knighthood news stories on Newser

Brits Strip Bad Banker of Knighthood

Rob Quinn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:52:49 CST

Sir Fred Goodwin is now just Fred Goodwin—or, as critics call the disgraced former Royal Bank of Scotland chief, Fred the Shred. The British government, saying Goodwin's bungling helped trigger the worst recession in the UK since WWII, has stripped him of the knighthood he was awarded in 2004...

Apple's Design Chief Is Now a Knight

John Johnson — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:06:12 CST

Apple's lead designer has a new title: Knight Commander of the British Empire. Or just Sir Jonathan if you like. Jonathan Ive has been awarded a knighthood in his native England, reports the BBC . The 44-year-old worked closely with Steve Jobs and has played a large role in creating everything...

Gordon Brown Blocked Jobs Knighthood Over Snub

Kevin Spak — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:40:05 CST

Steve Jobs came thiiiis close to being an honorary knight—before then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown stepped in and put the kibosh on his nomination, one former lawmaker tells the Telegraph . What had Jobs done to earn the honor? Why make nifty-looking gadgets, of course!

Ted Kennedy to Be Knighted

Rob Quinn — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:40:13 CST

Arise, Sir Ted. The ailing Massachusetts senator is to receive an honorary British knighthood for his services to American-British relations and his efforts to forge peace in Northern Ireland, reports the Times of London. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to officially announce Kennedy's honor during his address to both...

Rowling Assures French: 'Voldemort' Not a Slight

Harry Kimball — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:01:22 CST

JK Rowling cleared up any fuss about her Harry Potter villain’s French name today, as she accepted that country’s Legion d’honneur for her contribution to the arts, Reuters reports. “I can assure you that the decision did not come from any anti-French sentiment,” Rowling said of naming the evil Voldemort,...

Lennon's Rejected Royal Medal Found

Rob Quinn — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:03:59 CST

The symbol of the royal honor John Lennon didn't want has been found forgotten in a royal vault, the Times of London reports. Lennon was awarded the Member of the British Empire honor in 1965—prompting some others to turn in theirs—but sent it back to the palace in...

Norway Knights King Penguin

Sam Biddle — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:09:01 CDT

Nils Olav, an honorary colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard—and a 3-foot-tall king penguin—was knighted today by Norway's King Harald V, the AP reports. Nils, named after former Norwegian King Olav V, caught the attention of the guards while they were touring the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland years...

Revulsed, Queen Voids Mugabe Knighthood

Kevin Spak — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:21:22 CDT

Queen Elizabeth II stripped Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe of his honorary knighthood today, calling the move “a mark of revulsion at the abuse of human rights and abject disregard for the democratic process in Zimbabwe over which President Mugabe has presided," the Times of London reports. A run-off presidential election is...

That's Sir Salman Rushdie

Kevin Spak — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:54:03 CDT

Queen Elizabeth officially knighted Salman Rushdie today, the AP reports, a year after the award was announced to widespread Muslim protest. “I have no regrets about any of my work,” said Rushdie, when asked about his novel The Satanic Verses, for which the Shah of Iran awarded him a “death...