King Charles did the honors of knighting actor and comedian Stephen Fry.

On March 25, the King held an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, where Fry was recognized for “his services to mental health awareness, the environment, and charity,” the royal family’s official account shared on X.

The British comedy icon, who grew up in Norfolk, is active with Comic Relief and a supporter of nature and wildlife conservation programs. Having publicly spoken about his diagnosis with cyclothymia, a form of bipolar disorder, he is also involved with the mental health charity Stand to Reason and Mind.

Sir Stephen Fry after being made a Knight Bachelor at an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on March 25, 2025.

Andrew Matthews – WPA Pool/Getty 

Following the ceremony, Fry told reporters that he was “very chuffed” to receive the honor, as seen in a video shared by The London Standard.

“Chuffed to the heavens. Chuffed to the high walls of the castle,” he added with a laugh.

Fry, 67, was joined for the ceremony by family members, including his mother, Marianne, who was “beaming like a lighthouse,” he said.

“She’s very, very happy and proud, especially given the grief that I gave her and my father and the rest of the family as a child and a teenager,” he joked. “It’s something that at last I’ve managed some kind of public event that isn’t embarrassing for them.”

In the British honors system, a Knight Bachelor ranks below knights of chivalric orders, however, they are still formally addressed as “Sir.” The title is never presented to women, who instead are made Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

As for whether or not the honor of becoming a “Sir” would help in his activism and philanthropic efforts, Fry wasn’t certain.

“Some people are glamorized by these things, and if it gives me an extra ability to pound a table and suggest some changes in law, things like that, then that’s a marvelous advantage, no question,” he admitted.

“In that case, maybe they should make me a duke,” he added with a grin. “That would be even more impressive.”

In addition to Fry, the King also bestowed MBE honors to British athletes Poppy Maskill, Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Truesdale.

Maskill is a Paralympic swimmer who won three gold and two silver medals at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, making her Great Britain’s most successful athlete at the Games.

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Asher-Smith, a track star, became the first British woman to win a world title in a sprint event in  2019. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she and Team Great Britain won the silver medal in the 4×100 relay.

Truesdale is a British para taekwondo practitioner who won gold in the 65kg category at both the 2024 European Taekwondo Championship and the 2024 Summer Paralympics.