Sunil Bharti Mittal Awarded Honorary Knighthood By Britain's King Charles

King Charles III of Britain has bestowed an Honorary Knighthood on billionaire industrialist Sunil Bharti Mittal in recognition of his efforts to strengthen business ties between India and the United Kingdom.

The Honorary Knighthood, the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE), is among the highest honours conferred by the monarch on civilians. It is awarded in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals.

"I am deeply humbled by this gracious recognition from His Majesty, King Charles. U.K. and India have historical relations, which are now entering a new era of increased cooperation and collaboration," Mittal said in a statement.

"I remain committed to working towards strengthening the economic and bilateral trade relationships between our two great nations," the Bharti Enterprises Ltd. founder and chairman said.

Mittal is a member of the India-U.K. CEO Forum and the Vice Chancellor’s Circle of Advisors at the University of Cambridge.

Previous recipients of the Honorary KBE include Ratan Tata (2009), Ravi Shankar (2001) and Jamshed Irani (1997).