Indian-Origin Medic Parveen Kumar Receives Top Royal Honour in King's Birthday List

Indian-origin physician Dame Parveen Kumar , one of Britain's most distinguished medical educators and gastroenterologists, has been awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) , the highest rank within the Order of the British Empire, in King Charles III's 2026 Birthday Honours List for her services to global medical education and health.

The annual honours list, released ahead of the monarch's official birthday celebrations and the Trooping the Colour ceremony, recognises 1,182 people from across the United Kingdom for exceptional public service and contributions to society. Government figures show that nearly half of recipients at CBE level and above are women, while more than one-third come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Professor Emerita of Medicine and Education at Queen Mary University of London , Kumar is renowned worldwide as co-author of the bestselling medical textbook Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine . Born in Lahore in 1942 and educated in India before moving to the UK, she has spent more than four decades in the National Health Service (NHS) and has held leadership roles at the Royal Society of Medicine, British Medical Association and Royal Medical Benevolent Fund.

She was previously appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2017 and has now been elevated to the GBE, a distinction awarded to only a select group of individuals for outstanding national and international contributions.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised recipients for strengthening communities through dedication, compassion and resilience, describing them as examples of service that create lasting positive change.

Among nearly 35 Indian-origin honourees, Kunal Patel, Vishal Kumar Marria, Professor Monder Ram and Sukriti Prova Sen received CBEs. Several others were awarded OBEs, MBEs and British Empire Medals for achievements in healthcare, education, technology, entrepreneurship, public service and community development.

The wider honours list also saw Dame Helen Mirren elevated to the Companion of Honour, one of the UK's most exclusive distinctions, limited to just 65 living members at any given time.