Famous celebrities who turned down royal honours – from Bowie to Lennon
As King Charles III’s New Year Honours 2026 list is confirmed, we look back at the big names including David Bowie, John Lennon and Stephen Hawking who famously declined MBEs, OBEs and knighthoods over the years
It’s that time of year once more and King Charles III has again chosen who will receive coveted accolades in the New Year’s Honours list.
Honours form part of orders of chivalry that have been bestowed by monarchs since medieval times. In modern times, the British honours system has celebrated people who have “made achievements in public life” and “committed themselves to serving and helping Britain”.
It recognises long-standing volunteers, pioneers, business leaders, individuals showing “moral courage”, those creating change in their community or professional sphere, or people enhancing life for others less fortunate. Honours are bestowed upon people from diverse sectors, including sport, health, science and technology, education, business, and the arts and media, reports the Manchester Evening News.
However, there are some prominent figures who have turned down the award for various reasons:
David Bowie
The Ziggy Stardust legend was open about his reasons for refusing a knighthood. He stated: “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.”
Regarding Sir Mick Jagger’s acceptance, Bowie remained diplomatically neutral, commenting: “It’s not my place to make a judgment on Jagger – it’s his decision. But it’s just not for me.”
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
The comedy duo were offered OBEs “for services to comedy drama” back in 2001, but turned them down. Explaining the decision, Saunders later 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.”
Nigella Lawson
The celebrated TV chef gave a comparable explanation for rejecting her OBE in 2001. She commented: “I’m not saving lives and I’m not doing anything other than something I absolutely love.”
Stephen Hawking
The renowned astrophysicist disclosed in 2008 that he had been offered a knighthood in the 1990s, a more prestigious honour than the CBE he possessed, but rejected it. Whilst the precise reasons remain unclear, it was later suggested that government funding cuts to science may have influenced his decision.
John Lennon
Initially, Lennon accepted an MBE but chose to hand it back in 1969 in protest against Britain’s foreign policy stance. He penned: “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.”
George Harrison
The former Beatle turned down an OBE in 2000, shortly after his bandmate Paul McCartney received a knighthood. Whilst the exact reasoning remains unclear, some believe it was linked to McCartney’s elevated honour.
Harrison’s friend Roy Connolly told the Independent: “Whoever it was who decided to offer him the OBE and not the knighthood was extraordinarily insensitive,” He added: “George would have felt insulted – and with very good reason.”
Benjamin Zephaniah
The legendary poet, who passed away in December 2023 aged 65, was vocal about his decision to publicly refuse an OBE in 2003. He stated he would reject the honour in opposition to British government policies and the British Empire.
In a Guardian piece, he explained how the term ’empire’ within the title “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”. Zephaniah branded himself as “profoundly anti-empire”.
Michael Sheen
Screen and stage legend Michael Sheen received an OBE in 2009, but chose to hand it back in 2017 following his research into the historical relationship between England and Wales.
Speaking to the Guardian’s Owen Jones in 2020, he revealed: “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,'”.
John Cleese
Monty Python legend John Cleese turned down a CBE in 1996, branding it as ‘silly’. Three years later in 1999, he was considered for a peerage by Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown.
However, Cleese wasn’t interested as becoming a working peer would mean spending winters in the UK, which he felt was “too much of a price to pay”.
Paul Weller
The musical icon graciously turned down a CBE in 2006. His spokesperson released a statement saying: “Paul was surprised and flattered but it wasn’t really for him.”
Roald Dahl
The beloved children’s writer, celebrated for magical stories including ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and ‘James and the Giant Peach’, rejected a knighthood in the 1986 New Year’s honours. This emerged through a Telegraph freedom of information request, though his reasons for declining remained undisclosed.
Bernie Ecclestone The former Formula One Group chief, who confessed to fraud involving undisclosed assets valued at £400m, also declined an honour in the early 2000s. During a 2019 interview, he revealed that whilst he was delighted to have contributed positively, his main drive in business wasn’t to collect awards, so he felt undeserving of the recognition.
Jon Snow
The familiar face who previously presented Channel 4 News, not the Game of Thrones character. He politely declined an OBE in 2000 and turned investigative journalist two years later with a documentary titled Secrets of the Honours System.
Snow revealed: “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,”.
Ken Loach
Filmmaker Ken Loach, renowned for his hard-hitting movies tackling challenging topics like poverty, rejected an OBE in 1977. Speaking to the Radio Times in 2001, he outlined his reasoning.
“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,” he stated. “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.”
Danny Boyle
Fellow director Danny Boyle had a different motive for declining his award, which he was offered for his involvement in the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. Explaining his reasoning, Boyle said he felt it “was wrong” for him to accept recognition for a team effort, stating that “it’s not just me” and the ceremony was the product of hard graft and input from thousands of individuals.
“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.”
LS Lowry
The celebrated artist is said to have turned down more accolades than anyone else, including a knighthood, a CBE, and an OBE. His mate Harold Riley revealed that Lowry was a reserved character who didn’t fancy the spotlight or altering his name, which influenced his choice to reject the honours.
Huw T Edwards
The Welsh trade unionist and Welsh Labour politician felt uneasy with honours and declined a knighthood on at least two occasions in following years. He had previously accepted an MBE before later renouncing it.
Rudyard Kipling
The writer and poet rejected a knighthood in 1899 and once more in 1903. His wife revealed that Kipling believed he could “do his work better without it”.
Kipling also turned down the Order of Merit in 1921 and again in 1924. Kipling shared his personal perspective on the significance of titles and poetry in his poem The Last Rhyme of True Thomas.
Honor Blackman
Prior to her passing in 2020, the Bond actress was an outspoken advocate for Republic, the movement for an elected head of state in the UK – so it’s scarcely shocking that she rejected a CBE in 2002. Blackman also openly condemned fellow Bond star Sir Sean Connery for his tax-dodging practices.
“I don’t think you should accept a title from a country and then pay absolutely no tax towards it,” she declared in 2012. “I don’t think his principles are very high.”
Jim Broadbent
The beloved actor spurned an OBE in 2002, stating that he couldn’t come to terms with performers receiving Royal honours. “I think [honours] ought to go to those who really help others,” he remarked in a conversation with the Telegraph.
“Besides I like the idea of actors not being part of the Establishment. We’re vagabonds and rogues.”
Broadbent also voiced his discomfort with the honours’ implications, admitting: “I don’t think the British Empire is something that I particularly want to celebrate.”
Albert Finney
He turned down both a CBE in 1980 and a knighthood two decades later.
The Bourne star slammed the honours system, describing knighthoods as a sign of illness that “perpetuates snobbery”.
Andrew Davies
The Welsh screenwriter renowned for House of Cards and his adaptation of Pride and Prejudice allegedly declined an honour, though his reasons remain unknown.
Alan Rickman
The beloved actor is thought to have rejected a CBE whilst alive.
He never revealed his reasoning, and following his death, there has been a campaign calling for him to receive a posthumous knighthood, but no developments on this have materialised.
John Lydon
Also known as Johnny Rotten, the former Sex Pistols frontman was offered an MBE.
Given the band’s catalogue, including ‘God Save the Queen’, it comes as no shock he refused.
