Despite historic successes in 2025, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List amid a tax review blocking his knighthood.
Nord Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a favorite for a knighthood by King Charles III alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, but all three went unhonoured this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam with a Masters win, becoming the first European to do so. At the 2025 Ryder Cup, the 36-year-old also shone with Team Europe, securing the first away victory since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
Yet McIlroy’s name did not appear among the 1,157 honours on the New Year’s List, which is reviewed first by the Cabinet Office and then by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before being submitted to the Prime Minister and Monarch. According to a report by the British Telegraph, the HMRC intervened, similar to the delay faced by footballer David Beckham before his knighthood.
Did Rory McIlroy Intentionally Avoid Taxes?
Recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, McIlroy was involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013, initially considered legitimate tax relief by authorities. However, HMRC later determined these were tax avoidance schemes and is currently investigating if the projects exploited the “Business Premises Renovation Allowance” to deliberately evade tax payments. There is currently no evidence that McIlroy intended to avoid taxes.
Since HMRC participates in knighthood decisions, such an investigation can lead to denial. Neither McIlroy nor the British government has commented on the matter.