Yes, Americans can be knighted. The British monarch has granted knighthoods to U.S. citizens for decades, and no provision of American law bars a private citizen from accepting one. Because the United States is not a Commonwealth realm, any knighthood given to an American is classified as “honorary,” which affects how the title is used but not whether the award is real. The legal questions that matter turn on one thing: whether the recipient holds a federal office or serves in the military.
What an Honorary Knighthood Actually Is
An honorary knighthood is the same award, with a protocol asterisk. Honorary recipients do not use “Sir” or “Dame” in front of their names the way British knights do.1The Gazette. American Citizens With Honorary British Knighthoods and Damehoods They can, however, use the post-nominal letters after their name. Bill Gates, for example, signs as “Bill Gates KBE.” The medal, the insignia, and the recognition are all fully real.
The ceremony is largely the same as well. Honorary recipients attend an investiture and receive their insignia from the monarch or a senior royal, but they do not kneel for the traditional sword tap on the shoulders that Commonwealth citizens receive. An American who later becomes a British citizen can apply to convert the award into a full substantive knighthood, as the violinist Yehudi Menuhin did.1The Gazette. American Citizens With Honorary British Knighthoods and Damehoods
Most American honorees receive the KBE, Knight or Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Other orders, including the Order of St Michael and St George, the Order of the Bath, and the Royal Victorian Order, carry knighthoods at their upper ranks.2Honours System of the United Kingdom. Orders, Decorations and Medals Lower ranks in those orders, such as OBE or MBE, are honors but not knighthoods and do not carry “Sir” or “Dame” even for British citizens.
If You Are a Private Citizen
For an American with no federal role, there is no legal barrier to accepting a British knighthood. The constitutional provision that worries people, Article I, Section 9, Clause 8, restricts “any Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust” from accepting foreign titles, gifts, or emoluments without congressional consent.3Cornell Law School. Clause 8 Titles of Nobility and Foreign Emoluments That language does not reach private citizens. If you are retired, self-employed, or working outside the federal government, you can accept, keep, and display the honor without asking anyone’s permission.
If You Hold a Federal Office
The picture changes for federal officeholders and employees, who are covered by two overlapping frameworks.
The Foreign Emoluments Clause
Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 bars anyone holding a federal “Office of Profit or Trust” from accepting any present, emolument, office, or title from a foreign government without congressional consent.3Cornell Law School. Clause 8 Titles of Nobility and Foreign Emoluments The scope of “Office of Profit or Trust” has been debated. It clearly covers appointed officials, and most commentators include elected officials as well. If you serve the federal government in any capacity, you need authorization before accepting a foreign honor.
The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act
The practical rules come from 5 U.S.C. ยง 7342, which defines a “decoration” to include any order, device, medal, badge, insignia, emblem, or award from a foreign government. A federal employee can accept and keep a foreign decoration, including a knighthood, if it recognizes active combat service or “outstanding or unusually meritorious performance” and the employee’s agency approves.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 U.S. Code 7342 – Receipt and Disposition of Foreign Gifts and Decorations
Without approval, the decoration is treated as having been accepted on behalf of the United States. The employee has 60 days to turn it over to their agency, which either keeps it for official use or forwards it to the General Services Administration for disposal.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 U.S. Code 7342 – Receipt and Disposition of Foreign Gifts and Decorations Individual agencies can impose stricter rules than the statute requires. Executive branch agencies follow guidance from the Secretary of State.
The statute sets a separate “minimal value” threshold for foreign gifts, distinct from decorations. As of January 1, 2026, that threshold is $525, adjusted every three years for inflation.5GSA. Foreign Gifts Knighthood insignia fall under the decoration rules rather than the gift rules, so the agency approval requirement applies regardless of the dollar value.
If You Serve in the Military
Active-duty and reserve military members have their own layer of regulation under Department of Defense policy. Foreign decorations can only be accepted when they recognize combat service or outstanding performance, and the recipient’s DoD component must authorize acceptance before the member can keep the award.6DoD Issuances. DoD Military Decorations and Awards Program If a service member receives a foreign award without prior permission from their branch, the award becomes U.S. government property and must be turned in for disposal. Where possible, an unapproved foreign award should be refused at the ceremony itself.
The Army spells out the administrative steps: immediately after the ceremony, the member forwards the award and accompanying documents to The Adjutant General, who sends everything to the Secretary of State to be held in escrow pending congressional approval. Only after Congress approves does the member receive the award back permanently.
Does It Affect U.S. Citizenship?
No. Federal law lists specific acts that can result in loss of nationality: naturalizing in a foreign country, swearing allegiance to a foreign state, serving in a hostile foreign military, formally renouncing citizenship, and committing treason.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1481 – Loss of Nationality by Native-Born or Naturalized Citizen Accepting a foreign honor is not on that list. An honorary knighthood involves no oath of allegiance to the British Crown and no duties under a foreign government. Even for a federal officeholder who obtains proper authorization, the award has no bearing on citizenship.
Tax Treatment of the Insignia
The IRS generally treats prizes and awards as taxable gross income.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 74 – Prizes and Awards For tangible property, the taxable amount is the fair market value of what you receive. Knighthood insignia are physical objects with some market value, which can in theory trigger a tax obligation.
An exclusion exists for awards recognizing religious, charitable, scientific, educational, artistic, literary, or civic achievement, provided the recipient did not seek the award, is not required to perform future services, and directs the prize to a qualifying charity or government entity.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 74 – Prizes and Awards A knighthood given for philanthropy or public service could meet the first two conditions, but the exclusion only applies if the physical insignia is donated rather than kept. In practice the fair market value of a set of insignia is modest, so this rarely becomes a live issue, but it is worth raising with a tax advisor if you want to be careful.