Vogue editor Dame Anna Wintour and author Ian McEwan are leading the first anniversary honors of King Charles’ reign today.
The fashion editor and award-winning novelist have received top honors in an honors roll that celebrates art, volunteerism and community service.
Author Martin Amis, who died of cancer last month at age 73, was knighted. Former hostage and author Terry Waite, film director Stephen Frears and Nigerian-born poet and novelist Ben Okri were also knighted.
Several celebrities honored have been praised for their campaigning and charity work, including television presenter Davina McCall, Line of Duty star Vicky McClure and former BBC Radio 2 presenter Ken Bruce.
Dame Anna, editor-in-chief of American Vogue, and Mr. McEwan, winner of the Booker Prize, were made Companions of Honour, along with Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, who was at the center of the UK response to Covid including vaccine rollout and national testing programme.
American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Dame Anna Wintour was named a Companion of Honor. She is pictured at the Met Gala in New York, May 2, 2022
Ian McEwan Named a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, for services to literature
The Companion of Honor is awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to national life. There are only 65 Companions of Honor. Current holders include Sir David Attenborough and Salman Rushdie.
McEwan, 74, whose novels include Atonement and On Chesil Beach, said the honor was “a complete surprise,” adding, “I think it amounts to a really good review.”
Senior awards were also awarded to Sir Simon Gass, Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, who advises the Prime Minister on intelligence and was made a Knight Grand Cross, and Richard Moore, Head of MI6, who was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and Saint George.
Geoff Knupfer, a forensic scientist who helped search for the victims of Moorish killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley and those who ‘disappeared’ during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St -Joris .
Martin Amis’s knighthood was discussed with him and he accepted the honor several weeks before his death. His father, novelist Kingsley Amis, was also knighted in 1990. Only honors of gallantry are awarded posthumously, so Sir Martin’s knighthood was dated a day before his death.
There were also knighthoods for former BBC director general Mark Thompson, Sky’s executive chairman Jeremy Darroch, and theater producer Rupert Gavin, former chairman of Historic Royal Palaces. Kathryn McDowell, general manager of the London Symphony Orchestra, was given a damehood.
Actress Celia Imrie, who starred in the Bridget Jones films and Calendar Girls, was awarded a CBE, along with Scottish actor Kenneth Cranham, who starred in the ITV series Shine On Harvey Moon.
Line Of Duty actress Vicky McClure received an MBE for services to drama and charity following her dementia campaign.
Davina McCall became an MBE after a 20-year television career. She is pictured during the launch photocall for the Masked Dancer, August 30, 2022
Vicky McClure received an MBE for services to drama and charity following her dementia campaign. She is pictured at the Brit Awards, February 8, 2022
Davina McCall also received an MBE after a 20-year television career in which she presented Big Brother, a documentary and books about menopause. She said, ‘I can’t believe it. It really means a lot.’
Veteran broadcaster Ken Bruce received an MBE for services to radio, autism awareness and charity. His 2009 autobiography describes his experience raising his autistic son Murray, who is nonverbal, with his wife Kerith. He said: ‘This is a great surprise and a privilege. I hope it helps to highlight the many difficulties autistic people face.”
In sport, there were CBEs for former Rangers footballer and manager John Greig, and Sarah Hunter, England Women’s Rugby Union captain. Ian Wright, former England and Arsenal footballer turned pundit, was awarded an OBE for services to football and charity.
More than half of the awards went to those involved in charitable and community service.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: ‘Our honors system has long been a way of recognizing people who make incredible contributions to life in Britain and beyond. I pay tribute to all recognized.’