Many rugby league fans are disappointed at the news that Leeds Rhinos legends Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow have not received knighthoods in the New Years Honours List.
The duo have instead been recognised with CBEs which is the highest honour one can achieve without being knighted.
Sinfield now has an MBE, OBE and CBE whilst Burrow has an MBE and an CBE and the duo are set to receive their CBEs together in 2024.
They have been recognised not because of their amazing work in the sport of rugby league but rather for raising awareness and money in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease which is criminally underfunded. Burrow has been battling the illness since December 2019.
But despite this, the duo have again missed out on a knighthood. But who did pick up a knighthood? Well authors Jilly Cooper and Alexander McCall Smith have been knighted whilst Director Ridley Scott has seen his knighthood upgraded.
Thurrock Tory MP Jackie Doyle-Piece, a friend of former Prime Minister Liz Truss and business minister during Truss’ time as PM has also become a dame.
Below is a full list of those who received greater honours than Sinfield and Burrow:
ORDER OF THE COMPANIONS OF HONOUR
Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH)
Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey DBE. Singer. For services to Music
ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
Sir William Blackledge Beaumont CBE DL. Chair, World Rugby. For services to Rugby Union Football and to Charity. (Lytham, Lancashire)
Professor Sir James Rufus McDonald FREng FRSE. President, Royal Academy of Engineering. For services to Engineering, to Education and to Energy. (Stewarton, Ayrshire and Arran)
Sir Ridley Scott. Director and Producer. For services to the UK Film Industry
Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Mary Beckett DBE MP. Member of Parliament for Derby South. For Parliamentary, Political and Public Service. (Derby, Derbyshire)
Professor Dame Carol Mary Black DBE. Independent Adviser on Combatting Drugs. For Public Service. (London, London)
ORDER OF THE BATH
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)
Max Benjamin Rowland Hill KC. Lately Director of Public Prosecutions, Crown Prosecution Service. For services to Law and Order. (London, London)
ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
Dr Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin MBE. Chancellor, University of Leicester. For services to Science Education and to Diversity. (Guildford, Surrey)
Amanda Jayne Blanc. Group Chief Executive Officer, Aviva. For services to Business, to Gender Equality and to Net-Zero. (Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire)
Professor Sonia Boyce OBE. Artist. For services to Art. (London, London)
Jilly Cooper CBE. Author. For services to Literature and to Charity. (Stroud, Gloucestershire)
Felicity Ann Dahl. Founder, Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. For services to Philanthropy, to Literature and to Young People. (London, London)
Dr Jennifer Dixon CBE. Chief Executive, The Health Foundation. For services to the NHS and to Public Health. (London, London)
Tristina Adele Harrison. Chief Executive Officer, TalkTalk Group. For services to Telecommunications. (London, London)
Dianne Michele Jeffrey CBE DL. Lately Trustee and Founder Chair, Age International. For services to Older People Abroad and to the community in Derbyshire. (Hope Valley, Derbyshire)
Professor Valerie Joan Lund CBE. Emeritus Professor in Rhinology, University College London. For services to Rhinology. (Staines-upon-Thames, Berkshire)
Siobhain Ann McDonagh MP. Member of Parliament for Mitcham and Morden. For Parliamentary and Political Service. (London, London)
Ruth Elizabeth Miskin CBE. Children’s Reading Expert, Read Write Inc. For services to Education. (West Sussex)
Marit Mohn. Philanthropist. For services to Philanthropy. (London, London)
Professor Molly Morag Stevens FRS FREng. John Black Professor of Bionanoscience, University of Oxford and Professor, Imperial College London. For services to Medicine. (London, London)
Cristina Alicia Taylor. Philanthropist and Co-Founder, The Taylor Family Foundation. For charitable services to Children and Young People. (London, London)
Judith Weir CBE. Master of the King’s Music. For services to Music. (London, London)
KNIGHTS BACHELOR
Brian Clarke. Artist. For services to Art. (London, London)
Ronald Dennis CBE. Chair, Podium Analytics and Patron, Tommy’s Campaign. For services to Industry and to Charity. (Virginia Water, Surrey)
Gregory Doran. Lately Artistic Director, Royal Shakespeare Company. For services to the Arts. (London, London)
Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis CBE. Founder and Leader, Glastonbury Festival. For services to Music and to Charity. (Glastonbury, Somerset)
Professor William John Edmunds OBE FMedSci. Professor, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. For services to Epidemiology. (London, London)
John Patrick Griffin. Founder, Addison Lee. For services to Business and to Charity. (London, London)
Stephen Alan Michael Hester. Chair, Easyjet and Chair, Nordea. For services to Business and to the Economy. (London, London)
David Charles Holmes CBE. Chief Executive Officer, Family Action. For services to Children and Families. (London, London)
Professor Amritpal Singh Hungin OBE DL. Emeritus Professor of General Practice, Newcastle University. For services to Medicine. (Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham)
Professor John Peter Iredale FMedSci FRSE. Lately Interim Executive Chair, Medical Research Council. For services to Medical Research. (Somerset)
The Rt. Hon. Sajid Javid MP. Member of Parliament for Bromsgrove. For Political and Public Service. (London, London)
Timothy Randall Martin. Founder and Chair, Wetherspoons. For services to Hospitality and to Culture. (Devon)
Professor Alexander McCall Smith CBE FRSE. Author and Academic. For services to Literature, to Academia and to Charity. (Edinburgh, Edinburgh)
Professor Neil James McCready Mortensen. Lately President, Royal College of Surgeons of England. For services to Surgery. (Oxford, Oxfordshire)
Gerald Maurice Ronson CBE. For services to Philanthropy and the Jewish Community. (London, London)
