King Charles to pay tribute to guitarist Brian May

• Brian May among those honoured in King Charles’ New Year’s Honours.
• Diplomats involved in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also recognised.
•  Alok Sharma, Mark Sedwill and Tom Scholar receive knighthoods.

Brian May, the guitarist for Queen, six English “Lionesses” who won the European women’s soccer championship, and diplomats engaged in the international response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were honoured by Britain in King Charles’ first list of New Year’s honours.

Leah Williamson, the squad’s captain, earned an OBE; Beth Mead, the tournament’s golden boot winner; Lucy Bronze, a defender; and Ellen White, the team’s all-time leading scorer, received MBEs. Four members of the England women’s soccer team also received honours.

Coach Sarina Wiegman, a citizen of the Netherlands, was conferred an honorary CBE, a designation accorded to foreign nationals.

May, a founding member of the rock group Queen, received a knighthood at the conclusion of a year in which he performed at the opening of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee event atop the Victoria Monument, 20 years after doing the same at the Golden Jubilee concert atop Buckingham Palace.

The New Year’s honours are the first ones given by King Charles since he ascended to the throne because Queen Elizabeth died in September. Prior to being approved by the prime minister and the king, the list is compiled by independent committees.

Melinda Simmons and Deborah Bronnert, Britain’s ambassadors to Kiev and Moscow, respectively, both got a damehood for their contributions to foreign policy. Other officials involved in developing Britain’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were also recognised.

Alok Sharma, the head of the COP26 climate conference, and Mark Sedwill and Tom Scholar, two ex-civil servants who lost their high-profile positions under former prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, respectively, both received knighthoods.

Olympic gold medalist in the heptathlon from the Sydney 2000 Games, Denise Lewis, was named a dame, together with Mary Quant, a fashion designer, and Grayson Perry, an artist.

First female CEO of a major British bank, Alison Rose of NatWest, and the first female chair of aerospace company Rolls Royce, Anita Frew, both received damehoods.

Since Queen Victoria’s reign in the 19th century, the New Year’s honours have been given to individuals whose contributions to national life have been made over a long period of time and are frequently unacknowledged.

OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire, MBE for Member of the British Empire, and CBE for Commander of the British Empire. Reuters

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