‘Not a lot of people know that‘ Sir Michael Caine CBE became a Freeman of the City of London on 8 March, the day before his 80th birthday, in recognition of his long film career.
Born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite in 1933 to a fishporter and housewife, he was brought up in Southwark and then the Elephant & Castle in one of the area’s pre-fab bungalows which, given his very modest upbringing, he considered to be the height of luxury. Asked about his investiture he said:
“I was born just across the river, and it was a long journey across, but at last I’ve made it.”
The ceremony was switched from its normal venue, the Guildhall, to the Museum of London because this coincided with the opening of a new exhibition, open until 14 July, which looks at his life and career. The exhibition, simply called ‘Michael Caine‘, reveals his journey from walk-on stage parts to celebrated Hollywood legend and features never-before-seen archival photographs, portraits by world-famous photographers and audio and film footage. Here’s some video from the museum, where Sir Michael is interviewed about his new honour:
The ancient ceremony which confers the Freedom of the City of London dates back to 1237 – it originally referred to someone who had been given the right to trade or carry out their craft in London’s Square Mile after an apprenticeship of seven years. It is now largely symbolic and anyone can be nominated to receive this particular privilege, even people from south of the river! I’m sure you’ll agree that, even taking the old rules into account, Sir Michael has definitely served his apprenticeship in acting and film.
Last year both Colin Firth and J K Rowling had the honour of becoming Freeman of the City of London, and I had this unique privilege on 5 March – here you can see me receiving the award in the presence of the Clerk of the Chamberlain’s Court at the Guildhall. You can read more about this fascinating aspect of the City of London’s traditions here on Miss B Takes A Walk.
