LONDON, June 17, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - King Charles III announced his first

birthday honours list on Friday, awarding a knighthood to British writer
Martin Amis, who died from cancer last month.

The honours -- announced at New Year and to mark the sovereign's official
birthday in June -- award the famous and ordinary members of the public for
excellence.

Amis, the author of "Money", "London Fields" and "Time's Arrow", who once
dismissed the British royal family as "philistines", accepted the honour
before his death aged 73 at his home in Florida.

Recipients are told confidentially in advance until the list is published.

Sources told AFP the knighthood -- which would have made Amis "Sir Martin" --
is to be dated May 18, the day before his death.

British-Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri and director Stephen Frears --
whose film "The Queen" recounted the royals' turmoil following the death of
Princess Diana -- also became "sirs".

Amis' friend and fellow novelist Ian McEwan and US-based Vogue editor-in-
chief Anna Wintour were made companions of honour, joining a select group --
never numbering more than 65 -- recognised for major contributions in their
field.

Amis's novelist father Kingsley was also knighted and was sometimes scathing
about the royals. However, he described Charles in 2011 as "charming... and
very knowledgeable", although "he has an extraordinary laugh, like a pig's
snore".

- Volunteers honoured -

Many of the more than 1,100 people recognised are volunteers, in line with
Charles's decision to put charitable works at the centre of his coronation
celebrations.

Hundreds of volunteers were invited to his crowning at Westminster Abbey on
May 6 and two days later a national day of volunteering was held on a special
public holiday.

The king's first list puts a "renewed focus" on those making a "profoundly
positive impact" on society, said the government's Cabinet Office department
which oversees the awards.

Among the recipients is Alice Good, 55, from Northumberland in northeast
England, who set up Sunflower Sisters to help Ukrainian families fleeing the
Russian invasion after seeing an online plea from a woman with a young
daughter.

"It was just that image and thinking, 'Oh my god that could be me... there
must be something I can do'," she told AFP.

- #BoysCanDance -

The group offers a hand of friendship to the women, helping them to navigate
sponsors, visas and finding independent accommodation as well as sending aid
to the war-torn country.

Good said that after coming up with the idea she was joined by many others
who now help her to run the constantly evolving project.

"We've got so many women still trying to come out of Ukraine," she said,
adding that they were now grappling with a lack of sponsors.

The youngest person to be honoured is performing arts student Junior Frood,
18, from Merseyside in northwest England.

Frood started the Twitter hashtag #BoysCanDance and became an anti-bullying
advocate after he was targeted at primary school for his love of dance.

Dancing since the age of three, he said he "just always had a groove".

But after being subjected to taunts and even physical abuse he resolved to
prove the bullies wrong and has gone on to raise hundreds of thousands of
pounds for charity and supported other boy dancers facing the same struggles
he encountered.

"I just felt really isolated in myself, I felt I couldn't turn to anybody but
I didn't want to let anyone stop me because it was my dream," he said.

The honours list is followed on Saturday with Trooping the Colour, the annual
military parade for the British monarch's official birthday.

Charles, 74, is expected to inspect troops and take a royal salute on
horseback -- the first time any sitting monarch has ridden at the even since
his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1986.

Also honoured in the list are many of those who helped to organise her
funeral after her death last September.