Despite historic successes in 2025, Rory McIlroy is not on the New Year’s Honours List. A tax review by HMRC is reportedly blocking his knighthood.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered one of the favorites for a knighthood by King Charles III, alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald from England. However, all three golfers missed out this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, becoming the first European ever to do so. He also shone at the 2025 Ryder Cup, leading Team Europe to their first away win since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
Despite these achievements, McIlroy’s name was absent from the list of 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), the UK tax authority, before being presented to the Prime Minister and monarch. According to a report by the British “Telegraph,” HMRC reportedly intervened, similar to the delay experienced by footballer David Beckham when he was up for knighthood years ago.
Did Rory McIlroy Intentionally Avoid Tax Payments?
McIlroy, recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, was reportedly involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013, which were considered legitimate tax reliefs and initially approved by the authorities. Later, HMRC deemed these projects a form of tax avoidance and is currently investigating whether these schemes exploited the “Business Premises Renovation Allowance” to deliberately evade taxes. However, there is currently no evidence suggesting that McIlroy intended to avoid taxes deliberately.
Since HMRC has a say in knighthood decisions, such suspicions or investigations can lead to a denial of the honor. Neither McIlroy nor the UK government has commented on the matter so far.