Davis was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1977. Davis (accompanied by his wife Sheila) was presented with the award by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at Buckingham Palace. Davis retired in 1993, aged 79, having lost to future world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 5–1 in the Grand Prix qualifying during his last season. Davis lost 10–1 to Peter Daubney in the first round of qualifying for the 1992 World Snooker Championship. Four months later he lost 5–0 to Mark King in the sixth round of qualifying for the 1993 event; it was Davis' last World Championship match. His last competitive snooker match came in August 1992 when he lost 5–1 to Neil Tomkins in the 1992 European Open.