Actor Idris Elba, comedian Meera Syal, and skating duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have been confirmed as the recipients of this year’s New Year’s Honours list by King Charles III.
People who have “made achievements in public life” and “committed themselves to serving and helping Britain” are honored under the honors system. It honors devoted long-term volunteers, trailblazing inventors, enterprising business executives, people exhibiting “moral courage,” people changing their communities or careers, and people enhancing the lives of the weak.
A wide range of industries, including sports, healthcare, science and technology, education, business, and the arts and media, employ recipients of the awards. Additionally, members of the public, emergency service providers, and members of the armed forces are given gallantry awards in recognition of their valor.
The five tiers of the British honors system are as follows: MBE, OBE, and CBE. According to the Manchester Evening News, the higher echelons include KBE or DBE (Knight or Dame Commander) and GBE (Knight or Dame Grand Cross), the latter two denoting official knighthood or damehood.
While common heroes are honored, notable people from the entertainment, music, and sports industries are also highlighted. However, some well-known people have declined such honors for a variety of reasons; some have cited personal values, while others believe they are undeserving of the distinction.
Some people who have declined honors from the Royal family are listed below:
David Bowie
“I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that,” the renowned Ziggy Stardust performer said, being open about his rejection of a knighthood. I have no idea what it’s for. It’s not what I’ve worked for all my life.”
Bowie remained diplomatic when discussing Sir Mick Jagger’s acceptance, saying: “It’s not my place to make a judgment on Jagger – it’s his decision.” However, it’s simply not for me.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
In 2001, the popular comedy team declined OBEs “for services to comedy drama.” Later, Saunders gave Source magazine an explanation of their thinking, saying, “I would accept a damehood if I felt I deserved it. We thought we were getting paid a lot of money to have a great time at the time. Somehow, it didn’t seem right. We were not worthy of a pat on the back. Standing with people who dedicated their lives to genuinely worthy causes felt a little phony.
Nigella Lawson
When she declined her OBE in 2001, the legendary TV chef gave a similar justification: “I’m not saving lives and I’m not doing anything other than something I absolutely love.”
Stephen Hawking
In 2008, the well-known astrophysicist acknowledged that he had been offered a knighthood in the 1990s, which was a more distinguished honor than his CBE, but he had turned it down. Although his exact reasons are still unknown, it was later proposed that his choice might have been impacted by government funding reductions for scientific research.
John Lennon
In defiance of British foreign policy, Lennon initially accepted an MBE but decided to return it in 1969. “Your Majesty, I am returning this in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts,” he wrote in his letter. With affection, Bag’s John Lennon.
George Harrison
Shortly after his bandmate Paul McCartney was knighted in 2000, the former Beatles guitarist declined an OBE. Although the precise cause is still unknown, conjecture indicates that McCartney’s elevated honor may have played a role.
“Whoever it was who decided to offer him the OBE and not the knighthood was extraordinarily insensitive,” Harrison’s friend Roy Connolly told the Independent. “George would have felt insulted – and with very good reason.”
Benjamin Zephaniah
In 2003, the renowned poet publicly declined an OBE in protest of British government policies and the legacy of the British Empire. He died in December 2023 at the age of 65.
He described how the word “empire” in the award’s title “reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised” in a Guardian article. “Profoundly anti-empire” is how Zephaniah defined himself.
Michael Sheen
After researching the historical relationship between England and Wales, Michael Sheen, a stage and screen actor, decided to return his OBE in 2017.
“By the time I finished writing that lecture…I remember sitting there going: ‘Well, I have a choice – I either don’t give this lecture and hold on to my OBE or I give this lecture and I have to give my OBE back,'” he explained in an interview with Owen Jones of the Guardian in 2020.
John Cleese
In 1996, the Monty Python icon declined a CBE, describing it as “silly.” Paddy Ashdown, a leader of the Liberal Democrats, nominated himself for a peerage three years later, in 1999.
Cleese, however, was uninterested because he would have to spend the winter in the UK as a working peer. This was “too much of a price to pay” in his opinion.
Paul Weller
In 2006, the legendary musician politely declined a CBE. According to a statement from his agent, “Paul was flattered and surprised, but it wasn’t really for him.”
