King Charles has bestowed a knighthood on Idris Elba in the New
Year’s Honours List and the reason is something that underlines the
strong connection between the two.

Sir Idris Elba has been recognised for his work with young
people which has seen him involved in many projects supporting
ambition and talent development.

As well as his own Elba Hope Foundation, Sir Idris is also an
ambassador for The King’s Trust. His Foundation works closely with
the Trust.

The new knight has also credited The King’s Trust for starting
his stellar career. He turned to it as a teenager when he was
hoping to start out in acting. He was given a grant for it which
helped him to pursue his ambition. He’s since gone on to become one
of Britain’s most successful actors, starring in some of the
biggest TV series and films of the past decades. He’s been
nominated for Golden Globes and Baftas.

In recent years, he has worked closely with King Charles to keep
supporting young people in their ambitions. Earlier this year, Sir
Idris was at St. James’ Palace in London with The King for Youth
Summit focused on providing opportunities through both The King’s
Trust and the Don’t Stop Your Future Campaign.

The summit, which also took place in 2024, also focused on
tackling problems including youth violence.

In 2024, his Elba Hope Foundation partnered with The King’s
Trust on a new project to create opportunities for young people.
Creative Futures provided free courses for youngsters to build the
skills and confidence they needed for working in the creative
industries.

In 2026, The King and the knight will be seen together in a
Netflix programme documenting the impact of The King’s Trust as it
celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Sir Idris leads an Honours list which also sees a Damehood for
actor and comedian Meera Syal who is recognised for her services to
drama, literature and charity.

Also knighted is Christopher Dean, the celebrated ice skater
while his professional partner, Jayne Torvill, is made a Dame.
There’s also a knighthood for Roy Clarke, creator of some of the
most popular sitcoms and TV series of the past half century.

Cynthia Erivo, star of Wicked, becomes an MBE for services to
music and drama. Richard Osman gets an OBE for services to
literature and broadcasting while comedian and musician, Bill
Bailey, is made an MBE for services to entertainment.