
Prince Charles presents honorary knighthood to Kevin Spacey
House of Cards star Kevin Spacey received an honorary knighthood from Prince Charles on Thursday (Jun. 16) for his services to theatre, arts education and international culture. The actor accepted the medallion during a private ceremony at Clarence House.
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Kevin, who is also an ambassador for the Prince of Wales' charity The Prince's Trust, looked delighted as he showed off his medal to photographers. Unlike formal knights like Paul McCartney and Elton John, Kevin does not carry the title "Sir" because he was born outside of the Commonwealth. Still, the honour carries a heavy weight of significance as it is only awarded to people who have made an incredible impact in their given fields. Other honorary knights include U2's Bono and Bob Geldof while Angelina Jolie has been made an honorary dame.
Congratulations to @KevinSpacey, who received an Honorary KBE from The Prince of Wales today! pic.twitter.com/FwILl1wBWY
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) June 16, 2016
Thursday's honour comes six years after the two-time Oscar winner was made an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2010. In addition to his storied career in Hollywood, Kevin has become a force within British theatre thanks to his work and dedication to London's Old Vic Theatre.
After starring in a production of The Iceman Cometh in 1998, the actor became the theatre company's first Artistic Director in 2003. He is credited for revitalizing the historic company's programming and was later celebrated with much fanfare when he announced he was stepping down from his post in 2015.
Kevin currently stars as Francis Underwood in the hit political drama House of Cards. He won his first Golden Globe in 2015 for his harrowing performance.