# What are the prerequisites for getting Knighted? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251 "2003-05-10T02:10:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![InLikeFlynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f19dbf/32.png) [@InLikeFlynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InLikeFlynn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/1 "2003-05-10T02:10:44Z")
Sir. David Attenbrough Sir. Paul McKartney Sir Francis Drake What do they all have in common besides being famous? What’s wrong with Ringo?? Is there a female equivalent to the _ **"Sword on the Shoulder"** _ ceremony? or is the monarchy sexist? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/2 "2003-05-10T04:17:16Z")
The basic idea is that you did something that served the United Kingdom (assuming you’re being knighted by the Queen of England). Military service was the traditional means, but nowadays it can be anything including spreading British culture. And women can be “knighted”. I don’t know the term for the act, but they acquire the title Dame. ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/3 "2003-05-10T11:36:10Z")
This article describes Julie Andrews and Elizabeth Taylor (why?) receiving the title Dame of the British Empire. It describes that they are tapped with swords, as happens to knights. [http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/taylor000516.html](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/taylor000516.html) As to the proper term for the female equivalent, Damehood is the status, but the event is called investiture rather than daming. Dames receive the title DBE, Dame Commander of the British Empire. Recipients get a medal and ribbons, but obviously the title is the big thing. Incidentally, if you want to become a knight, giving money to the governing political party is also considered a good method. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/4 "2003-05-10T13:03:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Elizabeth Taylor (why?) [She was born in London.](http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Taylor,%20Elizabeth) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/5 "2003-05-10T17:08:12Z")
So, I suppose dragon slaying, winning a joust, or slaughtering numerous enemy soldiers in battle with my broadsword just doesn’t cut it anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/6 "2003-05-10T19:20:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Nemo \* > \*\*The basic idea is that you did something that served the United Kingdom (assuming you’re being knighted by the Queen of England). \*\* :rolleyes: Do I have to point out what’s wrong with this statement? Ok, if you insist. There is no such thing as the Queen Of England, or only so much as she is Queen Of London, Queen Of Wales and Queen of 11 Arcadia Gardens, Manchester. If she really was “Queen Of England” she would have no business knighting according to service to the United Kingdom. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/7 "2003-05-10T19:35:45Z")
[ul]😕 [sup] **Paul McKartney?** [/sup][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/8 "2003-05-10T23:43:40Z")
Do you have to be a British subject/citizen to be eligible for a knighthood? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/9 "2003-05-10T23:45:15Z")
Oh, another thing – who decides who gets the knighthoods? The Queen? The Prime Minister? ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/10 "2003-05-10T23:59:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrainGlutton \* > \*\*Oh, another thing – who decides who gets the knighthoods? The Queen? The Prime Minister? \*\* The Crown bestows each knighthood on the Prime Minister’s recommendation. The Government releases an Honors List twice a year–one on New Year’s Day, and the other on the Queen’s Birthday in June (the official holiday, whose date does not change, as opposed to the anniversary of the monarch’s actual birth). ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/11 "2003-05-11T00:16:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrainGlutton \* > \*\*Do you have to be a British subject/citizen to be eligible for a knighthood? \*\* No, nor even a subject of the Crown (who is the sovereign not only of the United Kingdom, but of all the Commonwealth nations that have maintained a constitutional monarchy, whose nationals are subjects of the Crown but not _British_ subjects): > [@](#): > > Foreign citizens occasionally receive honorary knighthoods; they are not dubbed, and they do not use the style ‘Sir’. Such knighthoods are conferred by The Queen, on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on those who have made an important contribution to relations between their country and Britain. Foreign citizens with knighthoods include the former US Secretary of State Caspar Weinberger, Chancellor Kohl, President Mitterrand and Mayor Giuliani of New York. From “[The Queen’s Role in the Modern State: Sovereign as 'Fountain of Honour](http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page347.asp).’” Historically, European monarchs routinely exchanged “orders” with each other and with other heads of state, and the practice has continued in modern times: > [@](#): > > Historically, the exchange of Orders between the Sovereign and overseas heads of state tended to be personal and dynastic - particularly during Queen Victoria’s reign, when many dynastic marriages contracted by her large family created a network which closely united the dynasties of Europe in the nineteenth century. Since the mid-twentieth century, the exchange of Orders has become less personal and more formal and diplomatic. The award, return or removal of Orders can still be highly symbolic - as shown by The Queen’s conferring the Order of Merit on President Mandela, or her return of the Romanian Order received from President Ceausescu and her instruction to erase the President’s name from the Register of the Order of the Bath. Today, Orders bestowed on The Queen, and reciprocal awards to foreign heads of state, can be seen as formal and official awards by which one nation honours another in the person of the head of state. ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/12 "2003-05-11T00:32:01Z")
For more information about knighthood: From [The Queen’s Role in the Modern State: Sovereign as “Fountain of Honour”](http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page347.asp):[ul][li][Knighthood](http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page489.asp)[/li][li][Orders of Chivalry](http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page490.asp)[/ul][/li][International Commission for Orders of Chivalry](http://www.geocities.com/chivalric2/AIOC/icochome.htm). Guy Stair Sainty, “[Great Orders of Chivalry](http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/index1.htm),” in “[Almanach de la Cour](http://www.chivalricorders.org/index3.htm)” (formerly “Chivalric Orders).” Francois R. Velde, [“Knighthood and Orders of Chivalry”](http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/). ---
**Author:** ![Agback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@Agback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agback)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/13 "2003-05-11T01:53:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by refusal \* > **Dames receive the title DBE, Dame Commander of the British Empire.** In the Order of the British Empire they do, but not in the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of St Patrick, the Order of the Bath, the Order of St Michael and St George, the Royal Victorian Order, etc. etc. In answer to other questions, the Prime Minister nominates people to be knighted in most of the orders, but the Queen herself knights whom she pleases in the Royal Victorian Order. People who are not subjects of the Queen, which is to say people who are not citizens or at least residents of Commonwealth countries, are normally given only honorary knighthoods. It is not customary to use the title in the case of an honorary knighthood, any more than an honorary doctorate. As for slaying multitudes of the Queen’s enemies, that should put you in line of the Order of the Bath. And killing a dragon should get you a KCMG, one would think. Regards, Agback ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/14 "2003-05-11T02:52:19Z")
as an aside, weren’t the beatles knighted in the 60s, or were they just given medals? ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/15 "2003-05-11T02:57:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handsomeharry \* > \*\*as an aside, weren’t the beatles knighted in the 60s, or were they just given medals? \*\* The Beatles were awarded MBEs (Member of the British Empire) in 1965. MBE is several rungs below a knighthood. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/16 "2003-05-11T04:12:18Z")
Futile, I’ll admit “Queen of England” is not an official title. But I was distinguishing her from other queens, such as Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who presumedly is unlikely to knight someone for service to the UK. And you’ll have to admit her official title “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith” is a bit unwieldy in general conversation. Which is why we Americans just call her Betty. ---
**Author:** ![Rhino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a5b964/32.png) [@Rhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhino)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prerequisites-for-getting-knighted/174251/17 "2003-05-11T04:16:49Z")
prerequisites, a monarch and a sword 😃