Part
01
of one
Part
01
How many people did Queen Elizabeth II knight during her reign?
Key Takeaways
- There are currently about 3,000 knights and dames in the UK.
- Tony Blair was the first UK prime minister to be knighted since Sir John Major. He was knighted on January 1, 2021.
- In 2013, British singer Adele was damed by Queen Elizabeth II. She received the honor for her contribution to music.
Introduction
The report provides an overview of orders of knighthood and damehood awarded by Queen Elizabeth II. The total number of people knighted and damed during her reign can only be found at the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. As such, we provided additional data on the honoring process, as well as prominent knights and dames across various fields.
Number of Knights and Dames
- There are currently about 3,000 knights and dames in the UK.
- Share America, the site managed by the US Bureau of Global Public Affairs, notes that Queen Elizabeth II knighted or damed "several dozen Americans." However, it doesn't provide a specific number.
- According to Debrett's, from 1973-1974, the number of titles awarded by the Queen grew significantly, making it difficult to maintain a database. Official records are only kept in the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. However, the institution doesn't make them available online.
Investitures
- The Cabinet Office publishes a list of Honors, which are recognitions of outstanding achievements and personal bravery by the people in the UK and British Overseas Territories. As demonstrated above, foreign citizens can also be honored as knights or dames but they don't receive the accolade and can't use the "Sir" prefix.
- Each year, around 30 investitures take place, each having around 60 recipients. They can be hosted by the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and Princess Royal.
- During the events, individuals can receive Orders of Chivalry or Orders of Merit. If they are members of the Armed Forces and the Emergency Services, they can receive Awards for gallantry and distinguished service.
- For each investiture, a small proportion of these Orders will be knighthoods and damehoods. However, a specific number is not publicly available.
Prominent Knights and Dames
- Queen Elizabeth knighted and damed prominent people in multiple categories, including politics, music, art, film, literature, sports, and philanthropy, among others.
- Tony Blair was the first UK prime minister to be knighted since Sir John Major. He was knighted on January 1, 2021.
- In 2021, Phillip May was knighted for political service. Specifically, he was awarded for supporting his wife Theresa May as the prime minister of the United Kingdom.
- In 1986, Bob Geldof received an Honorary Knighthood for his charitable contributions through Band Aid and Live Aid. Since he is not a British citizen, a 'Sir' suffix cannot be added to his name.
- In 2013, British singer Adele was damed by Queen Elizabeth II. She received the award for her contribution to music.
- In 2021, Mercedes' British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton was knighted for his services to motorsports.
- In 2018, four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah was knighted for his contribution to athletics.
- In 2021, fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu received the Order of Knighthood from Princess Royal in recognition of his services to the fashion industry.
- In 2018, former supermodel Twiggy Lawson was damed for her contribution to the fashion industry.
Research Strategy
For this research on how many people were knighted or damed by Queen Elizabeth II, we reviewed news sources such as Hello and Vogue and government websites such as Royal. As explained above, specific data on the number of people knighted or damed by Queen Elizabeth II can only be found at the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. As such, we extended the research scope by providing additional data that included the process of receiving the honors, as well as prominent knights and dames across various categories.