Kevin Sinfield knighted, Lionesses and Tony Iommi among thousands recognised in King’s 2026 Birthday Honours
The 2026 King’s Birthday Honours list, released on Friday, features a knighthood for rugby star and MND fundraiser Kevin Sinfield, MBEs for six England women’s footballers and Black Sabbath’s Toni Iommi, and hundreds of community volunteers across the UK.
Kevin Sinfield knighted for rugby and MND fundraising
Former Leeds Rhinos and England rugby league captain Kevin Sinfield received a knighthood for services to rugby league, rugby union and the motor neurone disease (MND) community. Sinfield has raised more than £11 million for MND charities through a series of endurance challenges, inspired by his late teammate Rob Burrow, who died in 2024. The honour makes him only the second rugby league player to be knighted in over 130 years.
I am deeply honoured and grateful to receive this award on behalf of the rugby and MND communities. The MND community are the very best of us and it has been my privilege to support them and put their battle on the stage it needs.
Lindsey Burrow, Rob’s widow, said there was not a “more deserving recipient” and that her husband used to say “everyone should have a friend like Kevin”. Sinfield announced his final fundraising challenge, 7 in 7: The Grand Finale, earlier this week.
Six Lionesses and other sports figures honoured
Six members of the England women’s football squad, the Lionesses, were made MBEs, including defender Jess Carter. Carter said seeing her teammates “who’ve done incredible in the sport and continue to raise awareness of women’s football” made being part of the list an honour. England men’s under-21 coach Lee Carsley, a former Coventry City player, also received an MBE.
In rugby union, World Cup winner Emily Scarratt was appointed OBE, while former England women’s coach Gary Street was made MBE. Golfer Luke Donald, Snooker’s Shaun Murphy and 91-year-old former Wales and Tottenham winger Cliff Jones all featured on the list. Retired jockey Ryan Moore was recognised alongside broadcasters Ian Robertson and Garry Richardson.
Music legend Toni Iommi receives MBE
Black Sabbath co-founder and guitarist Toni Iommi, 78, was appointed MBE for services to music and charity. The Birmingham-born musician almost abandoned a career in music after losing the tips of two fingers in an industrial accident, but went on to pioneer the heavy metal genre.
Iommi has also supported international disaster relief and cancer patient advocacy since his own lymphoma diagnosis in 2012.What an unbelievable honour to receive an MBE. Music has been my life and I’ve been very lucky to share this journey with many amazing people and fans, and I’m very grateful for all the support along the way.
Community champions across England recognised
Hundreds of local volunteers and frontline workers were honoured. In Northumberland, long-serving Girlguiding volunteer Margaret Lester, 72, was appointed MBE, as was Tom Fennelly, 79, who served 50 years with the South Shields volunteer life brigade. Eric Norman, landlord of the Rest and Be Thankful Inn in Somerset, received the BEM after opening his pub to children and emergency responders following a fatal coach crash in 2025.
Nirmal Singh, 64, from Bristol, was awarded the BEM for providing thousands of free hot meals to children in Easton over 20 years. Durham Police’s Adrian Richards was honoured for organising an annual summer activity week now in its 19th year. Poppy Factory wreath-makers Peter Wills and Paul Hammerton, both 64, were given BEMs for crafting royal remembrance wreaths for over 15 years.
Nearly 1,200 people on the 2026 list
In total, close to 1,200 people received honours across the UK, with over 80 in Yorkshire alone. Recipients ranged from foster carers and charity founders to a town crier and a paralympic badminton coach. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the dedication of those honoured “speaks to the decent, hopeful country we are proud to be”.
