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Four UK Post Office scandal victims recognized in honors list
December 31, 2024
Article Body TextLONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — <p>King Charles III announced awards for actors Stephen Fry and Carey Mulligan, as well as victims of Britain's Post Office scandal in the country's traditional New Year Honours on Tuesday.</p> <p>London Mayor Sadiq Khan joined U.K. television icon and writer Fry, 67, and former England football manager Gareth Southgate in being knighted in the latest list.</p> <p>Fry, best known for playing his idol Oscar Wilde in the 1997 movie <em>Wilde</em> and the hit British television comedy <em>Blackadder</em> was recognized for services to mental health awareness, the environment and to charity.</p> <p>Fry, who has a form of bipolar disorder, has spoken openly about his struggles with manic depression.</p> <figure><img src="https://gdb.voanews.com/64db56dd-cf9d-4ef3-ae5b-24583f5b683b_cx0_cy1_cw100_w1600_r1_n_s.jpg" /><figcaption>FILE - Stephen Fry attends the world premiere of "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" in London, Dec. 3, 2024.</figcaption></figure> <p>He told the PA news agency that he felt "startled and enchanted" after receiving the letter informing him of his knighthood.</p> <p>"When you are recognized, it does make you feel a bit 'crikey,' but I think the most emotional thing is that when I think of my childhood, and my dreadful unhappiness and misery and stupidity, and everything that led to so many failures as a child," Fry added.</p> <p>Khan, one Britain's most high-profile Asian-origin politicians, was honored for political and public service.</p> <figure><img src="https://gdb.voanews.com/ef616c04-35c7-4ff4-a0e3-bc5635a07e9e_cx0_cy3_cw100_w1600_r1_n_s.jpg" /><figcaption>FILE - Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks in Trafalgar Square, London, Britain, Oct. 27, 2024.</figcaption></figure> <p>The 54-year-old has led the U.K. capital since 2016 and earlier this year became the first London mayor to win a third term.</p> <p>Four victims of the Horizon IT scandal, in which hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongly convicted of fraud, theft and false accounting because of faulty software, were also honored.</p> <p>Lee Castleton, Jo Hamilton, Christopher Head and Seema Misra were recognized with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for their work campaigning for justice.</p> <p>The previous Conservative government unveiled legislation in March to exonerate those wrongly prosecuted and compensate them after a TV drama renewed focus on their plight.</p> <p>More than 1,200 people received honors in the latest list, which was decided by an honors committee.</p> <p>The king or other leading members of the royal family hand out the awards at ceremonies during the year.</p> <p>"Each and every day, ordinary people go out and do extraordinary things for their communities," said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.</p> <p>"The New Year Honours List celebrates more of these unsung heroes, and I thank them for their incredible contribution," he added.</p> <p>Mulligan received an award as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) while Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro was made a Companion of Honor for services to literature.</p> <p>Southgate was knighted for services to football after leading England to the finals of the past two European Championships, as well as to the 2018 World Cup semifinal.</p> <p>His eight-year reign ended without a major trophy after England's 2-1 defeat to Spain in July's European final.</p> <figure><img src="https://gdb.voanews.com/b0a22e80-5cda-4178-ae38-43cefbc9a1ef_cx0_cy2_cw100_w1600_r1_n_s.jpg" /><figcaption>FILE - England's head coach Gareth Southgate reacts after the UEFA Euro 2024 final football match between Spain and England at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 14, 2024.</figcaption></figure> <p>Also honored were several British athletes who competed in the Paris Olympics this summer, including 800-meter gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson and two-time Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock.</p> <p>The king also personally honored two of his medical staff after he was diagnosed with cancer in February. His general practitioner, Douglas Glass, who was also attending Queen Elizabeth II at her death in Balmoral in September 2022, and his consultant physician, Richard Leach, were both awarded with levels of the Royal Victorian Order.</p>
Content TypeText
LanguageEnglish
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateDecember 30, 2024 19:45 EST
BylineAgence France-Presse
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
