Tony Blair: the big knighthood backlash and why he’s still a polarising figure
- Petition to rescind knighthood for former UK prime minister tops 1 million signatures
- Tony Blair’s legacy still stained by his support for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq
The queen on New Year’s Day made Blair, 68, a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, an honour bestowed upon all but one of Blair’s predecessors during her reign.
It was perhaps grudgingly given. According to the Sun tabloid newspaper, the queen has disliked Blair since the 1997 death of Princess Diana, which happened three months after he led the Labour Party to a historic election victory after almost two decades of Conservative rule.
The then young prime minister’s approval ratings shot to 93 per cent after he tapped into the national mood by calling Diana the “People’s Princess”. This was as the monarchy was hit by public blowback from its initial silence after her death.
But five years later, Blair alienated many by joining the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq after Afghanistan, conflicts that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of British troops and hundreds of thousands of civilians.
