Christopher Nolan and Christian Horner to be honoured at investiture ceremony
The Inception director will receive a knighthood from the King on the same day that his wife, film producer Emma Thomas, receives a damehood.
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Your support makes all the difference.Filmmaker Christopher Nolan and F1 team principal Christian Horner are among the notable names set to receive honours from the King at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
The Inception director will formally receive a knighthood on Wednesday from Charles on the same day that his wife, film producer Emma Thomas, receives a damehood.
Their partnership has produced major blockbusters including The Dark Knight trilogy and their most recent venture, the epic biopic Oppenheimer, which swept the 2024 award ceremonies.
Oppenheimer marked the first time the couple had won the best picture Oscar and best film Bafta, having previously been nominated for 2010’s sci-fi Inception and 2017’s war thriller Dunkirk.
The couple met while studying at University College London (UCL), with Nolan, 54, introducing Thomas, 53, to the university’s film society, where he was president and produced short films.
Since marrying in 1997, the couple have co-founded and run a production company, Syncopy, which has been behind many of their blockbusters.
When Nolan was presented with the British Film Institute (BFI) Fellowship for being “one of the world’s most innovative and influential film directors”, he credited his wife.
He said he never felt alone making films as Thomas “always saw things the same way I did in terms of the importance of the medium”.
Red Bull team principal Horner, 51, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours list for his services to motorsport.
Horner has led Red Bull’s F1 team since 2005, winning six constructors’ championships between 2010 and 2023, and is married to Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell-Horner.
Horner’s career began as a racing driver, becoming a race winner in the 1992 British Formula Renault Championship before switching to team management after retiring from competitive driving at the age of 25.
Broadcaster Alan Yentob, 77, will also formally be made a CBE for services to the arts and media.
The retired television executive, who was born in Stepney, London, in 1947, joined the BBC as a trainee in 1968.
He devised the flagship arts programme Imagine…, which he presented on, and was creative director of the broadcaster from 2004 until 2015.
Yentob stepped down from the role in the wake of the collapse of the charity Kids Company, where he was chairman.
Roxy Music lead guitarist Phil Manzanera, 73, is to be formally made an OBE by the Princess Royal for his services to music.
His most well-known band, featuring singer Bryan Ferry, is famed for hits such as Love Is The Drug and More Than This – topping the singles charts once with a cover of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy.
Former BBC News technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, 66, is also to be made an OBE by Anne for his services to journalism.
In 2019, Cellan-Jones announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and has since contributed to a podcast, Movers And Shakers, discussing life with the disease.
Actress Shobna Gulati, 58, will formally be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the cultural industries.
Born in Oldham, Lancashire, Gulati is most well-known for her roles as Sunita Alahan in ITV soap Coronation Street and as Anita in BBC comedy show Dinnerladies.
Scottish professional golfer Stephen Gallacher, 50, will also be made an MBE, costume designer John Bright, 84, will be made an OBE, and former Arup deputy chair Dervilla Mitchell, 66, will formally receive a damehood for services to engineering.