The awards are presented by or in the name of the reigning monarch, currently King Charles III, or his vice-regal representative.
Other Commonwealth realms celebrate the official birthday on different dates (generally late May or early June), and release their honours lists accordingly.
Demise honours are awarded after the death of a member of a royal consort or member of the royal family, examples include the honours awarded after the deaths of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in 2002, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 2021, and Queen Elizabeth II in 2023.
Typically, the list will include retiring MPs, some of whom are customarily made life peers.
In such a list, a Prime Minister may ask the monarch to bestow peerages, or other lesser honours, on any number of people of his or her choosing.
At times, the appointments created controversy: for example the 1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours, also known as "the Lavender List", about which BBC Four produced a docudrama.
[6] Tony Blair did not issue a list, apparently because of the "Cash for Honours" scandal.