Queen Makes Getty an Honorary Knight for His Philanthropy
Queen Elizabeth II today awarded an honorary knighthood to American oil tycoon John Paul Getty II, one of Britain’s most generous philanthropists and a resident of Britain for the past 15 years.
Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe recommended the award for Getty’s “extensive benefactions to British art, sporting, humanitarian, environmental and other charitable causes.”
Getty, one of the world’s richest men, said in December that he would love to become a British citizen but has not applied because he would have to pay more taxes and would have less money to give away.
Last month, a charitable trust set up by Getty with an initial capital of $30 million gave $750,000 to save the view of Ely Cathedral, regarded as one of England’s finest.
Getty is the third of five sons of the late J. Paul Getty, who built an oil fortune valued at $6 billion at the time of his death in 1976.
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