Right. A PhD is proof that you spent years of your life theoretically advancing the boundary of knowledge in your given field. A knighthood is that an old lady thinks you're neat.

Knighthoods are actually usually from the government, often for being a world leading researcher or sportsman etc.

The fact that the queen or similar taps you on the shoulders is an implementation detail

If you want to be petty all you have to do to get a PhD is pass a viva - Two slightly bizarre french "physicists" come to mind

> Knighthoods are actually usually from the government, often for being a world leading researcher or sportsman etc.

This gets lost in translation. I (in the US) tend to see it more like GP does as well.

You could also get your Phd by doing useless stuff for 3 to 5 years and kissing enough ass.

That's a big 'theoretically', and given the government subsidies involved, the value involved quite strongly depends on the field in question, and is often questionable.

That was because he invented the web, not because he's a knight. There are thousands of knights in the UK.