Five celebrities who refused or returned honours from the royal family - and why they did it
The news today is awash with celebrities who are receiving honours from the royal family.
For many, being included in the King’s new year honours list is a huge moment in their lives, being officially recognised for their services to the corner of the world they are passionate about.
From footballers to charity heroes and even everyday folk like you and I, anyone can be awarded an OBE, MBE or even a knighthood - and enjoy a day out to Buckingham Palace to boot. This year, the likes of former England manager Gareth Southgate and Sadiq Khan are being knighted, while Myleene Klass has received an MBE for services to women’s health, miscarriage awareness, and charity.
But not every celebrity is so happy to be included in the honours list. Some have outright refused to receive their honours, while others have even returned them years later. Here are five celebs who have done so in the past, and the reasoning behind their decisions.
Michael Sheen
In 2009, actor Michael Sheen was awarded an OBE. But after years of deliberation, he ended up handing it back as he disagreed with Prince William being made the Prince of Wales.
Speaking to political write Owen Jones at the time, he said: “I [read] a lot about Welsh history. I’m still standing at the foothills of an understanding of all that, but that was a crash course.
“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’. I wanted to still give the lecture so I gave my OBE back.”
David Bowie
Beloved singer David Bowie turned down not just one royal honour, but two.
In 2000, he declined a CBE for services to music, and then refused a knighthood three years later. His decision was viewed as controversial at the time, but he quickly explained it to the media.
Speaking to the Sun, 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.”
Bowie died in 2016.
Stephen Hawking
In the late 1990s, Professor Stephen Hawking was offered a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. It didn’t emerge that he had turned this down until 2008, but he later revealed that he refused the honour due to the government cutting science funding.
He did, however, already have a CBE for his services to science.
Given the late scientist’s inclusion on the Epstein flight logs earlier this year, the royal family may have potentially dodged a bullet here.
John Lennon
Having initially accepted his MBE, Beatles frontman John Lennon ended up returning it in 1969. He did so publicly, in a protest against Britain’s foreign policies.
He said: “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.”
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
Two for the price of one, here - the comedy duo both refused MBEs for their services to comedy drama in 2001.
Speaking to Source at the time, Saunders said: “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.”