King's Birthday Honours list in FULL from unsung heroes to TV stars and football legends
| Published date | 16 June 2023 |
| Publication title | Daily Mirror, The: Web Edition Articles (London, England) |
Charles III's list ranges from a grieving mother who turned a tragedy into a charity honouring their legacy, a 106-year-old fundraising through exercise, and those aiding Ukrainian refugees.
An honours source said: "Everyone is thrilled about the honours awards this year, it really does feel as though the best of the best have been recognised.
"The word from the palace is that the King himself is delighted at the broad range of community heroes involved, from charity workers, to teachers to NHS workers, there is a real sense of community throughout."
A total of 1,171 people have been recognised with awards including 332 British Empire Medals BEM, 471 Medal of the Order of the British Empire MBE and 236 Order of the British Empire OBE.
Among those honoured, 50% are women and 11% come from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Almost a quarter -23% -considered themselves to come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.
Members of the public can nominate people they believe have made a significant contribution to public life which are then reviewed by an independent committee.
Those who are successful are then awarded an honour rubber-stamped by the monarch.
Unsung heroes
Suzanne Richards whose world was torn apart during the 2015 Tunisia terrorist attack is one over 1,100 individuals honoured with an MBE.
Her son Joel, her father Patrick, and her brother Adrian were among those killed in the massacre that took the lives of 38 people, including 30 Brits, just 12 hours into their holiday.
Her younger son Owen, who was then just 16 and was celebrating finishing his GCSEs, was also shot by the gunman but survived the attack at Port El Kantaoui, near Sousse.
Suzanne, along with Owen, who live in Wednesbury, West Mids, set up the charity Smile for Joel in 2017 that supports other people bereaved by murder and has raised over £500,000.
She said watching the news unfold of the killings in Nottingham this week "brought tears to my eyes because it was just mirroring to me what happened eight years ago".
"I know what dark road they [the relatives] are going to be on and it's just awful and we'll be there as a charity to support them when they are ready."
She added: "My heart goes out to them -they are students, they are 19, they are the same age as Joel."
The oldest recipient on Charles' list is 106-year-old Joan WIllet, who is given a BEM.
During the pandemic the former teacher caught the nation's attention as she used her daily exercise to trek up a steep hill outside her care home four times a day until her 104th birthday, raising more than £60,000 for the British Heart Foundation.
Earlier this year Ms Willett, who suffered a second heart attack when was 82, received one of Downing Street's Points of Light awards.
The youngest, 18-year-old Junior Jay Frood, 18, received the same honour for services to vulnerable children. From the age of six the dancer, who has supported well-known stars such as Justin Beiber, was bullied at school and has since worked to reduce the stigma for boys with a similar passion.
He said this week had a "passion to help other people".
Suzanne Oldnall, who has worked tirelessly to support domestic abuse victims in Worcester including through the establishment of a drop-in centre, is also receiving a BEM.
Teacher Roisin Marshall, 55, is awarded an OBE for her work on integrated education in Northern Ireland -an essential aspect of the Good Friday Agreement.
There are accolades for those who got involved in the 'Big Help Out' during the country's first Coronation since 1953 and Operation London Bridge -the codename given for the Queen's state funeral.
And those who provided help to Ukrainians during Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine have also been honoured.
Bristol’s Razvan Constantinescu receives an OBE for overseeing more than 4,000 boxes of aid for the people of war-torn Odessa -a port city in southern Ukraine.
Alice Good, the co-founder of Sunflower Sisters, which supports women from the country after arriving in the UK, has been recognised with an MBE for her extraordinary work.
Over 600 -52% -of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity.
Celebrities
Footballer turned pundit Ian Wright and broadcasting icon Davina McCall are among the famous faces to be recognised in the King's Birthday Honours List.
Wright, 59, a former Arsenal striker who also netted goals for the England team, is awarded an OBE for services to Association Football and charity.
The legend who was first signed when he was 21 recently stood behind his fellow pundit Gary Linker when the BBC took the controversial decision to pull him off air.
