THE great and the good of Scottish life have been recognised for their achievements in the Queen's Birthday Honours with Stagecoach founder and philanthropist Brian Souter topping the list with a knighthood for his services to transport and charity.

Chief Medical Officer Harry Burns, Scotland’s top doctor, has also received a knighthood, with Elish Angiolini, QC – until recently Lord Advocate – awarded a damehood (DBE) in the annual accolades for services to the administration of justice.

The three high-profile figures join a host of Scots who have been recognised for their contribution to society, whether it be through excellence in their profession or by their previously unsung grass roots work in the community.

A swimming coach for the disabled from Greenock, the head keeper at Balmoral estate and a sheep specialist working on St Kilda are included in the recipients.

The multi-millionaire, who who started his working life as a bus conductor, said he was “delighted” to be knighted.

The 57-year-old transport mogul started on the road to success after founding the Stagecoach company with his sister Ann Gloag in the early 1980s.

They started out with two second-hand buses, financed by their father’s redundancy pay-off, with the firm now employing 30,000 people and has an annual turnover of around £2 billion.

According to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, the siblings are together worth £650 million and Mr Souter has long donated part of his wealth to the Souter Charitable Trust, which is run by his wife Betty and includes education and anti-malaria programmes for children in Africa.

He said: “Having started my career in public transport as a young bus conductor, I am delighted to receive this prestigious honour.

“However, the achievements and innovations would not have been possible without the dynamic Stagecoach team who support me, and I accept this award on their behalf.”

Mr Souter has been no stranger to controversy during his career. In the early years of devolution, he led an unsuccessful campaign against plans to scrap Section 28, legislation which banned councils from allowing “the promotion” of homosexuality in schools. He has also twice donated £500,000 to SNP election campaigns.

Mr Souter added: “It was particularly gratifying for me to see the work of the Souter Charitable Trust being acknowledged, which is a fitting tribute to my wife Betty and her team who never seek publicity but do amazing work.”

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Harry Burns said it was an “overwhelming” honour to learn he was to receive a knighthood from the Queen.

Mr Burns, a former surgeon who joined the Scottish Government as its top medical authority in 2005, said: “I was over-whelmed when I received the news and my family are absolutely delighted.

“It is a huge honour to be Chief Medical Officer for Scotland. I never thought I would receive any other kind of honour.

“Any recognition you achieve is a result of partnership working. It is a real privilege to work with great colleagues in the civil service and health service in Scotland and this award is a tribute to them.”

Also honoured was Elish Angiolini, who stepped down from her role as Lord Advocate in May after five years in the post.

Her time in office was defined by her commitment to improving conviction rates for rape and domestic abuse, plus the successful prosecution of Marek Harcar, the man who raped and murdered Glasgow businesswoman Moira Jones. After stepping down from the Crown Office, she announced she was to serve as the patron of The Moira Fund, which supports families of the victims of murder and other serious crimes.

She served both Labour and SNP governments and is now taking a break from her profession. She is a mother of two children.

Last night she said: “This is an enormous honour and one which I could never have received without the love and support of my family, my friends and the wonderful people I have worked with over the past 28 years.”