It only feels right that he become real royalty—which the Queen of England provided by making him a knight.
In 2005, at the age of 48, Gates was honored with an insignia to make him a Knight Commander of the order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth for his business skills and his work on poverty reduction. They talked about using computers, his foundation, and traveling, things Gates knows very well.
In order to receive knighthood as a foreign national, you must be conferred by the Queen with advice from the foreign secretary, who was Jack Straw at the time. He was "delighted" that Gates was honored, stating he is "one of the most important global business leaders of this age."
Unfortunately, the British title doesn't apply to American citizens in the United States, so he can't use the "Sir" title. However, he is entitled to put the KBE letters after his name.
Other notable Americans who have been granted the KBE honor include former president George H.W. Bush, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and director Steven Spielberg.
