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Birthday Honours List 2026

Published 12 June 2026. Celebrating exceptional achievements and distinguished service across the United Kingdom and overseas territories.

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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.

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.

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.

Dorothy Ind's MBE: forty years of Chelsea Ballet

Dorothy Ind, founder and principal of Chelsea Ballet Schools, was made an MBE in the 2026 Birthday Honours for services to dance education, four decades after she founded the Kensington and Chelsea school.

Neil Pirie's OBE: four decades building business space in east Bristol

Colin Neil Pirie, founding director of Spaceworks, received an OBE in the 2026 Birthday Honours for over forty years of community work in Bristol, from tackling youth unemployment to building a network that now supports around 200 small businesses.

Dr Mark Stuart OBE: the pharmacist keeping sport clean

Dr Mark Stuart was appointed OBE in the 2026 Birthday Honours for services to the pharmacy profession in sport and to anti-doping, after more than two decades advising athletes and UK Anti-Doping on medicines in sport.

Kevin Sinfield's knighthood: rugby, fundraising and a fight against MND

The former rugby league captain's endurance challenges and advocacy, inspired by his friendship with Rob Burrow, helped earn him a knighthood in the 2026 Birthday Honours - for services to rugby league, rugby union and the motor neurone disease community.

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.

The University of Manchester community in the 2026 Birthday Honours

Twenty-five members of the University of Manchester community - alumni, staff and supporters - were recognised in the 2026 Birthday Honours, from a Companion of the Bath and a Knight Grand Cross to CBEs, OBEs, MBEs and a British Empire Medal.

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.

Community

Six Alder Hey clinicians honoured for the Southport response

Six surgeons, anaesthetists and critical-care staff at Alder Hey Children's Hospital received the British Empire Medal in the 2026 Birthday Honours for their care of children injured in the 2024 Southport attack.

Bella Cameron: a British Empire Medal for hospitality in South Uist

Isabella ‘Bella’ Cameron, head of kitchen at Grogarry Lodge, received the British Empire Medal in the 2026 Birthday Honours for services to hospitality and to the rural economy in South Uist.

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.

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.

Analysis

Two-thirds of honours went to community recognition

Of 1,452 recipients, 972 - about 67% - were MBEs and British Empire Medals: the community-level awards that recognise the volunteers, carers and coaches at the heart of local life.

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.

What was awarded

How the 1,455 Birthday Honours 2026 honours break down - from the British Empire Medal to knighthoods and damehoods. Select an award to see its recipients.

Hover an award to see its full name and count - select an award for more.

Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath: 1 (0%)Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath: 1 (0%)Companion of the Order of the Bath: 15 (1%)Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George: 1 (0%)Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George: 1 (0%)Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George: 4 (0%)Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order: 2 (0%)Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order: 2 (0%)Commander of the Royal Victorian Order: 4 (0%)Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order: 8 (1%)Member of the Royal Victorian Order: 21 (1%)Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire: 17 (1%)Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire: 3 (0%)Commander of the Order of the British Empire: 100 (7%)Officer of the Order of the British Empire: 278 (19%)Member of the Order of the British Empire: 592 (41%)Order of the Companions of Honour: 2 (0%)British Empire Medal: 328 (23%)Royal Victorian Medal: 10 (1%)Associate of the Royal Red Cross: 4 (0%)Bar: 1 (0%)King's Ambulance Service Medal: 5 (0%)King's Fire Service Medal: 6 (0%)King's Police Medal: 24 (2%)King's Volunteer Reserves Medal: 7 (0%)Knight Bachelor: 14 (1%)Member of the Royal Red Cross: 2 (0%)Other: 2 (0%)

Military honours

Honouring the armed forces

103 sailors, marines, soldiers and aircrew were recognised in the Birthday Honours 2026, gazetted with their rank and service branch. Explore the recipients by service.

Royal Navy 22Army 54Royal Air Force 27
All military honours

Honours near you

Find Birthday Honours 2026 recipients in your area

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Where recipients are from

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Topics

All topics

The topics most recognised across the Birthday Honours List 2026, sized by the number of recipients. Click a tile to explore.

