Congratulations are in order for Harry Potter actor Warwick Davis, who received an OBE from Prince William at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
The actor, best known for his roles as Professor Flitwick and Griphook in the Harry Potter franchise, was honoured by William for his services to drama and charity. As he shook the prince’s hand, Warwick’s two children, Annabelle, 28, and Harrison, 21, watched on proudly, alongside two women who had come to support him.
© Alamy Stock PhotoWarwick was born with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism. Over the years, he has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the condition, even co-founding the charity Little People UK, which offers “friendship and support” to people with dwarfism and their families.
Warwick founded the charity alongside his late wife Samantha, who sadly passed away in March 2024 at the age of 53.
What did Warwick say about his OBE?
After being named in King Charles’s New Year Honours list, Warwick told Times Radio: “It’s a very dignified honour. It’s not like a BAFTA – it’s not big and shiny and show-bizzy.”
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesHe continued: “It’s a quiet recognition of something that I’ve done in the past, my contribution to drama or entertainment and the charity work I’ve done. I didn’t do any of what I do to get an award. I just do it because I enjoy doing it.”
During the OBE ceremony on Wednesday, William bent down so the pair were at eye level. Warwick said after the event: “It was lovely the way he came down to my level instead of standing and looking down at me.”
After the ceremony, Mr Davis also said he still loved acting and so had decided to sign up for another 10 years of work playing Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films.
© Alamy Stock PhotoHe added: “I had to book today off filming. I couldn’t say ‘sorry Your Royal Highness, I can’t be there today because I’m at Hogwarts’. It’s strange being the only cast member from the films going back. I’m witnessing scenes that I have already witnessed once from a different perspective, and seeing them done slightly differently.
“There is so much more detail now because we’ve got longer form, so you will see things that you might not have noticed in the films and you’ll learn more details about the characters. For me, Professor Flitwick can become a much more well rounded character and somebody you get to know more.
“I was going to retire before Harry Potter and take it easy. Now I’m signed up for 10 years of work. I realised that I still love acting.”
Warwick’s emotional BAFTA win
The OBE comes after Warwick received the BAFTA Fellowship for his acting and philanthropic work in February 2025. Delivering an emotional speech, the actor paid tribute to Samantha as well as his children, Annabelle and Harrison. He also took the moment to thank another person in his life, who he fondly nicknamed ‘Sponge’.
“Special mention, too, should go to Sponge, you know who you are,” he said. “Thank you for showing me that life can still have meaning, and for helping me to laugh and to love again.”
© GettyRevealing more details about the mystery person on The Jonathan Ross Show in February 2025, Warwick said: “I can reveal, sticking with the Harry Potter theme, Sponge is indeed She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.”
While he kept Sponge’s identity firmly under wraps, he did say she reminded him of the This Country character Kerry, played by Daisy May Cooper. “Some of the things she says and her accent,” he added.
Warwick Davis in the new Harry Potter series
Warwick is synonymous with the Harry Potter franchise, having worked alongside the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith and the late Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon and Robbie Coltrane – something he has previously called an “honour”.
© FilmMagicWhile the original film series concluded in 2011, a new HBO television adaptation of the books is currently in development and expected to premiere in 2027.
“We’re retelling those wonderful stories but with more depth and detail than has been seen before. They’re very faithful adaptations of the book,” Warwick told Radio Times.
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