Despite historic achievements in 2025, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List due to an HMRC tax review.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a favorite alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, both from England, to receive a knighthood 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 to do so. At the 2025 Ryder Cup, the 36-year-old shone with Team Europe, securing their first away victory since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near the ‘Big Apple’.
Nevertheless, McIlroy’s name did not appear among 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 submission to the Prime Minister and the monarch. According to a report from The Telegraph, HMRC intervened similarly as it did in the knighthood proceedings of footballer David Beckham, who also had to wait several years.
Did Rory McIlroy Deliberately Avoid Taxes?
McIlroy, recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, was involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013, which were considered legal tax reliefs at the time and regarded as such by authorities. Later, HMRC deemed these projects as tax avoidance and is currently investigating whether the ‘Business Premises Renovation Allowance’ scheme was exploited to intentionally evade tax payments. There is currently no evidence suggesting McIlroy intended to avoid taxes deliberately.
Since the HMRC also has influence over knighthood decisions, such a suspicion or ongoing investigation can lead to rejection. Neither the Northern Irish player nor the British government has commented on the matter so far.