Dame Helen, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, received the honour just days after footage circulated on social media showing her being verbally abused
22:31, 12 Jun 2026 Updated 22:38, 12 Jun 2026
Rugby league great Kevin Sinfield, actress Dame Helen Mirren and six of the Euros-winning Lionesses lead the King’s Birthday Honours.
Sinfield was knighted , becoming Sir Kevin, while members of the England women’s football team were made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Sir Kevin has completed six running challenges, having been inspired by former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow, who died in 2024 after living with motor neurone disease (MND) for four-and-a-half years.
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. It speaks to the decent, hopeful country we are proud to be, and on behalf of the whole nation, I want to say thank you.”
Sport
Rugby hero Sir Kevin Sinfield finally gets a knighthood, while in football, Chloe Kelly , who scored the winning penalty in last summer’s nail-biting Euros final, was one of the players to be made an MBE. At 20 years old, rising star forward Michelle Agyemang is the youngest recipient on the list. Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton , forwards Alessia Russo and Lauren James , and defender Jess Carter were also honoured.
England under-21 head coach Lee Carsley is made an MBE. He briefly stepped in to manage the England team after Gareth Southgate's departure in 2024.
Lou Macari also received a gong for his services to the sport over a career that saw him play for Celtic and Manchester United, and manage sides including West Ham, Birmingham City and Stoke City. His MBE was also awarded for his work fighting homelessness in Stoke-on-Trent through his Macari Foundation.
Recently retired England Rugby Union player Emily Scarratt , the third-highest capped player in history, receives an OBE. Golfer Luke Donald , a former world number one, ex Arsenal co-owner David Dein , and snooker player Shaun Murphy also get OBEs.
Showbiz
The creators of Wallace and Gromit, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi , and TV stars Anneka Rice and Lisa Riley all picked up gongs in the King’s Birthday Honours.
David Sproxton and Peter Lord , co-founders of the Oscar-winning Aardman studio, are both knighted after producing much-loved animations Wallace & Gromit, Shaun The Sheep, Chicken Run and Morph.
Rice, who became a well-known face through Treasure Hunt and Challenger Anneka, has been made an MBE, along with soap star Riley. The Emmerdale actress, best known for playing Mandy Dingle in the long-running ITV soap, said it was the “best 50th birthday present”.
Birmingham-born rocker Iommi said it was an “unbelievable honour” to get an MBE for his work in the pioneering heavy metal band and his services to charity. The 78-year-old turned his hand to philanthropy, raising money for international disaster relief, as well as cancer charities, after being diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012.
The Gruffalo writer Julia Donaldson and Noughts and Crosses author Malorie Blackman both received damehoods for their services to literature.
Businessman Dave Fishwick , who inspired Netflix ’s Bank Of Dave film, was made an OBE for services to finance, business and charity, describing the honour as “wonderful” and “unbelievable”.
DJ Judge Jules receives an MBE, while broadcaster and Catatonia singer Cerys Matthews , and DJ Carl Cox are both honoured with an OBE. Scottish composer Patrick Doyle and actor and director Dexter Fletcher both receive OBEs. Former BBC radio DJ Garry Richardson is given an MBE.
Everyday heroes
A woman who founded a company which loans prom dresses and suits to disadvantaged pupils for free has received a British Empire Medal (BEM).
Ally Outten, 31, came up with the idea for the scheme when she was at university and heard a story about a girl who could not afford a dress for her end of school celebrations.
Ms Outten, of Llandudno, North Wales, said the girl was not looking forward to going after having scoured charity shops for a dress while her friends and peers had been able to go to boutiques to buy their gowns.
A surgeon who treated children injured in the Southport knife attack said she was “humbled” to be recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
Vittoria Bucknall, a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, received a BEM for services to children and young people.
Her work is said to have been crucial to the survival of several children following the attack in July 2024, including the seven-year-old daughter of the person who nominated her for the honour.
Politicians
A long-serving Labour MP and ally of Keir Starmer has been made a dame. Jessica Mord…
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