Britain's most notorious paedophile received a Papal Knighthood and was knighted in the UK at the urging of Margaret Thatcher
Jimmy Savile is one of the most notorious paedophiles in British history and the new BBC drama, 'The Reckoning', is taking a closer look at his life.
The former Prime Minister reportedly repeatedly lobbied for Jimmy Savile to get a knighthood in the 1980s, before he was finally granted one in 1990. Margaret Thatcher herself appeared on his TV show, 'Jim'll Fix It' in 1979, the year of the general election which brought her to power. After the death of Jimmy Savile, it emerged that Margaret Thatcher had repeatedly asked for him to be given a knighthood, from as early as 1983, but this first attempt was vetoed by Sir Robert Armstrong, the top civil servant. This was due to his boasting in the media about having sex with women he met while running marathons.
Sir Robert was eventually succeeded by Sir Robin Butler, who again refused the honour in 1987 saying Savile would "not benefit the honours system". Eventually, Jimmy Savile was knighted in 1990.
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