Daniel Craig Receives Same Royal Honor As His James Bond Character
Daniel Craig may be finished playing James Bond, but the character’s legacy remains intertwined with that of the actor. Princess Anne has awarded Craig, 54, the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, a British order of chivalry. It’s the same honor Craig’s 007 character received 2012’s Skyfall.
The Royal Family’s official Twitter posted a photo of the moment the royal bestowed the honor to Craig on Tuesday (October 18). “We’ve been expecting you…” the tweet reads. “The Princess Royal presents Daniel Craig with The Order of St Michael and St George — the same honor held by his character James Bond — in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film and theater.”
We’ve been expecting you…
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 18, 2022
🎖️The Princess Royal presents Daniel Craig with The Order of St Michael and St George - the same honour held by his character James Bond - in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film and theatre. pic.twitter.com/X20TP6BogL
Per Entertainment Weekly, the Order of St Michael and St George is mentioned in Bond’s obituary as seen in the 2012 Bond film. The Ian Fleming novels, which the movie franchise is based on, mention Bond received the distinction in From Russia, with Love and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Another bond Craig has with Bond is that the actor was previously named an honorary commander in the U.K. Royal Navy last September, while his character was a member of the Royal Navy.
Craig played James Bond over the course of five films including Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021).
Craig has since reprised his role as super sleuth Detective Benoit Blanc for the Knives Out sequel coming out this year titled Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. As we earlier reported, filmmaker Rian Johnson and Craig appeared at a press conference during the London Film Festival over the weekend, where the duo revealed that the actor’s detective is in a same-sex relationship.
According to Insider, a scene in the sequel indicates that Blanc is living with a man. When asked whether this means the character is queer, Johnson replied, “Yes, he obviously is. And there’s nobody in the world I can imagine in bringing me more joy for Benoit Blanc to be with.” Craig added, “No spoilers, [but] who wouldn’t want to live with that person?”
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is streaming on Netflix on December 23, with a limited theatre run across the US on November 23. Alongside Craig reprising his role as Blanc, Glass Onion also stars Kate Hudson, Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick and Madelyn. Meanwhile, Hugh Grant, Yo-Yo Ma and the late Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim are credited as playing themselves.