The Queen's Birthday Honours list for has finally been published - on the date of the Queen's official birthday. It is made up of both famous faces and members of the public who are recognised for their amazing achievements or service to the country.
They are given special honours or medals by the Queen or other members of the Royal Family at a special ceremony called an investiture. The decision about who gets an honour - and the type of honour they get - is made by a special committee. The committee's decisions go to the prime minister and then, finally, to the Queen to check it.
Not everyone wants an honour and people are allowed to turn down the award, which occasionally happens for example, Roald Dahl turned down his award. People can also have their honour taken away from them if they are disgraced or behave in a bad way. The honours list consists of knights and dames , appointments to the Order of the British Empire and gallantry and bravery awards.
Different people win different awards depending what they have done. The main awards include:. There are others, though, including the Royal Red Cross for those in the nursing services, and the Queen's Police Medal and Fire Service Medal for those working in these areas. Read on to find out more about the different awards on the list. This honour is given to people who have made a significant contribution to the arts, science, medicine or the government over a long period of time. The award, which was founded by George V in , is limited to just 65 people each year.
Those who receive it wear the initials CH after their name. The honour of knighthood comes from medieval times, as does the way used to award the knighthood - the touch of a sword by the King or Queen.
