British actor Idris Elba, known for his roles in the TV series "The Wire" (2002-2008) and "Luther" (2010-2019), has been knighted.
The New Year's list of state awards has been published on the UK government's website.
Elba, 53, has been awarded the honorary title for his work in the fight against youth crime. Actress Cynthia Erivo, nominated for an "Oscar" for her role in the film "Wicked: The Tale of the Witch of the West" (Wicked: Part I, 2024), is now an OBE, as is author Richard Osman, known for his detective series “The Thursday Murder Club“.
The list contains nearly 1,200 names. Among them are members of the England football team that won the European Championship last summer, including the team captain Leah Williamson, who was awarded the title Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Sainsbury's CEO Simon Roberts was also awarded the title.
The youngest recipient is 20-year-old 2024 Olympic all-around champion Toby Roberts, who was awarded the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire. The oldest person on the list is 102-year-old judo coach John Hearn, who was awarded the Order of the British Empire for “services to the community“.
The Order of the British Empire was established in 1917 by King George V, the great-grandfather of the current monarch Charles III. There are five degrees of this award. The lowest is Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, followed by Officers of the Order, Commanders, Knights and Dame Commanders, and finally Knights and Dame Grand Cross. The latter two categories automatically grant their holders knighthoods and the honorary titles “Sir“ (for men) and “Dame“ (for women).