The Biggest Athletes Knighted By Queen Elizabeth II

Thursday, September 8, 2022, brought news that Queen Elizabeth II had died, marking the end of a historical era. She had recently reached her platinum jubilee mark, completing her 70-year reign, the longest reign of any monarch in British history. By the time Her Majesty was crowned, the role of the monarchy was less political and more representational. According to the official Royal Family website, "The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity; officially recognizes success and excellence; and supports the ideal of voluntary service." Knighting individuals was a part of these duties.

Although the queen was responsible for giving out accolades and official recognition, she didn't actually have much say in who was chosen amongst the nominees, per BBC. Individuals typically receive such honors (which are divided into lower orders and higher orders) after making great contributions to British society, such as scientific advancements, charity work, artistic achievements, and accomplishments in sports. One of the highest orders of the Honors System of the United Kingdom is Damehood/Knighthood. Let's take a closer look at some of the impressive athletes Queen Elizabeth II knighted during her reign.

Ian Botham, known as "Beefy" to many Brits, had a prosperous cricket career from the 1970s to the 1990s, and has gone down in English history as one of the greatest cricket players of all time. In 2007, he was knighted not only for his achievements in the sporting world but also as an active philanthropist, raising millions for leukemia research, according to The Northern Echo. He told the news outlet, "What I achieved on the cricket field and the status I achieved with the public has allowed me to then go and raise the money for leukemia ... I'm delighted that I've been honored, not only for myself but for the people that have helped me get there."

In a statement on his site, he wrote, "As a patriotic Englishman, nothing compares with having my work recognised by Her Majesty the Queen and its an honour and an occasion that I'll never forget. It eclipsed great events in my life like my first Test match, Ashes victories and even Headingley 1981."

A knighthood is not the only honor he has received. In 2020, he was awarded peerage, per ESPNcricinfo. According to Britannica, to be awarded peerage is to be given a title of nobility. For the cricketer, this meant becoming "Baron Botham of Ravensworth" and taking a seat in the House of Lords, one of the chambers of the U.K. Parliament. From "Beefy" to "Baron," he's come a long way from his cricketing days.

While you may not initially think of sailing as a sport, English sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur is undoubtedly an athlete and received a damehood (the female equivalent to knighthood) for her achievements in sporting. In 2005, she broke the record for the fastest solo nonstop global sailing voyage, per Britannica. When she completed her record-breaking trip, Queen Elizabeth wrote a personal congratulations to the young yachtsperson, stating, "I am delighted to learn that you have completed your round-the-world journey in record time. Since you set sail last November your progress has been followed by many people in Britain and throughout the world, who have been impressed by your courage, skill and stamina." The prime minister at the time, Tony Blair, stated, "The whole country is very proud of Ellen," per The New York Times.

Shortly after, her damehood was announced. At 28 years old at the time, she is the youngest known woman to ever become a dame, according to The Guardian. An official statement from Buckingham Palace read, "The Queen has been pleased to approve that Ellen Patricia MacArthur MBE be appointed a Dame Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on the occasion of her record-breaking, solo circumnavigation," (via The Guardian).

Welsh wheelchair racer Tanni Grey-Thompson has represented Great Britain in the Paralympics on more than one occasion and has won a whopping 11 gold medals, per the Wales government website. Born with spina bifida, Grey-Thompson started wheelchair racing at 12 years old and immediately fell in love with the sport, and has devoted much of her life to it, per Stylist. Not only does she have a host of medals to show for it, but she also broke over 35 world records during her wheelchair-racing career.

In 2005, she received a damehood from Queen Elizabeth II for her "services to disabled sport," per The Guardian. She told the publication, "It was really emotional," adding, "I never thought this would happen in my life ... It shows how far Paralympic sport has come in this country." And like Sir Ian Botham mentioned earlier, she has also been awarded the honor of peerage and serves in the House of Lords as Baroness Grey-Thompson of Eaglescliffe, per the National Paralympic Heritage Trust.

Cyclist Bradley Wiggins has had an impressive career. Not only did he win the 2012 Tour de France, he's also taken home four Olympic gold medals, one silver, and two bronze, per Britannica. So it's no wonder he would be nominated for and awarded a knighthood. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2013. "I can't remember what she said or what I said," he told Sky Sports (via NBC Sports). "It was quite nerve-wracking actually. I'm still shaking now, to be honest," he confessed to BBC after the investiture. "I was just talking to some of the other people getting stuff, and asking them what they've been honored for, and they're historic things, ground-breaking sciences or whatever. I've won a bike race, you know, and I feel a little bit inferior to everyone, really," he further explained.

His humble approach to the honor has intensified over the years. On a 2019 episode of his podcast, "The Bradley Wiggins Show," he confessed that he had destroyed many of his medals and trophies, explaining, "I smashed my knighthood in front of my kids and chucked them in the flower bed to make a point to them," (via Daily Mail). Apparently he was trying to teach them a lesson about not striving for material items in life.

Former player and World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont was given a knighthood in 2019 for his services to rugby. He played and captained teams Fylde, Lancashire, England, and the British & Irish Lions. After retiring from the game, he continued to commit his life to the sport as the Chairman of the major rugby organization, per World Rugby.

After the investiture ceremony, Beaumont tweeted, "Honored and humbled to have been knighted by Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace today. A very special day, shared with my family, that I will remember for the rest of my life. Proud to be serving rugby." He also noted that the honor is an achievement for all of rugby, saying, "The knighthood is as much recognition for everyone who gives their all to this great sport as it is me," per World Rugby.

However, not everyone was in agreement about the appropriateness of the award at the time. The knighthood came about the same year a French player, Nicolas Chauvin, died from injuries after a tackle during a rugby match. The Times raised the question: "Is it right to honor the man in the very top position in World Rugby in the very same month that a young French player died when playing the game that he is administering?"

Born in Scotland, Andy Murray is a tennis player who has won two gold medals at the Olympics and three Grand Slam titles, per Britannica. In 2016, he became Sir Andy Murray when he received his knighthood. He was given the honor not only because of his achievements on the tennis court, but also because of his charity involvement. He is a UNICEF U.K. ambassador and has been heavily involved with the World Wildlife Fund, particularly with their campaign against poaching in Nepal. "I've followed WWF's work on the illegal wildlife trade for a while now and been looking for a way to support the campaign. I think it's incredibly important that this trade is prevented," Murray told TFN.

The tennis player was humble when receiving the honor, noting he wasn't sure he'd be adding "Sir" to his name. "It sounds strange. Obviously it's a big honor. It's great recognition for my results of the last few years ... but I'm more than happy just being known as Andy, that's fine by me," he told BBC. He wasn't officially knighted-with-sword at Buckingham Palace until 2019, according to BBC. The then-Prince Charles (now King Charles III) gave out the medal as a representative of the queen.