Despite historic successes in 2025, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List due to an ongoing HMRC tax investigation.
The Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a favorite for knighthood alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, both English, by King Charles III. However, all three golfers were left out this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, becoming the first European ever to do so. At the 2025 Ryder Cup, the 36-year-old also shone with Team Europe, securing their first away victory since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
Nonetheless, McIlroy’s name was missing from the 1,157 honorees on the New Year’s Honours List, which is first reviewed by the Cabinet Office and then by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before being submitted to the Prime Minister and monarch. According to a report by the British Telegraph, HMRC intervened, similar to the delay experienced by footballer David Beckham before his knighthood.
Did Rory McIlroy deliberately avoid taxes?
McIlroy, recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, took part in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013, which were initially regarded as legal tax relief schemes. Later, HMRC reassessed these projects, classifying them as tax avoidance and is currently investigating whether the schemes abused the Business Premises Renovation Allowance to deliberately evade tax payments. There is currently no evidence suggesting McIlroy intended to avoid taxes.
Since HMRC plays a role in decisions related to knighthoods, such suspicions or ongoing investigations can result in denial. Neither McIlroy nor the UK government has commented on the matter so far.