Despite historic successes in 2025, Rory McIlroy is excluded from the New Year’s Honours List due to an ongoing HMRC tax review.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a strong candidate for knighthood by King Charles III alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald. However, none of the three golfers received the honour this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam with a Masters victory, becoming the first European to do so. He also shined at the 2025 Ryder Cup, helping Team Europe to their first away victory since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
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), the UK tax authority, before submission to the Prime Minister and Monarch. According to a report by the British Telegraph, HMRC’s intervention, similar to what happened years ago with footballer David Beckham, appears to have halted the knighthood process.
Did Rory McIlroy Deliberately Avoid Paying Taxes?
McIlroy, recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, was reportedly involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013. These projects qualified as legal tax reliefs initially approved by authorities. Later, HMRC determined the projects constituted tax avoidance and is currently investigating if these schemes abused the “Business Premises Renovation Allowance” to deliberately circumvent tax payments. At present, there is no indication that McIlroy intentionally avoided taxes.
Since HMRC has a say in knighthood decisions, such investigations can lead to refusal of the honour. Neither McIlroy nor the UK government has commented on this matter so far.