T he long awaited knighting of Bill Gates will be taking place this week. Reuters reported (link courtesy of Engadget) that Mr. Gates will be getting his knighthood, an honorary title as Mr. Gates is not a British subject, in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London on Wednesday.
Mr. Gates will be dubbed a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
According to Reuters, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said of Mr. Gates last year that, "[he] is one of the most important business leaders of his age," he said. "Microsoft technology has transformed business practices and his company has had a profound impact on the British economy."
Mr. Straw may be referencing the billions of pounds of lost productivity suffered by Windows users through crashes, viruses, spyware, adware, and other problems, which has indeed had an impact on the British economy. Alternately, he may be referencing the army of independent consultants and Windows techs who regularly repair these issues, all of whom pay taxes.
There is more information on Mr. Gatesi knighting in the full Reuters article.