How do I become a knight?

When I worked at the NHS, I worked in the CEO's office who was knighted. He was a lovely guy and I loved working there, but it made me think about how he got there.

The British honour system is very interesting and has changed over the years. There are a lot of different honours and titles to recognise people for their contributions. For this post I will stick to knighthood (women would become dames).

The Direct.gov states someone who is recommended for knighthood must have:

• a pre-eminent and sustained contribution
• being recognised by peer groups as inspirational
• the impact of the contribution being felt at a national level

The honour are announced twice a year, once at New Year and on the Queen's birthday.

Submissions are either sent to Buckingham Palace or 10 Downing St (Prime Minister's house). You can read here on how the process works.