Being handed an honour by the monarch is widely considered a huge achievement, but there are plenty of well-known faces who have spurned the advances of Buckingham Palace. Twice a year, the honours lists see thousands of people bestowed with CBEs, MBEs, and OBEs, or made a knight or dame. The latest King's honours birthday list has been published, recognising worthy candidates across numerous fields. However, while some celebrate these honours, others have palmed off the offer of a gong. It may not be considered the 'done thing' to publicly refuse an honour, but there have been plenty of instances of that trend being bucked, whether by formal statement or through leaks. There have also been high-profile instances of honours being handed back by recipients. Proposed honourees are written to ascertain they are happy to be put forward for recognition to avoid any hiccups. During Queen Elizabeth II's lengthy reign, many thousands of people were recognised in the biannual honours lists. This year's New Year's list will again be King Charles' honours announcement.
Who Has Refused an Honour?
Nigella Lawson
The celebrity chef revealed that she turned down the offer of an OBE in 2001, saying: “I’m not saving lives and I’m not doing anything other than something I absolutely love.”
Stephen Hawking
In 2008, Hawking said he had been approached with an offer of a knighthood in the late 1990s but had turned it down. His decision was later said to have been due to the government's dealing with science funding and cuts. He had already been appointed a CBE.
Paul Weller
The musician rejected his CBE in 2006. In a statement, his spokesperson said: “Paul was surprised and flattered but it wasn’t really for him.”
John Lennon
The Beatle initially accepted an MBE but later, in 1969, decided to return it in protest of Britain’s foreign policies. In a letter, he explained: “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. With Love, John Lennon of Bag.”
John Cleese
The Monty Python star was offered a CBE in 1996 but said they were "silly". He was offered a peerage by Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown in 1999 but declined because staying in England during the winter months to fulfil his role as a working peer was "too much of a price to pay".
George Harrison
The former Beatle turned down an OBE in 2000 – after Paul McCartney was awarded a knighthood. Every Beatles member was awarded an MBE in 1965, though John Lennon returned his. It's thought Harrison was put forward for his contribution to music, but there was speculation he would have been insulted that bandmate McCartney got his knighthood three years before. “Whoever it was who decided to offer him the OBE and not the knighthood was extraordinarily insensitive,” friend Roy Connolly told the Independent. “George would have felt insulted – and with very good reason.”
Ken Loach
Ken Loach turned down an OBE in 1977. His films focus on social issues such as poverty and homelessness. He told the Radio Times in 2001: “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. 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.”
Jon Snow
Having declined an OBE in 2000, the former Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow went on to make a documentary in 2002 entitled Secrets of the Honours System. He remains critical of the use of the term ‘empire’ in the honours system. “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,” he said afterwards.
Danny Boyle
Film director Danny Boyle turned down an honour because he thought it was "wrong" to claim credit for his work as the man behind the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. "It's just not me," he said, adding that thousands of people were involved in executing the ceremony. “You can make these speeches about: ‘This is everybody’s work, blah blah blah’. And you’ve got to mean it, and I did mean it, and it is true, and it’s the only way you can carry on something like that: through the efforts of all the people. I don’t know whether I’ll ever get invited back to the palace.”
Bernie Ecclestone
The former Formula One Group's chief executive, who pleaded guilty to fraud for failing to declare £400m held in a trust, turned down an honour in the early 2000s. In a 2019 interview, he stated that while he was glad if he had done some good, this was not his main intention when setting out in business, so he did not feel he deserved an honour.
LS Lowry
The famed painter is believed to hold the record for the most refusals, having reportedly turned down five honours including a knighthood, a CBE, and an OBE. His close friend Harold Riley later revealed the artist was a private and guarded person who would not have wanted to change his name, which contributed to his decision not to accept the honours.
Huw T Edwards
The Welsh trade unionist and Welsh Labour politician was uncomfortable with honours and refused a knighthood on at least two occasions in subsequent years. He had previously accepted an MBE before later renouncing it.
Rudyard Kipling
The writer and poet declined a knighthood in 1899 and again in 1903. His wife said that Kipling felt he could "do his work better without it". Kipling also declined the Order of Merit in 1921 and again in 1924. Kipling expressed his own view on the importance of titles and poetry in his poem The Last Rhyme of True Thomas.
Honor Blackman
Before her death in 2020, the Bond actress was a vocal supporter of Republic, the campaign for an elected head of state in the UK – so it’s hardly surprising that she turned down a CBE in 2002. Blackman also publicly criticised fellow Bond star Sir Sean Connery for his tax-evading habits. “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.”
Benjamin Zephaniah
The poet, who died in December 2023 aged just 65, publicly rejected an OBE in 2003 in protest at British government policies and the British Empire. Writing in the Guardian, he said the word 'empire' “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”. The writer described himself as "profoundly anti-empire".
Jim Broadbent
The national treasure turned down an OBE in 2002, humbly stating that he wasn’t comfortable with actors receiving Royal recognition. “I think [honours] ought to go to those who really help others,” he told the Telegraph. “Besides I like the idea of actors not being part of the Establishment. We’re vagabonds and rogues.” Broadbent then went on to take issue with the system’s subtext, saying: “I don’t think the British Empire is something that I particularly want to celebrate.”
Michael Sheen
After receiving an OBE in 2009 for services to drama, the Welsh actor quietly handed back the award in 2017 after looking into the history of the relationship between England and Wales for a lecture. "By the time I had 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,'" Sheen said in a conversation with The Guardian columnist Owen Jones in 2020.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
The comedy pairing turned down OBEs "for services to comedy drama" in 2001. It was only later they explained they had rejected the honour. Saunders subsequently told Source magazine: “If I felt I deserved a damehood I’d accept it. At the time we felt that we were being paid very well to have a lot of fun. It didn’t seem right somehow. We didn’t deserve a pat on the back. It felt a bit fake to stand alongside people who devoted their lives to truly worthy causes.”
David Bowie
Bowie later explained his decision not to join the list of musical knights including Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Paul McCartney, and Sir Elton John. He said: “I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that. I seriously don’t know what it’s for. It’s not what I spent my life working for.” When asked about Jagger accepting the honour, he said: “It’s not my place to make a judgment on Jagger – it’s his decision. But it’s just not for me.”
Roald Dahl
The Cardiff-born author of children's classics like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory rejected a knighthood in the 1986 New Year’s honours. The information was revealed by a freedom of information request by the Telegraph. However, the reason for turning down the honour wasn’t included.
Albert Finney
The late actor declined a CBE in 1980 and a knighthood in 2000. In a scathing attack on the honours system, the Bourne star described the idea of knighting people as a disease, adding that it “perpetuates snobbery”.
Andrew Davies
The Welsh screenplay writer, best known for House of Cards and his adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is reported to have turned down an honour, but no reason has been given.
Alan Rickman
The late actor is said to have turned down a CBE during his career. However, he never made his reasoning public at the time. There has since been a posthumous campaign to get Rickman knighted, but so far there’s been no talk of it happening.
John Lydon
The famously anti-establishment star was reportedly offered an MBE. A few decades before, he was part of the Sex Pistols when their song God Save the Queen was released in the week of the Queen's silver jubilee. Not surprisingly, he turned it down.