In the showbiz world, McCall, 55, who presented the hit Channel 4 series Big Brother for a decade and has more recently campaigned on women's health, is recognised with an MBE.
McCall, who last year published a book about the menopause, said: "I can't believe it. It's a great honour and it really means a great deal."
Veteran broadcaster and radio presenter Ken Bruce, who hosted his final show on BBC Radio 2 in March, was also made an MBE alongside Vicky McClure, who played Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC's hit-drama Line of Duty and starred in This is England '86.
She received the honour for services to drama and also for charity for her groundbreaking dementia campaign. In 2018 she set up the 'Dementia Choir' that performed at the King's Coronation last month.
The fashion legend and Vogue editor Dame Anna Wintour, 73, is awarded the Companion of Honour -a title given to just 65 people at any one time -alongside Booker-prize winning novelist Ian McEwan.
McEwan said: "News of the honour, in a letter from the Cabinet Office, was a complete surprise and, naturally, I was delighted.
"I guess it amounts to a really good review. I'm now entering my 54th year of writing fiction. As all dedicated writers know, a literary life is not a career so much as a way of being."
The duo join the likes of Sir David Attenborough, Sir Elton John, and Dame Judie Dench who are already on the list of 65 recipients.
History-making darts player Fallon Sherrock has been made an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours list.
She became the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship in 2019, beating Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic on her way to the third round at Alexandra Palace, earning the nickname 'Queen of the Palace'.
Wheelchair tennis star and Paralympic gold medal winner Gordon Reid becomes an OBE for services to tennis.
Former Rangers footballer and manager John Greig was made a CBE while former Manchester United defender Jonny Evans and ex-Lionesses striker Eniola Aluko also become MBEs.
MI6 chief and politicians
The head of Britain's secret intelligence service is knighted after leading MI6 through Russia's brutal war in Ukraine.
Sir Richard Moore, who has served under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak, first joined the service in 1987, said it is a "huge honour and proud day".
He added: "But, as with many such honours, it really belongs to the brilliant men and women of SIS and in the Foreign Office that I've had the privilege to lead in recent years."
The chief of MI6 -known by the codename 'C' -is the only member of the service who is publicly named. In 2021 he issued a public apology for the agency's treatment of LGBT people.
Sir Richard features among officials and politicians awarded including the veteran MSP Jackie Baillie, who has been recognised with a damehood.
The Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party said the honour was "totally unexpected", with news of the award "coming as quite a shock" after being nominated by her constituents.
She has represented Dumbarton since 1999 with the damehood recognising her major contributions to homelessness and disability rights north of the border.
Labour former minister Sir Ben Bradshaw, who served in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments, also receives a knighthood while Tory MPs John Baron, Bob Blackman, Damian Collins and Heather Wheeler are also recognised with honours.
Experts
A doctor who helped revolutionise the way millions of people live with diabetes with her work on the first insulin pen injection is recognised.
Dr Sheila Reith receives a CBE in King Charles's Birthday Honours list for ingenious work that helped bring an end to people using glass syringes and steel needles.
The consultant physician, whose daughter Fiona lived with Type 1 diabetes in the 1970s, received her medal for services to those living with the health condition.
Professor Sir John Bell, who became a frequent voice on the airwaves during the pandemic, is also recognised, after dedicating countless efforts to UK's effort to tackle the virus.
The Covid testing tsar and Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford joins the small group of 65 people awarded a Companion of Honour.
Hostage charity work
The brother of British engineer Ken Bigley who was abducted and brutally murdered in Iraq almost two decades ago is honoured.
Phil Bigley receives an OBE for his brave work in helping those affected by kidnap and hostage situations globally since the tragedy affecting his own family in 2004.
He joined Hostage International a year after a video of his 62-year-old brother's barbaric execution was posted on the internet by his captors in a case that received global attention.
Mr Bigley said: "I am both shocked and honoured to have been nominated for this award, which I graciously accept in memory of my brother, Ken, and on behalf of our family.
"I wish to thank the many inspirational people at Hostage International that dedicate themselves to helping those affected by kidnap".
His name appears among 110 people recognised for service to the UK overseas, including Terry Waite CBE, who...
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