Sir Kevin Sinfield said his late friend Rob Burrow would have been “laughing” but “enormously proud” to see him receive a knighthood. The England rugby union coach and motor neurone disease (MND) campaigner was one of 60 people to receive honours from the Prince of Wales at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
Honour for services to MND community
Former England rugby league captain Sinfield, who has so far raised more than £12 million for charity, received a knighthood for his services to the MND community, as well as for services to rugby league and union. The honour was first announced in the summer after a public campaign to get him bestowed with the highest honour and calls for Royal protocol to be ditched.
The UK honours system restricts individuals from receiving an upgraded honour within three years of their last one. Sinfield was awarded a CBE in 2023, meaning he had to wait until eligibility rules permitted an upgrade despite his remarkable achievements in recent years that have captured the hearts of the nation.
'Massively humbled' by experience
The 46-year-old said he was “massively humbled by the whole experience” and “very proud to accept it on behalf of the MND community and their families”. Sinfield said Prince William, who presented him and Burrow with their CBEs at Headingley Stadium in 2024, had been “fantastically supportive” of their campaign.
He told the Press Association: “I think he champions pulling communities together and I have seen how the MND community have come together on the back of Rob’s diagnosis and several other high-profile sportspeople over the last six or seven years. So his support and obviously Princess Catherine’s as well, they’ve been wonderful and bring a real credibility to what we’re trying to do.”
Sinfield was surprised by the Prince and Princess of Wales last week as he completed the last of his 7 in 7 running challenges, completing an ultra-marathon every day for seven days. The challenges were inspired by his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Burrow, who died in 2024 after living with MND for four-and-a-half years.
What Rob Burrow would have said
Asked how Burrow would have felt to see him receiving a knighthood, Sinfield said: “I think he’d be laughing. I think he’d be enormously proud of the support behind a campaign that he started and we continue in his name. I think he’d be really proud of it, the support and the way people got behind what we tried to do, especially Prince William and Princess Catherine, and several other high-profile figures across the UK and the world. On behalf of all the MND families, Rob would just be delighted at how we’ve pulled together.”
Sinfield said he would now like to plan a run in Australia and New Zealand next year and “ensure that collaboration is taking place between nations that are working incredibly hard to try and find a cure and to look after families better”. He said the reaction from the MND community to his knighthood had been “wonderful”.
He added: “I felt very fortunate to have connected with a lot of families who are going through some real challenging times, yet still continue to be at the roadside or stopping me in the street for a chat to share their story. So I feel incredibly fortunate to be here today accepting this on their behalf.”
He said he had not got used to the title “Sir Kevin” yet, adding: “I don’t think I ever will. It’s really nice, but every time I hear that, I go straight back why we started, and it was a run for a mate, with some mates, and that’ll never change, what we’ve been doing this last six or seven years.”
