Members of the public who are awarded an honour in either the New Year's Honours List or The Queen's Birthday Honours List are presented with their award at a ceremony called an Investiture.  Each year, more than 2,500 people receive their award in person from The Queen or a member of the Royal Family. 

Dates on Investitures and notable receipients will be posted on this page as soon as they are confirmed.

Media arrangements
Reporters, photographers and television crews who wish to interview/photograph/film recipients after the presentation of awards, may join a press position in the Quadrangle at Buckingham Palace.

Contact the Buckingham Palace Press Office for further information. Or read more about Media arrangements at Investitures.

Further information
Approximately 20 Investitures are held annually in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace, one or two at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and another at Cardiff Castle.  Each Investiture ceremony lasts about an hour and is usually conducted by The Queen, although The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal also hold some Investitures on behalf of Her Majesty.

At the start of the ceremony The Queen enters the room attended by two Gurkha Orderly Officers.  After the National Anthem has been played by a military band or an orchestra from the Purcell School of Music, either the Lord Chamberlain or the Lord Steward announces the name of each recipient and the achievement for which he or she is being honoured. The Queen then places the decoration on the person concerned before congratulating them on receiving the award.  There are approximately 120 recipients at each Investiture.

The Queen held her first Investiture on 27 February 1952 and has since conferred over 387,700 awards and honours.   

Useful links
Read more about what happens during an Investiture ceremony
and watch a video clip

Read more about the British honours system

Nominate someone for an honour