Angelina made honorary Dame in Queen’s Birthday Honours
By Nick Levine
Angelina Jolie has been made an honorary Dame in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The Oscar-winning American actress, 39, receives her award “for services to UK foreign policy and the campaign to end warzone sexual violence”.
Jolie, who co-founded the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) with William Hague, has been in London this week co-chairing a summit on war rape with the British Foreign Secretary.
She said in a statement:
“To receive an honour related to foreign policy means a great deal to me as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to. Working on PSVI and with survivors of rape is an honour in itself. I know that succeeding in our goals will take a lifetime and I am dedicated to it for all of mine.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Day-Lewis – the first person to win three Best Actor Oscars, who holds dual UK-Irish citizenship – is knighted for services to drama and becomes a ‘Sir’.
Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes is made a Dame, while Maggie Smith – already a Dame since 1990 – is made a Companion of Honour, joining a prestigious list that includes around 40 living Britons including her fellow actors Ian McKellen and Judi Dench.
Actor and TV presenter John Barrowman is made an MBE, while Homeland star Damian Lewis is awarded an OBE and radio presenter/Catatonia frontwoman Cerys Matthews is given an MBE.
Stephen Sutton, the teenage cancer sufferer who helped to raise more than £4m to fight the disease before succumbing to it, has been honoured with an MBE and accepted the accolade shortly before his death on May 14.
More than 1,000 people have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2014, which were announced last night (June 13).
Related story: Angela Lansbury is made a Dame by the Queen