King Charles appoints actor Helen Mirren to select group in his birthday honors list

LONDON, June 13, (AP): Helen Mirren, one of the world's most acclaimed actors, was added Friday to a very select group of people recognized by King Charles III for their "major contribution” over the years to British life. The 80-year-old was named a "Companion of Honour,” one of the highest awards the king can bestow to citizens in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth, limited to only 65 people at any time.

Mirren's elevation to the group, which also includes British environmentalist David Attenborough, Canadian author Margaret Atwood and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was one of the highlights of Charles' latest award of honors. The honors, which aim to reward individuals for their contributions to British life, are awarded twice a year to celebrities and public figures as well as ordinary people, once at New Year’s, and then in June, to mark the king’s birthday.

Nearly 1,200 people received honors in the king’s 2026 birthday list, Mirren is no stranger to awards and has for decades been a star on stage and screen, as well as a powerful advocate for female actors. She has tackled numerous classical parts in theater - both in the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company from the 1960s - before winning roles in movies such as "The Long Good Friday,” "Excalibur,” and "The Madness of King George.”

She also wowed British television audiences with her portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison over seven seasons of "Prime Suspect.” At the Oscars in 2007, she won best actress for her performance in "The Queen," a film that follows the late Queen Elizabeth II in the aftermath of the 1997 death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Introduced in 1917 by King George V, the "Companion of Honour" recognizes people who have made "a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government" over an extended time period. They remain members until they die, when a replacement is then added. A new member will likely be named at the next honors list in the new year following the death Thursday of David Hockney, one of the most popular and critically lauded British artists of the last century.

Others recognized on Friday include British author Julia Donaldson, who last year surpassed Harry Potter writer JK Rowling as U.K.’s all-time top author, with more than 50 million books sold worldwide. She was named a dame, the female equivalent of a knighthood, for services to literature, a title that Mirren herself was awarded in 2003.