Actor Idris Elba and figure skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean were knighted (and dame) into the Order of the British Empire
British actor Idris Elba, as well as figure skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who defeated Soviet rivals in the 1980s, were knighted and made a dame of the Order of the British Empire during the annual New Year's Honours ceremony, writes the BBC.
Idris Elba. Photo: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival
In total, this year the King bestowed honorary titles upon 1157 public figures, representatives of art, science, sports, and politics.
In the field of sports, in particular, the coach and female footballers of the England women's national team, who won the European Championship for the second time in a row this year, were honoured.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won Olympic gold in pairs figure skating in 1984, and also became world champions four times and European champions four times. They received the titles of Knight and Dame (the female equivalent of a Knight) of the Order of the British Empire for both their sporting achievements and their public service.
This year, Torvill and Dean, now 68 and 67 years old, performed on the ice for the last time during the final of the TV show "Dancing on Ice".
"It was important for us to recall our career with this performance before retiring, and now, at the end of the year, to also receive this award. It's just the perfect culmination of everything," said Jayne Torvill.
Idris Elba, now Sir Idris, is known, in particular, for his roles as Nelson Mandela in the film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" and detective John Luther in the series "Luther". However, he received the knighthood for his charitable work: his Elba Hope Foundation helps children.
"I hope that we can draw more attention to how important constant and practical help for young people is, and also to the fact that we all bear responsibility for finding alternatives to violence," said Sir Idris, commenting on receiving his knighthood.
He himself, as a teenager, received a grant from the Prince of Wales's Trust to study at the National Youth Music Theatre, which eventually led him to a career as a famous actor.
The head coach of the England women's national football team, Dutchwoman Sarina Wiegman, was awarded a special honorary damehood for winning the European Championship gold with the team for the second time in a row.
Foreigners can receive a knighthood in the Order of the British Empire, however, unlike Britons, they are not entitled to the prefix "Sir" or "Dame" before their name.
Several female footballers from the national team also received degrees of the Order of the British Empire below knighthood.
The Order of the British Empire has five main degrees, and the knighthood is only awarded for the two highest.
Not only the "Lionesses" — as England's women's football team is called — but also the head coach and five athletes of the "Red Roses" — the nickname of the women's rugby national team — were honoured with titles below knighthood. This year they became world champions.