Knighthoods, CBEs, OBEs and MBEs: 11 people who have said no over the years

Who has declined an honour?

Knighthoods, CBEs, OBEs and MBEs: 11 people who have said no over the years

  • David Bowie. David Bowie twice turned down an honour.
  • Danny Boyle. Danny Boyle said he turned down a knighthood.
  • Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
  • John Cleese.
  • LS Lowry.
  • Nigella Lawson.
  • George the Poet.
  • Benjamin Zephaniah.

Who turned down being knighted?

Haughton, sound recordist/musician (in 1952). Stephen Hawking CH CBE, physicist, reportedly turned down a knighthood because he “does not like titles.” Bill Hayden, Governor-General of Australia. Patrick Heron, artist, declined a knighthood allegedly over the education policy of the government in the 1980s.

Who has refused an honour from the Queen?

1. David Bowie. David Bowie turned down two awards in fact: a CBE in 2000 and then a knighthood in 2003. “I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that,” he told the Sun in 2003, the same year in which Mick Jagger was given his knighthood.

Why did Nigella turn down OBE?

Nigella Lawson The TV chef was another name who was revealed to have turned down an OBE in 2001. She explained: “I’m not saving lives and I’m not doing anything other than something I absolutely love.”

Why did Stephen Hawking deny knighthood?

Hawking had refused the knighthood in protest against a lack of funding for the sciences. Allegedly in the 1990s was when the offer came, but since Hawking felt that the UK government were not funding science study enough, he chose not to accept.

Does Mick Jagger have a knighthood?

Officially knighted in 2003, Mick Jagger become Sir Michael Philip Jagger, but like everything The Rolling Stones frontman does, his knighthood is controversial. Not only did many people believe the 75-year-old vocalist didn’t deserve the honor, but the queen herself was not on hand at the ceremony.

Why wasnt George Harrison knighted?

According to correspondence unearthed after Harrison’s passing, he also declined to accept an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) — allegedly because he was insulted by the offer of a station lower than McCartney’s knighthood.

Why did Dawn French turn down MBE?

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders pairing turned down OBEs “for services to comedy drama” in 2001. It was only later they explained. Saunders said: “If I felt I deserved a Damehood I’d accept it,” she told Source magazine. “At the time, we felt that we were being paid very well to have a lot of fun.

Has Stephen Fry turned down a knighthood?

Hugh Laurie has branded celebrities who turn down honours “pompous”. The star of Blackadder and House and the long-time comic partner of Stephen Fry accepted his own CBE in 2018 for services to drama, an upgrade on his previous OBE.

Which famous people have turned down the Queen’s honours?

The author Roald Dahl and artist Lucian Freud are among those who have turned down honours from the Queen, according to official government records. A list of those who declined an honour between 1951 and 1999, and who have since died, has been published for the first time.

How many people have turned down honours?

^ a b Hope, Christopher (26 January 2012). “JB Priestley, Roald Dahl, Lucian Freud and LS Lowry among 277 people who turned down honours”. The Daily Telegraph.

Who declined New Year Honours in 1969?

John Allen, political adviser to Prime Minister Harold Wilson, declined honour in 1969. Major Derek Allhusen, Olympic equestrian gold medallist, 1969 New Year Honours (accepted CVO in 1984 as Standard Bearer of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms ).

Who turned down the most knighthoods?

It shows that Lowry turned down more honours than anybody else, with a total of five, including an OBE in 1955, a CBE in 1961 and a knighthood in 1968. Bacon turned down a CBE in 1960, while Freud refused the honour in the 1977 New Year’s Honours list.