Despite historic successes in 2025, Rory McIlroy is not on the New Year’s Honours List due to an ongoing HMRC tax investigation.
Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish golfer, was considered a favorite alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald for a knighthood by King Charles III. However, none of the three golfers received this honor this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam with a Masters victory, becoming the first European to do so. He also contributed to Team Europe’s first away win since 2012 at the Ryder Cup held at Bethpage State Park near “Big Apple.”
Despite these achievements, 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 being submitted to the Prime Minister and monarch. According to a report by the British Telegraph, HMRC intervened in a manner similar to a previous case involving footballer David Beckham, who also had to wait several years for his knighthood.
Did Rory McIlroy Intentionally Avoid Taxes?
Recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Rory McIlroy was involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013. These projects were initially considered legal tax reliefs by authorities. However, HMRC later classified them as tax avoidance schemes and is investigating whether the projects exploited the “Business Premises Renovation Allowance” program to deliberately evade taxes. Currently, there is no evidence suggesting that McIlroy intentionally sought to avoid tax payments.
Since HMRC plays a role in approving knighthoods, ongoing investigations can lead to rejection of such honors. To date, neither Rory McIlroy nor the UK government has commented on this situation.