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Honorary awards to foreign nationals in 2026

Published 19 August 2026

His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to approve the following honorary British awards in 2026:

The Most Excellent Order Of The British Empire (Civil Division)

Honorary CBE

Name Role Citation
Dr Wendy REID Former National Director, Education and Quality and Medical Director, Health Education England For services to health education

Honorary OBE

Name Role Citation
Michael DREIER Mayor of Paderborn For services to UK/Germany relations
Mónica DUWE Former Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Chile and former Director, British-Chilean Chamber of Commerce For services to UK interests in Chile
Shernitta La-Chun LINDSAY Chief Operating Officer, Welsh Government Envoy to the United States For services to business operations, diversity and the promotion of British interests overseas
Seán Dermot O’LEARY Television and Radio Broadcaster. Patron, Cinemagic Film and Television Festival; Patron, The London Irish Centre; Founder, The Tuskar Trust; and Patron, Coppafeel For services to Charity
Andrés ROZENTAL President, Rozental & Asociados For services to UK/Mexico relations
Julia SCHAFRANEK Director and Owner, Vienna’s English Theatre, Vienna For services to UK Theatre and Culture in Austria
Shawqi Abdulredha SULTAN Former Secretary General, Oman-British Friendship Association​ For services to UK/Oman relations
Carol WHEELER Founder Washington Ireland Programme For services to peace and reconciliation and leadership development in Northern Ireland

Honorary MBE

Name Role Citation
Irfan BAKHTIAR Multi-stakeholder Forestry Programme Phase 5 Co-Director, Palladium For services to UK/Indonesia relations on climate and nature
José Luís BENITEZ MULERO President International Nightlife Association, Director Institutional Relations, Palladium Group For services to British nationals in Spain
Richard CARTER Climate Change Team Leader, Caribbean, British High Commission Bridgetown For services to British foreign policy and humanitarian response in Dominica and the wider Caribbean
Iryna DUBISH Defence Officer, British Embassy Kyiv For services to British Foreign Policy in Ukraine
Gabriel Juan ESCARRER JAUME Chairman, Melia Hotels For services to British nationals in Spain
Major (Rtd) Hitman GURUNG Chair Royal Gurkha Rifles Regimental Association, Nepal For services ​​to the families of Gurkha soldiers
Manami Yuasa KOMAI British Council Regional Arts Director, East Asia For services to Arts and Cultural Collaborations with Japan and ASEAN
Professor Hannah LESSING Managing Director, National Fund of Austria for Victims of National Socialism For services to Holocaust Remembrance and Education
Nawroz MARDOKHI Home Office International Operations Programme Adviser, British Consulate General Erbil For services to the UK in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Mohamed Mustafa Mohamed OSMAN Former Post Security Manager, British Embassy Khartoum, Sudan For services to British interests overseas

Honorary BEM

Name Role Citation
Yordan IVANOV Commonwealth War Graves Commission Gardener For services to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Sofia
Hyekyung JUNG Former Corporate Services Officer, British Embassy Seoul For services to the British Embassy Seoul
Sharmanand LUCHMAN Plantation Manager for British Indian Ocean Territory Administration For services to the British Indian Ocean Territory
Joseph MATHIAS Pro-Consul, British Embassy Beirut For services to British Nationals overseas
Androulla NICOLAOU Child Exploitation Prevention Officer, Avon and Somerset Police For services to the Prevention of Child Exploitation
Professor Jaroslav PEPRNÍK Professor of English Philology For services to English Language Education and UK/Czech relations
Angie REEH Chair, Anglo-German Club, Paderborn For services to UK/Germany relations
Savita SEHDEV Community volunteer For services to the Community in Wolverhampton
Professor Dr Mila ​​STAJEVIĆ Head. Paediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, Institute for Mother and Child, Belgrade, Serbia For services to Paediatric Care in the UK and Serbia
Miwa Watanabe SUMIISHI Maritime Domain Officer, Defence Section, British Embassy Tokyo For services to UK/Japan Defence relations