Torvill and Dean Among 68 People Honoured by King Charles at Windsor Castle

King Charles presented knighthood and damehood honours to ice skaters Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. The pair were among 68 individuals recognised at the ceremony, which also honoured actor Idris Elba and writer Meera Syal.

Torvill, 68, told the King that she and Dean had retired after their final tour concluded in July 2025 in Nottingham, the city where both grew up.

Dean, 67, said he told the King, "We’ve retired, and I recommend it," prompting a laugh from the monarch. Torvill added that the King said he was "so pleased" to acknowledge their accomplishments. The skaters won Olympic gold at the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo with their Bolero routine.

Their farewell tour required about 18 months of preparation, Dean said. " Dean said many people ask whether they will miss performing, but he and Torvill feel they have achieved what they set out to do. ', but we feel like we've achieved what we've achieved, and we don't need to do any more.

The body doesn't want to do any more," he said. The honours announcement carried complications. Torvill learned of her damehood about three days before Dean received word of his knighthood. When she telephoned him with the news, he had not yet been informed.

"It was a bit of an awkward situation for both of us," Torvill said. " His letter had been sent to an incorrect postcode and arrived about two weeks late. Other recipients at Tuesday's ceremony included Betty Brown, 93, believed to be the oldest surviving victim of the Post Office Horizon scandal, and Paul Elliott of the Chuckle Brothers.

King's eye surgeon Professor Philip Bloom and plastic surgeon Simon Eccles were each appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.