Celebs Who Have Been Knighted By King Charles

Knighthood is a great honor to receive from a British monarch. According to the royal family's website, the title was initially made to applaud the recipients' military prowess, but now it recognizes their social, cultural, educational, and political achievements. Its female equivalent, damehood, was reserved for women who married knights before it honored women's contributions to public life. Being called "sir" or "dame" might make someone sound more prestigious and comes with special perks, but more importantly, it emphasizes the great impact of their career and sheds a light on their humanitarian efforts.

Plenty of celebrities were knighted during Queen Elizabeth II's reign, with the help of King Charles III and Prince William when they were the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge, respectively. As the succeeding British monarch, King Charles continues in his mother's footsteps when it comes to giving high-profile titles to athletes, including David Beckham, actors like Gary Oldman, and other remarkable figures.

Idris Elba had his knighting ceremony in June 2026, four years after establishing the Elba Hope Foundation. The actor, who played the genie in "Three Thousand Years of Longing," established the non-profit with his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba to empower youth in the U.S., the U.K., and African nations. King Charles III announced the "Luther" actor's knighthood on the 2026 New Year Honours List because of the charity work, and Elba expressed gratitude for the recognition. In January 2026, he told People, "I haven't really spoken about it, but I will say that it's a real honor to be recognized for the work. Especially trying to make as much noise for young people and the things that some of them are going through."

Elba himself credits his success to The King's Trust, known as The Prince's Trust during the reign of Elizabeth II. "When I was about 18 years old, I had the wonderful experience of auditioning for The Prince's Trust," he said in the organization's 2020 Instagram post. "I was awarded £1,500 by The Prince's Trust that gave me my start and my career." After his knighting ceremony, Elba shared the royal family's Instagram post to his Story. "We are thankful," he wrote (via People). "The work continues." The actor's knighthood is a wonderful full-circle moment as his work in his middle years reflects the generosity he received in his youth.

In June 2025, the British crown put David Beckham's name on King Charles III's Birthday Honours list. The retired English soccer star received his knighthood for his contributions to sports and his charity work. Beckham had his knighting ceremony that November, nearly 22 years after Queen Elizabeth II gave him the title OBE, which stands for Order of the British Empire. Since receiving the order in 2003, he has worked with Malaria No More U.K. to combat the deadly disease. He also supported children's charities in the 2010s by donating his income from a French soccer league and auctioning off a Paddington statue.

Being an OBE officer is a huge deal for athletes and artists, but becoming a Knight Bachelor is an upgrade in the British honors system. "This is without doubt my proudest moment," Beckham said. "I've been very obviously lucky in my career to have won what I've won and done what I've done but to receive an honor like this, of a knight, is beyond anything that I ever thought that I would receive," (via CBS News). The record-breaking soccer player brought his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham (who's had a stunning transformation), along to celebrate his newest title.

Actor Gary Oldman also made it onto King Charles III's 2025 Birthday Honours list. Oldman, who became famous for playing (and resembling) bass player Sid Vicious, became a knight for his work in the film industry. The knighthood is the first royal award Oldman received in his career spanning four decades, so it's no surprise that he was thrilled. After the Birthday Honours announcement, the actor released a statement that read, per Deadline, "To be included in the long lineage of extraordinary actors, artists, and others who hold this title fills me with indescribable humility and pride. It is emotional, humbling and flattering all at the same time to be recognized amongst them." He even told the outlet, "It's actually sort of mind-boggling. I'm gobsmacked."

He became Sir Gary Oldman in September 2025, and it was Prince William who tapped the sword on Oldman's shoulders, on the orders of his father King Charles. The Academy Award-winning actor told The Independent that the prince made a joke regarding his appearance on the show "Slow Horses." "He said, 'Every time I see you, I just want to give you a good wash," Oldman recalled. (For reference, his character Jackson Lamb has a rather disheveled look.) The actor jokingly told the Prince of Wales that he hoped he was clean enough for the investiture.

A handful of knighted actors have portrayed British monarchs, but Imelda Staunton became a dame after playing Queen Elizabeth II on screen. King Charles III put Imelda Staunton, who felt "delighted" to play his mother on "The Crown," on the Birthday Honours list in 2024. She became a Dame Commander of the British Empire because of her work as an actor and her contributions to charity. 

When asked about receiving damehood from Queen Elizabeth's son, Staunton said, "It was a huge privilege." The actor reflected on her time on "The Crown" as well. "That was two years of filming, and I absolutely adored it. It was of course devastating when Her Majesty died — we were filming as well, it was tricky," (via The Sun). Although Staunton was a Golden Globe nominee for playing the late queen, she won more than 20 awards for her 2004 film "Vera Drake." She also supports multiple non-profits tackling homelessness in the U.K. and abroad.

Brian May made it onto the 2023 New Year Honours list, becoming one of the first celebrities that King Charles III knighted during his reign. He became a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2005 before becoming a Knight Bachelor for his music career and dedication to animal rights. Shortly after the crown announced the New Year Honours list, May told BBC how he felt about getting royal recognition for advocating against fox and badger hunting in the U.K. "This is a kind of licence, a kind of commission to carry on doing what I'm doing, and it gives me a bit more power to my elbow," he said. "So I'm very happy about that."

In March 2023, May posted a photo from his knighting ceremony on Instagram and captioned it, "No words! Bri." The guitarist was smiling as he looked at the king, who tapped a sword on his shoulder. Queen also showed its founding member some love by sharing the same photo on X. Fans congratulated and complimented him on the milestone, as well as for making music that multiple generations love. "It is fantastic that my kids are bang into Queen as I was as a kid through my mam playing them all the time," one user said. "Sir Brian well done sir."