Queen knights former Sen. Lugar
You won’t be able to call him Sir Richard, but he’ll still be a knight.
Former Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) has been given the rank of a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, or KBE, by the Queen Elizabeth II, his office announced Monday.
Lugar won’t carry the title “Sir” — that’s exclusive to subjects of the queen. Lugar joins former Sens. George Mitchell, Ted Kennedy and John Warner as senators-turned knights. Kennedy and Mitchell received the honor for their work ending the conflict in Northern Ireland, and Warner for his work strengthening ties between the American and British militaries.
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Lugar, who twice chaired the Senate Foreign Relations committee, was known for his support of NATO and work to eliminate weapons of mass destruction while in the Senate. He also studied in England as a Rhodes Scholar.
The British Ambassador to the United States will formally knight Lugar on April 16.
Other knighted Americans include Bob Hope, Bill Gates and former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.