Featured Image Credit: Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP via Getty Image
Topics: King Charles III, Domestic Abuse, Royal Family, Crime, News, UK News, Sport
Madison Burgess
Topics: King Charles III, Domestic Abuse, Royal Family, Crime, News, UK News, Sport
King Charles III just stripped nine people of their MBEs and OBEs.
These honours are prestigious UK awards, given by the monarch to recognise significant achievements or services.
An OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) is given to people who have done something special for their region or country, while the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) is awarded to those who have worked hard for their community over a long time and made a big difference.
The decision to strip someone of this title, known as 'forfeiture', is not one that's made lightly - it usually only happens to those who have criminal convictions, misconduct, brought the honours system into disrepute, or have been struck off from a regulatory body.
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And this month, King Charles has stripped a whopping nine people of the award.
According to the UK's official public record, The Gazette, former Scottish Rugby player Stuart Hogg has had his MBE removed after he pleaded guilty to domestic abuse charges against his then estranged wife, Gillian.
The sportsman had been given an MBE in the 2024 New Year honours for his services to rugby. However, after pleading guilty to the domestic abuse charge, he was handed a one-year community payback order in January 2025.
And now, his MBE has officially been 'cancelled and annulled'.
The full notice in the Gazette reads: "The King has directed that the appointment of Stuart William Hogg to be a Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 30 December 2023 shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order."
Hogg was previously a Glasgow Warriors fullback and had amassed a slew of senior caps for his country, as well as being involved in three British and Irish Lions tours. He now plays with Montpellier.
Also on the list is Cumbrian owl sanctuary owner, Paul Allen Rose, who founded Barrow's Owl Sanctuary.
As reported by News and Star, he was sentenced in May 2024, after pleading guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and one count of failing to ensure animal welfare, contrary to Section 4 and Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
According to the UK Government, once you've been stripped of your honour, you're asked to 'return insignia to Buckingham Palace', and you wouldn't be able to reference having an honour in the future, including the 'use of the honour post-nominals on websites, publications or business cards'.
And if a person wants to appeal the decision, they may be asked to 'to give written representations' to the Forfeiture Committee, which reviews cases, where the Committee feels 'that the evidence is not clearcut'.