Foreigners can be knighted by the British Monarch, but the award is “honorary” rather than “substantive.” Honorary knighthoods go to people who are not citizens of the United Kingdom or of a Commonwealth realm where the King is head of state, and while the recognition is real, the “Sir” or “Dame” title and the sword-on-the-shoulder ceremony are not part of it.1The Royal Family. Knighthoods and Damehoods
What Makes a Knighthood Honorary
Citizenship is the dividing line. Substantive knighthoods go to citizens of the UK or of Commonwealth realms such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Everyone else, including citizens of Commonwealth republics like India and South Africa and citizens of non-Commonwealth countries like the United States, France, or Japan, receives the honorary version.1The Royal Family. Knighthoods and Damehoods
Three practical differences follow from that:
- No dubbing ceremony. In a standard investiture the Monarch or a senior royal touches a sword to each shoulder of the recipient. Honorary knights are presented with the insignia of their order, often at Buckingham Palace or a British embassy, but the sword stays sheathed.1The Royal Family. Knighthoods and Damehoods
- No “Sir” or “Dame” in front of the name. Bill Gates received an honorary KBE in 2005 and is still Bill Gates, not Sir Bill. He can, however, write “Bill Gates KBE,” because honorary recipients are entitled to use the post-nominal letters of their order.1The Royal Family. Knighthoods and Damehoods
- No courtesy title for a spouse. The wife of a substantive knight is conventionally styled “Lady”; the wife of an honorary knight is not.
What It Does and Does Not Give You
An honorary knighthood is recognition, not a set of legal privileges. It doesn’t confer British citizenship, residency, or any political standing. And even a substantive knighthood doesn’t come with a seat in the House of Lords: that requires a peerage, which is a separate honor.
What it does carry is reputational weight. The award signals that the British Crown considers the recipient’s contribution to UK interests or to a wider cause exceptional, and it is treated seriously in diplomatic, cultural, and business circles.
Who Has Been Knighted This Way
The list of honorary knights and dames runs across decades and fields. A few names show the range:
- Bill Gates, appointed KBE in 2005 for contributions to health and poverty reduction in Commonwealth nations and the developing world, alongside enterprise and education work in the UK.2Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Statement by Bill Gates on Receiving an Honorary Knighthood
- Angelina Jolie, appointed Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 2014 for humanitarian work.
- Steven Spielberg, appointed KBE in 2001 for services to the British film industry.
- Bono, appointed KBE in 2007 for humanitarian work on poverty and disease in Africa.
- Ralph Lauren, appointed KBE in 2019, the first American fashion designer to receive the honor.
- Rudy Giuliani, appointed KBE in 2002 for leadership after September 11.
- Michael Bloomberg, appointed KBE in 2015.
The tradition goes back much further. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. received his honorary knighthood from King George VI in 1949 for strengthening the US–UK relationship.
How the Award Is Made
Honorary awards follow a separate track from the domestic honours. Nominations go to the Honours Secretariat within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which assesses candidates on their contribution to UK relations or to broader global causes.3GOV.UK. Nominate Someone for an Honour or Award The King then confers the award on the FCDO’s advice.1The Royal Family. Knighthoods and Damehoods
Anyone can submit a nomination using the form the FCDO publishes; completed submissions go to the Honours Secretariat at the Protocol Directorate in London.3GOV.UK. Nominate Someone for an Honour or Award
Honorary awards to foreign nationals are announced on a separate list from the New Year and King’s Birthday Honours. This list, historically called the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List, typically includes around 150 names once a year, with timing that varies. Recent lists have appeared in early February; the most recent, covering 2025 awards, was published on 19 February 2026.4GOV.UK. Honours – Lists, Reform and Operation
A Constitutional Note for Americans
US citizens face a wrinkle other foreigners don’t. Article I, Section 9 of the US Constitution says no person holding “any Office of Profit or Trust” under the United States may accept any “present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State” without the consent of Congress.5Constitution Annotated. Article I, Section 9, Clause 8
In practice, US government officials and elected representatives need Congressional approval before accepting an honorary knighthood. Private citizens don’t, which is why figures like Gates and Spielberg accepted their awards with no Congressional involvement. The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act of 1966 spells out which government employees are covered, explicitly including the President, Vice President, and Members of Congress.6Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Emoluments Clause
Converting to a Substantive Knighthood Later
An honorary knight who later becomes a British citizen can apply to have the award converted into a substantive one. Once converted, the recipient gains the full “Sir” or “Dame” title and can go through the dubbing ceremony they originally missed.
The violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin took this path: he received an honorary knighthood, converted it after naturalizing, later received the Order of Merit, and eventually became Baron Menuhin through a life peerage. Business executive Marjorie Scardino converted her honorary award the same way to become Dame Marjorie Scardino.7The Gazette. American Citizens With Honorary British Knighthoods and Damehoods
When an Honorary Knighthood Can Be Taken Away
Honorary knighthoods are not irrevocable. Removal happens through a process called forfeiture: the Forfeiture Committee reviews the case and recommends action to the Prime Minister, who submits the recommendation to the King. Once approved, the forfeiture is published in the London Gazette, the former recipient must return the insignia to Buckingham Palace, and they can no longer use any post-nominal letters.8GOV.UK. Having Honours Taken Away (Forfeiture)
Grounds include criminal convictions resulting in more than three months’ imprisonment, being struck off by a professional regulatory body, and any conduct the Committee considers damaging to the reputation of the honours system. The Committee can also act on behavior that predates the award.8GOV.UK. Having Honours Taken Away (Forfeiture)
High-profile revocations are rare but real. Robert Mugabe’s honorary knighthood was annulled in 2008 amid Zimbabwe’s political crisis. Benito Mussolini lost his in 1940 when Italy entered World War II against Britain, and Nicolae Ceaușescu lost his in 1989.