How Steve Jobs missed knighthood in 2009

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has received a number of accolades over the years, but now The Telegraph is reporting that he missed out on an honor that Bill Gates received way back in 2005 -- an honorary knighthood.

Jobs was apparently nominated for an honorary knighthood in 2009 by a senior Labour Party Minister of Parliament, who felt that "Apple has been the only major global company to create stunning consumer products because it has always taken design as the key component of everything it has produced. No other CEO has consistently shown such a commitment."

The honor was, however, allegedly blocked by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who had invited Jobs to attend the Labour Party's annual conference. Jobs declined to attend, either because he just didn't have the time to spare or because he didn't wish to be associated with a UK political party. As a result of Jobs snubbing the invitation and destroying a PR coup for the Prime Minister, the honorary knighthood was blocked by Brown.

A spokesperson for Brown, who is no longer the Prime Minister, denied the snub but refused to discuss the incident further with The Telegraph. We can only hope that David Cameron, the current Conservative PM, is presented with a nomination for a similar honor for Jobs, and that this time Steve Jobs kneels before the Queen of England.

[via MacStories, Gizmodo Australia]