King Charles faces noble rejection as actor declines knighthood tribute

Danny Dyer has made it clear if King Charles ever offered him a knighthood, he’d turn it down without hesitation.

The 47-year-old actor, best known for his gritty role as Mick Carter in EastEnders, told Radio Times that the royal honour "isn’t for me," pointing to his firm anti-establishment beliefs and the legacy of his personal hero, Harold Pinter.

"Harold was my hero and turned down a knighthood. He was anti-establishment as well, so I don’t think it’s for me," Dyer said when asked whether he’d ever been approached for inclusion on the New Year’s Honours list.

Dyer’s deep respect for the late Nobel Prize-winning playwright isn’t just from afar, the pair share a rich theatrical history. 

He first performed in Pinter’s Celebration at the age of 22 and later appeared in acclaimed productions of No Man’s Land and The Homecoming.

While Pinter famously declined a knighthood during John Major’s premiership in 1996, he did accept it six years later.

The former EastEnders star cheekily referred to himself as the "cheaper version" of the Slow Horses actor, who received a knighthood from King Charles in the recent Birthday Honours list. 

"He wanted £2 million just to read it," he quipped. 

"But I was next in line, which I’m chuffed with. If you go Gary Oldman and I’m next, it’s because I’m obviously cheaper. I’m happy to be a cheaper version of Gary Oldman."