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State & Ceremonial

Apprentice star Karren Brady among those up for New Year’s Honours

The 2014 New Year’s Honours list, one of the two annual lists of those receiving honours from The Queen, has been announced today with notable recipients including singer Katherine Jenkins (OBE), Apprentice star Karren Brady (CBE), broadcaster Sandi Toksvig (OBE) and writer Antony Horowitz (OBE) among others.

Businesswoman Karren Brady is among those up for a CBE in the New Year's Honours.

Businesswoman Karren Brady is among those up for a CBE in the New Year’s Honours.

A total of 1,195 people have been recommended to Her Majesty for honours this year, with female recipients making up a majority in the New Year’s Honours for the first time. The list includes 329 people awarded the BEM (British Empire Medal), 468 people awarded an MBE and 241 an OBE.

Mark Worthington, Private Secretary to the late Margaret Thatcher, and Julian Seymour, Director of her office, who supported her in her post office life, are also to be made Knights Bachelor by Her Majesty – giving them both the title of Sir.

The Queen’s own Private Secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, is also on the New Year’s Honours list this year being made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, though as he is already a KCVO – the title of Sir will not be new to him.

Roger Gifford, lately Lord Mayor of London, is to receive the accolade of Knight Bachelor.

Roger Gifford, lately Lord Mayor of London, is to receive the accolade of Knight Bachelor.

Additionally, Sir Peter Maxwell Davis, The Queen’s Master of Music who was diagnosed with leukaemia in March, has been made a Companion of Honour – an order which claims some of the most talented artists, poets, scientists, politicians and musicians in the country including Stephen Hawking, David Attenborough and Dame Judi Dench among others.

Other key recipients of honours include: the former Lord Mayor of London, Roger Gifford, who has been made a Knight Bachelor; an MBE for BBC 1 DJ Pete Tong; a knigthood for former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, Paul Tucker and a CBE for broadcaster Nicholas Parsons.

Christina Selby, who founded Hats4Heroes in 2010 and has since sent nearly 10,000 knitted hats, each containing a chocolate bar, to the British forces in Afghanistan as a way of boosting morale is to be honoured with a British Empire Medal, an honour which was brought back last year as a way of rewarding those who have made hands-on contributions to their local, or the wider, community.

Recipients will be invited to Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle during the next 6 months to receive their honours.

Recipients will be invited to Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle during the next 6 months to receive their honours.

The list also featured a large number of honours for those involved in education, with 29 head teachers being honoured and people in education accounting for 10% of the honours for the New Year.

Overall, 74% per cent of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity, according to the Cabinet Office.

Those listed in the New Year’s Honours will be given their respective medals and accolades during one of the investiture ceremonies held at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle during the next 6 months by either The Queen, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge or The Princess Royal.

Recipients are entitled to use their new title or post-nominal letters immediately, though they will have to wait to receive their accolade.

The Queen was also pleased to make Marcus Setchell, the doctor who helped deliver Prince George earlier this year, a KCVO, making him Sir Marcus Setchell. The Royal Victorian Order is in Her Majesty’s personal gift and is not part of the Cabinet Office’s list of honours.

Click here to see the New Year’s Honours list 2014 in full.

photo credit: johnmuk, Dave Pearce (London) and jimmyharris via photopin cc