Honorary graduates
Each year at our graduation ceremonies, the University of Reading awards honorary degrees for outstanding contributions to public life, innovation, industry, sport and the arts. Only two or three degrees are awarded annually and very careful consideration is given to potential recipients. Around 250 awards have been made since the 1930s, some of whom are:
Viscountess Nancy Astor, writer, 1937
Rt. Hon Neville Chamberlain, politician, 1938
Earl Attlee, Politician, 1948
Henry Moore, Sculptor, 1959
Sir John Betjeman, 1959
The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 1960
Wystan Hugh Auden, writer, 1964
Sir Adrian Boult, Conductor, 1976
John Piper, artist, 1976
Rt Hon Lord Jenkins of Hillhead, politician, 1979
Robert Morley, actor, 1980
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, actor, 1986
Dorothy Tutin, actor, 1986
Lord Carrington, Politician, University of Reading Chancellor, 1989
Robert Hardy, actor, 1990
Desmond Morris, zoologist, 1998
Sir Steve Redgrave CBE, sportsman, 2001
Sir William Benyon, Englefield Estates, High Sheriff of Berkshire, 2001
Billie Whitelaw, actor, 2001
Dame Rosalyn Higgins, Judge of the International Court of Justice, 2003
William Alexander, Chief Executive of Thames Water, 2003
Tim Smit, Chief Executive of the Eden Project, 2003
Sir Dominic Cadbury - Chairman of the Wellcome Trust, 2003
Sir John Collins, Chairman of the Dixon Group, 2004
Professor Gerhard Materlik, Chief Executive of the Diamond Synchrotron Radiation Source at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire, 2004
Sir Peter Michael, Chairman of Classic FM, 2004
Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, 2004
Linda Bennett, founder of LK Bennett, 2005
Dr David Burridge CBE, Director of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, 2005
Philip Wroughton, Lord Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire, 2005
Heston Blumenthal, Chef, "Kitchen Chemist", 2006
Martin Green, Farmer and amateur field archaeologist, 2006
Professor James Knowlson, Emeritus Professor of French, creator of Beckett Archive and Beckett Intn’l Foundation, 2006
Dr Anthony Minghella, Film director and Patron of the Beckett International Foundation, 2006