Roald Dahl
A knighthood in the 1986 New Year’s honors was declined by the adored children’s author, who is well-known for magical tales like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach.” A Telegraph freedom of information request brought this to light, but his reasons for refusing were not made public.
Bernie Ecclestone
In the early 2000s, the former head of the Formula One Group, who admitted to defrauding the company of £400 million in undisclosed assets, also turned down an honor. He clarified in a 2019 interview that although he was happy to have done some good, he didn’t think he deserved the honor because his main driving force in business wasn’t to receive praise.
Jon Snow
The face that was once connected to Channel 4 News, not the character from Game of Thrones. In 2000, he graciously declined an OBE. Two years later, he explored the issue further with a documentary called Secrets of the Honours System.
Snow said: “I tried to find out why I’d been given it and was unable to get a clear answer or, indeed, to find out who had proposed me,” .
Ken Loach
In 1977, director Ken Loach, who is well-known for his brutal films about difficult topics like poverty, declined an OBE. In 2001, he gave the Radio Times an explanation of his motivations.
“It’s all the things I think are despicable: patronage, deferring to the monarchy, and the name of the British Empire, which is a monument of exploitation and conquest,” said the politician. “I turned down the OBE because it’s not a club you want to join when you look at the villains who’ve got it.”
Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle, a fellow filmmaker, received the award for directing the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, but he declined it for personal reasons.
Boyle emphasized that “it’s not just me” and acknowledged that the ceremony represented the commitment and contributions of numerous people, stating that he felt it “was wrong” for him to be recognized alone for what was essentially a team accomplishment.
“You can give speeches that say things like, ‘This is everyone’s work, blah blah blah’. And you have to mean it, and I did mean it, and it’s true. The only way you can continue doing that is by the combined efforts of everyone. I am uncertain if I will ever receive an invitation to return to the palace.
LS Lowry
The renowned artist is thought to have declined more honors than any other person in history, including an OBE, a CBE, and a knighthood. Harold Riley, a friend of Lowry’s, claimed that he was a very private person who avoided attention and was hesitant to change who he was. These traits contributed to his repeated rejection of such distinctions.
Huw T Edwards
In later years, the Welsh Labour leader and trade unionist declined a knighthood no less than twice because he was uncomfortable with being honoured. He had previously accepted an MBE and then given it up.
Rudyard Kipling
In 1899 and again in 1903, the writer and poet declined a knighthood. Kipling thought he could “do his work better without it,” according to his wife.
In 1921 and 1924, he also declined to accept the Order of Merit. In his poem The Last Rhyme of True Thomas, Kipling expressed his opinions on honors and poetry.
Honor Blackman
The Bond actress, who died in 2020, was a vocal supporter of Republic, the movement advocating for an elected head of state in Britain, so her 2002 rejection of a CBE was not entirely shocking. Additionally, Blackman publicly denounced fellow Bond star Sir Sean Connery for his tax arrangements.
“I don’t think you should accept a title from a country and then pay absolutely no tax towards it,” she said in 2012. “I don’t think his principles are very high.”
Jim Broadbent
In 2002, the adored actor turned down an OBE, saying he found it difficult to accept actors who were honored by the royal family. He told the Telegraph, “I think [honors] ought to go to those who really help others.”
In addition, I think it’s a good idea for actors to be independent of the Establishment. We are outlaws and wanderers.
The implications of the honors also caused Broadbent to express unease, saying, “I don’t think the British Empire is something that I particularly want to celebrate.”
Albert Finney
He declined a knighthood twenty years later and a CBE in 1980. The Bourne star called knighthoods a sign of a disease that “perpetuates snobbery” and criticized the honors system.
Andrew Davies
Although his reasons have never been made public, it is said that the Welsh screenwriter, best known for House of Cards and his adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, turned down an honor
Alan Rickman
It is believed that the actor declined a CBE while still living. He never gave an explanation for his choice, and a campaign to grant him a posthumous knighthood was launched after his death, but nothing came of it.
John Lydon
The former frontman of the Sex Pistols, better known as Johnny Rotten, received an MBE offer. ‘God Save the Queen’ is part of the band’s back catalog, so it’s not shocking that he declined.
