Despite historic successes in 2025, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List. A HMRC review appears to block his knighthood for now.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a favorite for a knighthood by King Charles III alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald from England. However, all three golfers were overlooked this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, becoming the first European to do so. He also shined at the 2025 Ryder Cup, helping Team Europe secure their first away victory since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
Yet, McIlroy’s name did not appear among the 1157 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 submitted to the Prime Minister and the monarch. According to a report by the British Telegraph, the HMRC reportedly intervened, similar to the delay experienced by footballer David Beckham when he was nominated for knighthood years ago.
Did Rory McIlroy Avoid Taxes Intentionally?
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 by authorities. Later, HMRC reclassified these as tax avoidance and is currently investigating whether these projects exploited the “Business Premises Renovation Allowance” scheme to deliberately evade taxes. However, there is currently no evidence that McIlroy intentionally attempted tax evasion.
Since HMRC plays a decisive role in knighthood approvals, such an investigation or suspicion can lead to rejection. Neither McIlroy nor the UK government has commented on the situation so far.