List of famous people stripped of their honorary titles as King Charles revokes nine more
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Being awarded an MBE or an OBE by the Royal Family is one of the highest honours you can receive.
In the UK, you can be appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) or Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the monarch to recognise significant achievements or services.
Those who are made OBEs are typically done so if they've played a major role in either a local or national capacity, while an MBE is typically awarded to those who've worked hard in their local community for an outstanding and sustained amount of time.
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Idris Elba, Warwick Davis, Cynthia Erivo, and Sarina Wiegman are just a few of the most recent celebrity names to join the exclusive list.
But did you know that your honours can be stripped away?
The decision to take away someone's title, which is known as 'forfeiture', typically only happens to those who have criminal convictions, misconduct, brought the honours system into disrepute, or have been struck off from a regulatory body, among a few other reasons.
And King Charles III just stripped nine more people of their titles this month. So, let's take a look back at some of the other famous faces who've had their MBEs and OBEs revoked.
Harvey Weinstein
Disgraced American movie producer Harvey Weinstein was stripped of his honorary CBE in September 2020.
He received it in 2004 for significant contributions to the British film industry, after producing acclaimed films like Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love.
CBE is the highest ranking Order of the British Empire award, followed by OBE and then MBE.
However, his career came to an end in 2017 following a slew of damning allegations of sexual harassment and assault, which sparked the #MeToo movement.
Weinstein was convicted of sexual assault in New York in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
However, that conviction was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals in April 2024, which ordered a retrial.
In the retrial, he was convicted on one count of a criminal sexual act, acquitted on another charge, and a rape charge ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a verdict.
Weinstein was also separately convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years for rape and sexual assault.
Robert Mugabe
Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe was stripped of his knighthood in June 2008 over 'human rights violations' and 'disregard' for democracy.
As per the BBC, a Foreign Office spokesperson said at the time: "We can no longer justify an individual who is responsible for a consistent campaign of human rights violations and the disregard for the democratic process retaining an honour.
"His actions have proved beyond all argument that he is not worthy to retain this honour."
It was a statement of 'revulsion' as the prime minister at the time, Gordon Brown, ordered tougher sanctions against his increasingly violent regime.
Rolf Harris
Disgraced former entertainer Rolf Harris was stripped of his honours in March 2015.
It came after he was found guilty of a string of indecent assaults on girls between 1968 and 1986, following a trial in 2014, and was subsequently jailed for five years and nine months.
During his career, he was made an OBE, MBE and CBE, as well as being awarded a Bafta Fellowship; however, he had all of his honours revoked following his convictions.
He died aged 93 in May 2023.
Jimmy Savile
There were widespread calls for Jimmy Savile to have his honours stripped posthumously, after his horrific crimes were unearthed in October 2012, nearly a year after his death in 2011.
Following his death, investigations revealed he sexually abused hundreds of victims, with some estimates suggesting over 450 people, per the BBC.
However, it was complicated, as under the UK honours system, knighthoods are 'living orders', which means they no longer exist upon the recipient's death, and there is no legal procedure to revoke them posthumously.
So technically, his honours were no longer effective the day that he died, so there was nothing to revoke.
The Honours Forfeiture Committee previously said in a statement: "The Forfeiture Committee can confirm that had James Wilson Vincent Savile been convicted of the crimes of which he is accused, forfeiture proceedings would have commenced."
Naseem Hamed
In 2007, boxer 'Prince' Naseem Hamed was stripped of his MBE after he served a sentence for dangerous driving.
He was involved in a 90mph crash that left the other driver with every major bone in his body broken, along with serious brain injuries, according to The Guardian.
Stuart Hall
The former broadcaster was stripped of his OBE in 2013 after being convicted of sex offences against children.
Hall, who presented It’s A Knockout, had received the honour in 2012 for services to broadcasting and charity.
Fred Goodwin
The former head of Royal Bank of Scotland lost his knighthood in 2012 after criticism over his role in the bank’s near-collapse in 2008.
At the time, a Cabinet spokesperson said that 'the failure of RBS played an important role in the financial crisis of 2008/9'.
He had originally received the honour in 2004 for 'services to banking'.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Celebrity, King Charles III, News, Royal Family, UK News, Crime
Madison Burgess