Set designer Es Devlin made CBE at Buckingham Palace

She was responsible for closing ceremony at the London 2012 Olympics and the UK pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

Esmeralda Devlin with her CBE, awarded by the Princess Royal during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. PA
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Award-winning designer Es Devlin, the creative brain behind Britain’s UAE Expo set, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at a ceremony in England.

Ms Devlin’s work has been seen around the world, from New York City to Cape Town.

She was responsible for the Olympics closing ceremony at London 2012 and the opening ceremony at Rio 2016.

On Tuesday, she was made a CBE by Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace in the first investiture ceremony since King Charles III’s ascension.

The UK's Expo set served as a poem-writing pavilion, creating algorithmically-generated words that appeared throughout the event.

It was inspired by the late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, whose final projects included the pursuit of a “breakthrough message” from the world that could be sent to space.

Ms Devlin was awarded her CBE for services to design. Her work has also been displayed in London’s Trafalgar Square and in the Victoria & Albert Museum, as well as in the Louvre in Paris.

She has also received three Olivier awards over the course of her career.

Simon Baron-Cohen, a clinical psychologist and professor of autism research at the University of Cambridge, was knighted.

He created the first UK clinic for adults with suspected Asperger’s syndrome in 1999, worked with several autism charities and appeared in several television documentaries to speak about autism research.

Paralympic swimmers Maisie Summers-Newton and Jordan Catchpole were made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs) for their services to swimming. Olympic sailing champion Stuart Bithell was also awarded an MBE.

Also receiving an OBE — the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire — was Emmy-award winning television journalist Charles Sabine, for his work raising awareness of Huntington's disease.

In all, 73 received honours on Tuesday.

Updated: October 12, 2022, 2:31 PM