Sting is mentioned in the following article as having been awarded a CBE. Any
Britons out there care to explain in further detail to us Yanks? Does this
mean that he probably won't ever be awarded knighthood? I am dying to call him
Sir Sting! :)
KIM
Actor Roger Moore Gets British Knighthood
By AUDREY WOODS
.c The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) - Celluloid spy hero Roger Moore became real-life Sir Roger on
Queen Elizabeth II's birthday honors list, saluted for his charity work along
with scores of artists, scientists and less-celebrated Britons.
Helen Mirren, one of Britain's most-admired actresses and star of the ``Prime
Suspect'' television police dramas, became a dame, the female equivalent of a
knight, as did renowned chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall and Anita Roddick,
founder of the Body Shop cosmetics chain.
The honors, officially published on Saturday, are bestowed by Queen Elizabeth
II but largely selected by the government. Many people are nominated by the
public.
In descending order, the honors are knighthoods, Commander of the British
Empire, Member of the Order of British Empire and Officer of the British Empire.
Those who are awarded CBEs, MBEs and OBEs have no title but can put the
letters after their names.
Orchestral conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, who has been musical director of
both the English National Opera and of Welsh National Opera, was made a
Companion of Honor, a prestigious title awarded for ``conspicuous service'' to the
nation.
Pop star Sting was made a CBE as was 100-year-old Lilian Doris Thompson - for
her leadership of Blackpool's Pleasure Beach, where she continued testing the
amusement park's new rides throughout her 90s.
Fashion designer Alexander McQueen also became a CBE, and television's
``Naked Chef,'' Jamie Oliver, was made an MBE.
Moore, who succeeded Sir Sean Connery as James Bond, played the hero in seven
films. But his knighthood was bestowed for his work for UNICEF and the
Kiwanis International children's charity.
``I am so proud to be the recipient of this great honor,'' the 75-year-old
Moore said. ``I am doubly proud because this is an acknowledgment of UNICEF, the
United Nations Children's Fund, an organization I am honored to work for as
an international goodwill ambassador.''
Mirren, long-admired in Britain, gained a wider international audience as the
queen in ``The Madness of King George,'' for which she won a 1994 Oscar
nomination, and as Detective Jane Tennison in television's ``Prime Suspect.''
Mirren won her second Oscar nomination in 2001 for ``Gosford Park.''
The 57-year-old star said she was ``absolutely thrilled'' with the honor.
Actress Kristin Scott Thomas, Oscar-nominated for her role in ``The English
Patient,'' became an Officer of the British Empire, or OBE. A CBE went to actor
Simon Russell Beale, who is regarded as one of the country's finest
Shakespearean actors. And stage actor Richard Briers, also a favorite from television
sitcoms, was made a CBE.
Former Pink Floyd lead guitarist Dave Gilmour, who recently donated $5.9
million from the sale of his London home to a project to house the homeless, also
became a CBE.
Actor Jim Dale, who read the Harry Potter books for audio tapes, was made an
MBE. So was Gerry Marsden, of the 1960s pop group Gerry and the Pacemakers,
for services to charity. Gary Brooker, who formed the Procol Harum group in
1967, and Errol Brown, lead singer with the 1970s band Hot Chocolate, also became
MBEs.
In the world of science, biochemistry Professor Edwin Southern of Oxford
University received a knighthood for services to the development of DNA
technology.