Further Education17Further Education — 17Higher Education11Higher Education — 11Early Years Education9Early Years Education — 9Skills — 4Vulnerable Children — 4Apprenticeships — 3Holocaust Education — 3Special Educational Needs — 2Music Education — 2Medical Education — 2Reading — 2Training — 1Community Education — 1Special Education — 1Rural Education — 1Early Childhood Development — 1Education Of Disadvantaged Children — 1International Education — 1Literacy — 1Early Years Care — 1Dance Education — 1Health Education — 1Mathematics Education — 1Mathematics — 1STEM — 1STEM Education — 1Academia — 1Financial Education — 1Youth — 1Dental Education — 1Culinary Arts — 1Physics — 1Football14Football — 14Rugby Union5Rugby Union — 5Swimming4Swimming — 4CricketCricket — 4Rugby L…Rugby League — 4Netball — 3Disability Sport — 2Gymnastics — 2Golf — 2Horseracing — 2Diving — 1Diving Safety — 1Rugby — 1Athletics — 1Winter Sports — 1Karate — 1Amateur Sport — 1Grassroots Sport — 1Rowing — 1Grassroots Football — 1Cycling — 1Adaptive Cycling — 1Pentathlon — 1Disabled Sport — 1Sailing — 1Badminton — 1Horse Racing — 1Physical Education — 1Equestrianism — 1Tennis — 1Country Sports — 1Community Sport — 1School Sport — 1Anti-Doping — 1Snooker — 1Fencing — 1Sports Participation — 1Sports Broadcasting — 1Fitness — 1Defence27Defence — 27Policing12Policing — 12Local Government — 7Political Service — 3Policing12Policing — 12Maritime Safety5Maritime Safety — 5Road Safety — 3Criminal Justice — 3Protection Services — 3Fire Safety — 3Knife Crime Prevention — 2Crime Prevention — 1Border Security — 1Business20Business — 20Tourism6Tourism — 6Rural Eco…Rural Economy — 2Economic …Economic Development — 2Economic Regeneration — 1Research5Research — 5Enginee…Engineering — 4Palaeontology — 2Geology — 2Chemistry — 1Biomedical Science — 1Marine Science — 1Climate Science — 1Statistics — 1Biology — 1Bioscience — 1Physics — 1Forensic Anthropology — 1Cosmology — 1Immunology — 1Space — 1Innovation10Innovation — 10Engineering — 4Digital Inclusion — 2Artificial Intelligence — 1Games Industry — 1Digital Transformation — 1Digital Innovation — 1Data Science — 1Digital Identity — 1british-foreig…20british-foreign-policy — 20Rail Tr…Rail Transport — 3Public …Public Transport — 3Road Saf…3Road Safety — 3Rail Saf…Rail Safety — 2LogisticsLogistics — 2Railway Networks — 1Transport Logistics — 1Maritime — 1Cycling — 1Community C…4Community Cohesion — 4Community D…4Community Development — 4Community Relations — 2Youth Work — 2Volunteering — 2Youth — 1Policing12Policing — 12Crime Prevention — 1Police Education — 1Women9Women — 9Vulnerable People — 5Early …Early Years — 5Trade — 2Twinning — 1Peacebuilding — 1Cultural Relations — 1Voluntary…5Voluntary Sector — 5Constru…Construction — 4service…service-personnel — 3Furniture Industry — 1Glass Industry — 1RefugeesRefugees — 2Hygiene P…Hygiene Poverty — 2Mountain …Mountain Rescue — 2Military …Military History — 2British N…British Nationals Overseas — 2Vulnerable Young People — 2Public Engagement — 2Family Support — 1Chemical Industry — 1Resilience — 1Aviation History — 1EducationSportPublic ServicePublic SafetyEconomyScience and Techno…TechnologyTransportCommunityLaw EnforcementInternati…
Topics by number of recipients - show the full list

Topics by number of recipients

Every topic recognised in the Birthday Honours List 2026, by the number of recipients. Scroll for the full list; click a topic for its recipients in this round.

The recipients

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1,455 people