
Jane Fraser
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Abroad
“For services to the Financial Sector.”
Jessica Morden
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Newport, Gwent
“For Political and Public Service.”
Malorie Blackman
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Literature.”
Melanie Hall (melanie Jane Davies)
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Leicester, Leicestershire
“For services to Global Diabetes Research, Policy and Care Management.”
Sarah Hackman
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Dundee, City of Dundee
“For services to Forensic Anthropology and Disaster Victim Identification.”
Serena Kennedy
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Wigan, Greater Manchester
“For services to Policing.”
Sheila Bird
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Kettering, Northamptonshire
“For services to Statistics.”
Shelagh Jane Legrave
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Chichester, West Sussex
“For services to Education.”
Sumeshni Tranka
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Ross on Wye, Herefordshire
“For services to Nursing.”
In the same field
Others recognised for Arts & Culture
Across the 2000–2026 honours lists in our records, 4,039 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.”
Jonathan Davies
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Swansea, West Glamorgan
“For services to People with Cancer and to Broadcasting.”
Mukesh Sharma
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Newtownabbey, County Antrim
“For services to Heritage.”
Alice Coote
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Suffolk
“For services to the Arts.”
Gabrielle Logan
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Buckinghamshire
“For services to Sports Broadcasting and to Charity.”
Daniel Calvert
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to the Culinary Arts in Japan and to UK/Japan Culinary Relations.”
Richard Starrs
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Stockton on Tees, North Yorkshire
“For services to Heritage.”
Jennifer Rose-miller
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Nairn, Nairn
“For services to Local Heritage and to the community in Nairnshire.”
Rita Lewis (helen Hopkins)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Carmarthen, Dyfed
“For services to Music and Music Education.”
Paul Kitching
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Wimborne, Dorset
“For services to Museums and to the community in Tring, Hertfordshire.”
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.”
Pauline Hough
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Nantwich, Cheshire
“For services to Theatre and to the community in Nantwich.”
Margaret Irvine
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Birsay, Orkney
“For services to Drama and to the community in Orkney.”
Melanie Houldershaw
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Oxford, Oxfordshire
“For services to Local Theatre and Choir.”
Brian Heald
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Chester, Cheshire
“For services to Music and to the community in Chester, Cheshire.”
Shirley Henderson (shirley Mcgill)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Aberdeen, City of Aberdeen
“For services to Drama.”
Rex Freeman
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
“For services to the Arts and to the community in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.”
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.”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire · 2026
London Gazette (official record), issue 65091, notice 5152978. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (Birthday Honours List 2026).
Published 12 June 2026.
Commander of the Order of the British Empire · 2019
London Gazette (official record), issue 62507, notice 3176286. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2019).
Published 28 December 2018.
Member of the Order of the British Empire · 2011
London Gazette (official record), published supplement. View the issue ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (Birthday Honours List 2011).
Published 15 June 2011.
Location (London) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
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