King Charles's birthday honours list has arrived, and it's a delightful mix of football glory, dramatic arts, and one very determined blood transporter. Six members of the Lionesses' victorious Euro 2025 squad have been made MBEs, joining actor Dame Helen Mirren, who has been made a Companion of Honour for services to drama.
Kevin Sinfield, the former rugby league player, has been knighted for his campaigning and fundraising to tackle motor neurone disease, proving that tackling can also mean tackling horrible diseases.
Two-time Euro champions Chloe Kelly, who scored the decisive penalty in the 2025 final against Spain, and Hannah Hampton, who saved two in that shootout, are among the England women's players to be honoured. Also receiving awards are fellow double-winners Alessia Russo and Jess Carter, as well as 2025 champions Lauren James and Michelle Agyemang. At 20, Agyemang is the youngest person on this year's list, which is impressive until you realize she's been winning championships since before she could legally drink champagne.
Mirren, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in the 2006 film The Queen, becomes a Companion of Honour. The maximum number of people who can hold the title at any one time is 65, which is oddly specific and suggests there's a waiting list somewhere. The elevation came days after footage circulated on social media showing her being verbally abused while walking in central London with her husband, proving that even Oscar winners get to experience the full joy of living in a city.
The honours committees stressed the prominence of people who have "contributed significantly to their communities," which is a fancy way of saying they did something useful without expecting a parade.
Among those honoured for their charitable work was James Brown, whose organisation, Lifesavers Scotland, urgently transports blood and blood products for the NHS. He was moved to set up the charity after NHS staff saved him from sepsis. "I thought initially it would be fun to help but it turned into a real passion," he said, because nothing says fun like racing blood through the Scottish countryside. Speaking about receiving his MBE, he said he had to bring his mother from Scotland to London on false pretences to keep the secret. "I came up with an elaborate lie about how we were going down for her birthday," he admitted, which is either heartwarming or a masterclass in family deception.
Alice Outten, whose organisation Prom Ally provides dresses and suits to those unable to afford something nice for end-of-school parties, was awarded a British Empire Medal. She started the charity in 2015 at age 20 from her house in Llandudno, north Wales, after seeing a story about a young girl who couldn't afford a dress. She used her own prom dress and birthday money to buy more from charity shops, now providing several thousand free of charge. Outten said she couldn't bring anyone to London for her ceremony because she came straight from a music festival and was going back. "So I finally can tell all my friends at the campsite why I was in London," she said. "A lot of people think a prom dress or suit is not that important when people are struggling to afford food. But it is about feeling included." It's also about not showing up to your graduation in a bin bag.
There were 1,182 honours handed out, including 305 BEMs, 501 MBEs, and 240 OBEs. The Cabinet Office said 49% of recipients at CBE level and above were women, nearly 12% came from an minority ethnic background, more than 15% declared a disability or longterm health condition, and more than a third identified as having come from a lower socioeconomic background. The oldest recipient was Pauline Hough, 101, who received a BEM for services to theatre and community in Nantwich, proving it's never too late to get a medal.
Also honoured were Welsh broadcaster and musician Cerys Matthews (OBE for services to music), dance music DJ Judge Jules (MBE), TV presenter Anneka Rice (MBE for services to charity and broadcasting). The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson and Malorie Blackman, who wrote Noughts and Crosses, both received damehoods for services to literature. Donaldson was the UK's bestselling author last year, overtaking Harry Potter creator JK Rowling thanks to The Gruffalo's continued popularity and newer characters like Zog the dragon. Black Sabbath's guitarist Tony Iommi became an MBE, and Emmerdale actor Lisa Riley received the same honour.
David Sproxton and Peter Lord, co-founders of the Academy Award-winning animation studio behind Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, were both knighted. "We both feel it is an extraordinary privilege and an honour - as well as a complete and utter surprise - to be recognised in this way," they said, which is exactly what you'd expect from people who make claymation animals talk.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "Across the UK, people are quietly changing lives and strengthening their communities. This honours list is a chance to recognise them. Their dedication shows how lasting change is built: through compassion, resilience and a commitment to others." Or, you know, by winning football matches and writing about a dragon named Zog.