ADVERTISEMENT
Britain has made the Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie an honorary dame for services to UK foreign policy and her campaigning to end sexual violence in war zones.
Jolie, who is special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), was among 1,149 people to receive an award for their contribution to British society in the annual Queen’s Birthday Honours list published on Saturday.
The list includes a posthumous MBE for teenage cancer sufferer and fundraiser Stephen Sutton and a knighthood for actor Daniel Day-Lewis.
Jolie, 39, co-founded the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative with Foreign Secretary William Hague in 2012 and was among the speakers at a major conference on the subject in London this week.
Since she is not a British citizen she cannot be addressed as Dame, but receives the award on an honorary basis.
“To receive an honour related to foreign policy means a great deal to me, as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to,” she said in a statement.
Cancer campaigner Sutton accepted the Member of the Order of the British Empire award before his death last month, the Cabinet Office, which announces the awards, said in a statement.
“It is clear that Stephen touched and inspired a huge number of people and that his ambassadorial work for the Teenage Cancer Trust was greatly appreciated by all those he helped,” it added.
Sutton’s fundraising campaign went viral on social media and raised 4.2 million pounds ($7 million) before his death in May at the age of 19.
Day-Lewis, 57, the first ever winner of three Best Actor Oscars and the star of “Lincoln” and “There Will Be Blood,” was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama.
Actress Dame Maggie Smith becomes a Companion of Honour while “Wolf Hall” author Hilary Mantel, golfer Laura Davies and fashion designer Zandra Rhodes become Dames.
For a full explanation of the honours system, click on The honours system
Source: Reuters