Skip to main content

Queen honours service personnel and defence civilians

Published on: 19 Jun 2017

The 2017 list of Birthday Honours has been announced.

The Queen's Birthday Honours list has been announced for 2017, and it recognises the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people from across the UK.

This year's list, which marks 100 years of the Order of the British Empire, has been hailed the most diverse ever. Of the 1,109 recipients, half were female, 6.5 per cent have a disability and ten per cent are from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

In the Service Personnel and Defence Civilians categories, 163 people were named. These included Cpl Amber Rose Hollands, who received an MBE for her work as a combat medical technician in Sierra Leone.

Beyond the realm of military and defence, recipients of Birthday Honours included comedian Billy Connolly, who was knighted and actress Julie Walters, who became a dame. Nine new members of the prestigious Order of the Companion of Honour included author JK Rowling and Sir Paul McCartney.

The Queen also posthumously awarded PC Keith Palmer a place on the Civilian Gallantry list. PC Palmer was stabbed to death outside the Palace of Westminster during the Westminster terrorist attack on March 22nd. The citation says his "bravery and professionalism unquestionably saved lives He made the ultimate sacrifice".