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Actor set to play Prince Philip in next series of The Crown becomes ‘Sir’

Jonathan Pryce - Ferdaus Shamim /WireImage
Jonathan Pryce - Ferdaus Shamim /WireImage

The Queen has knighted the actor portraying the late Prince Philip in the next series of The Crown as part of a star-studded Birthday Honours list.

Jonathan Pryce, who will replace Tobias Menzies in the role for the final two series of the Netflix drama, is recognised for services to drama and charity after five decades at the top of British theatre, film and television.

Sir Jonathan, 74, was told by his tutor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts that he would never achieve anything more than playing villains in the 1960s police drama Z-Cars, but went on to win two Tony Awards and two Olivier Awards for his work in theatre and an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Pope Francis in The Two Popes.

The Welsh-born actor is considered one of the finest and most versatile of his generation, with roles ranging from a Bond villain in Tomorrow Never Dies and the High Sparrow in Game of Thrones, to Macbeth with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Juan Peron in the musical Evita.

Sir Jonathan said: "The arts remind people to be kinder, more understanding, questioning and to be more empathetic.

"It shows people the importance of debate and tolerance and these last few divisive years have shown the need for that more than ever.

"After almost 50 years as an actor I am proud to think that the work and ideals that I have shared with my friends and colleagues is being honoured in this way."

Prue Leith - Mike Lawn/Shutterstock 
Prue Leith - Mike Lawn/Shutterstock
Julian Andrews - Julian Andrews 
Julian Andrews - Julian Andrews

Great British Bake Off host Prue Leith receives a damehood for services to food, broadcasting and charity, with damehoods also going to the choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips, the sculptor Phyllida Barlow and the pianist Imogen Cooper.

The singer Lulu receives a CBE for services to music, entertainment and charity after a career that has so far encompassed seven decades.

Lulu - Cameron Spencer /Getty Images
Lulu - Cameron Spencer /Getty Images

Listed under her full name of Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, the 72-year-old, who was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, found stardom as a 15-year-old with Shout, then won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 with Boom Bang-a-Bang, and went on to sing the theme song for the James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun. Her acting career included the film To Sir With Love, for which she also sang the title song, hitting No 1 in the US Billboard chart.

Nick Ross, the former Crimewatch presenter, receives a CBE for services to broadcasting, charity and crime prevention. The 73-year-old fronted Crimewatch for 23 years before stepping down in 2007, and was instrumental in the foundation of the Jill Dando Institute, which develops methods of crime prevention in memory of his co-host, who was murdered on her doorstep in 1999.

Lauren Child, the children’s author and creator of the Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean books, receives a CBE for services to children’s literature.

Nick Ross - TOLGA AKMEN /AFP
Nick Ross - TOLGA AKMEN /AFP
Rick Wakeman - andy boag 
Rick Wakeman - andy boag

Fellow recipients of the CBE include the musician, actor, and radio and television presenter Rick Wakeman. Best known as a member of the progressive rock group Yes, Wakeman has also played keyboards with the likes of David Bowie, T Rex and Elton John, and has recorded more than 90 solo albums. He said he was "stunned and genuinely very proud" at the news.

The actor and musician Ram John Holder, best known for roles in the comedy series Desmond’s and the soap opera EastEnders, also receives a CBE.

Among those receiving OBEs are the actor and writer Lolita Chakrabarti, whose TV credits include playing WPc Jamila Blake in The Bill, and the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber.

Lemn Sissay - Roberto Ricciuti /Getty Images
Lemn Sissay - Roberto Ricciuti /Getty Images
Robert Rinde - Rii Schroer 
Robert Rinde - Rii Schroer

Lemn Sissay, the poet and playwright, is made an OBE and said he hoped the award would encourage people who had grown up in the care system, like him, to "reach for the stars".

Barrister and television judge Robert Rinder receives an MBE for services to Holocaust education and awareness, on the same day that his mother Angela Cohen receives the same award for the same cause.

Rinder said the family double made the experience "all the richer and frankly the more beautiful".

He said: "I have, just like everybody I love professionally and trust in my life, a kind of nuclear-powered sense of imposter syndrome.

"I have to say it has been dialled up even more in receiving this honour which really means the world to me."

Ms Cohen is chairwoman of the ‘45 Aid Society, a charity set up by child survivors of the Holocaust in 1963.

Engelbert Humperdinck - Andrew Matthews /PA
Engelbert Humperdinck - Andrew Matthews /PA
Alison Moyet - Ian West /PA
Alison Moyet - Ian West /PA

Also awarded the MBE is the singer Engelbert Humperdinck, who said it was "a dream come true" and said he wished he could have shared the news with his wife Patricia, who died in February after contracting Covid-19 and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for more than a decade.

Fellow singer Alison Moyet also receives an MBE.