Britain Announces New Year’s Honors List

LONDON —  Sir Ian McKellen -- Gandalf to “Lord of the Rings” fans -- rose further in status Saturday as he joined the elite circle of Britain’s Companions of Honor.

Kylie Minogue rivaled McKellen for attention as Britain announced Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honors list. The Australian pop diva was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE.

Companion of Honor is the top honor in the British system, limited to 65 living people. It was the latest addition to the list of honors collected by Mckellen, 68, who was knighted in 1991.

Ian Anderson, the flute player who fronted the rock band Jethro Tull, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Trevor Romeo, alias Jazzie B of Soul II Soul and self-styled inventor of the “Funki Dred” style, got an OBE.

Stan Tracey, 80, who has been called “the godfather of British jazz,” was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Richard Griffiths, whose film career extends from Uncle Monty in “Withnail & I” to Uncle Vernon in the “Harry Potter” series, got an OBE.

The list included a knighthood for veteran talk show host Michael Parkinson, 72. Best-selling children’s author Jacqueline Wilson, 62 -- creator of the Tracy Beaker series -- was made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight.

In descending order, the main honors are knighthoods, CBE, OBE and MBE. Knights are addressed as “sir” or “dame,” while recipients of other honors have no title but can put the letters after their names.

The honors are bestowed by the queen, but recipients are selected by committees of civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public.

The bulk of the honors reward achievements by people out of the limelight, especially civil servants and those with long service to their communities. This year’s recipients include a Scottish bus driver and a Salvation Army worker who sheltered children during this summer’s floods in England.