Despite historic 2025 achievements, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List due to an HMRC tax investigation.
Nordic Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald from England, was considered a favorite for knighthood by King Charles III. However, all three golfers missed out this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam with a Masters win, becoming the first European to do so. He also shone at the 2025 Ryder Cup, helping Team Europe secure their first away win since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
Despite these achievements, “McIlroy” was not listed 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 British tax authority, before being submitted to the Prime Minister and the monarch. According to a report from the Telegraph, HMRC intervened in the decision, similarly to when footballer David Beckham had to wait several years due to tax issues before receiving his knighthood.
Did Rory McIlroy Deliberately Avoid Taxes?
Recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, McIlroy was involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013, which were considered legal tax relief initiatives by authorities. However, HMRC later deemed these projects as tax avoidance and is currently investigating whether they exploited the “Business Premises Renovation Allowance” scheme to deliberately evade taxes. To date, there is no evidence that McIlroy intentionally sought to avoid tax payments.
Because HMRC plays a role in knighthood decisions, such suspicions or investigations can lead to denial of the honor. Neither McIlroy nor the UK government has commented on this matter so far.