Despite historic achievements in 2025, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List. An HMRC tax investigation reportedly blocks his knighthood.
North Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was regarded alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, both from England, as favorites for a knighthood from King Charles III. However, none of the three golfers received this honor 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 win since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
Nonetheless, McIlroy’s name was not among the 1,157 honorees on the New Year’s Honours List, which is initially 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 British Telegraph, the HMRC intervened, similar to the case with footballer David Beckham, who also waited several years for his knighthood.
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 relief schemes at the time. Later, HMRC deemed these projects to be tax avoidance and is currently investigating whether McIlroy exploited the ‘Business Premises Renovation Allowance’ scheme to deliberately avoid tax payments. There is currently no evidence suggesting McIlroy intended to evade taxes.
Since HMRC plays a role in decisions regarding knighthoods, such suspicions or ongoing investigations can lead to refusal of the honor. Neither Rory McIlroy nor the British government has commented on this matter so far.