List of people who have declined a British honour explained

The following is a non-exhaustive list of people who have declined a British honour, such as a knighthood or other grade of honour.

In most cases, the offer of an honour was rejected privately. Nowadays, potential recipients are contacted before any public announcement to confirm in writing that they wish to be put forward for an honour, thereby avoiding friction or controversy. However, some have let it be known that the offer was declined, and there have also been occasional leaks from official sources. A handful of people have accepted and later renounced an honour; these are listed at the end of the article.

In 2003, Sunday Times published a list of almost 300 people who had declined an honour between 1951 and 1999.[1] In 2020, The Guardian reported based on a Freedom of Information request, that the number of people refusing an honour in 2020 was 68 out of 2,504 offered, or 2.7%.[2] The number of people rejecting a British honour has doubled in the last decade.[3]

Reasons for rejection

Honours are rejected for a variety of reasons. Some potential recipients have rejected one honour then accepted another (such as Sir Alfred Hitchcock[4]), or have initially refused an honour then accepted it, or have accepted one honour then declined another (such as actor Robert Morley) or refused in the hope of another higher distinction (Roald Dahl refused being decorated as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire,[4] allegedly because he wanted a knighthood so that his wife Felicity would be entitled to be known as "Lady Dahl"; Felicity was herself appointed DBE in 2024).[5]

Sometimes, a potential recipient refuses a knighthood or peerage but accepts an honour that does not bestow a title (or precedence), such as the Order of Merit or the Order of the Companions of Honour. Examples are E. M. Forster, Paul Scofield, Doris Lessing, Harold Pinter (although Pinter's widow, Lady Antonia Fraser, was later appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire),[6] David Hockney, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Augustus John, V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, Francis Crick and Paul Dirac.

Some may refuse an honour based on political reasons, relating to the British state or the Royal Family. Nationalists of the constituent countries may prefer awards from their respective nations, such as Welsh nationalists refusing British awards for Welsh awards such as from the Gorsedd or St David Awards.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] In 2022, when Gareth Bale accepted appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire, some Welsh football supporters opposed and criticised his decision, describing him as "no longer a Welsh legend" because of his acceptance.[12] A columnist at The National, a Welsh-based newspaper, stated: "There is a duty to refuse honours from the current British state as a way of rejecting the colonial connotations of the gongs themselves."[13]

Honours declined

Kingdom

Dukedom

See also: Dukes in the United Kingdom.

Marquessate

See also: Marquess.

Earldom

See also: Earl.

Viscountcy

See also: Viscount.

Barony

See also: Baron.

Life peerage (barony)

See also: Life peer.

Former Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

Life peerages are customarily offered to all former British Prime Ministers when they step down as a Member of Parliament (MPs). The last former Prime Minister to accept a peerage was Theresa May in 2024 upon announcing her decision to step down from the House of Commons. Prior to May, the last former Prime Minister to accept a peerage upon leaving the Commons was Margaret Thatcher in 1992, and her husband, Denis, was created a baronet. Three of her successors – John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown – declined a peerage, whilst Rishi Sunak continues to serve as MP. Boris Johnson, who had resigned from the Commons after a Parliamentary Committee report found he had misled Parliament over the Partygate affair, was not offered a peerage. Liz Truss, who lost re-election in 2024, was not offered a peerage.

Others

As a part of the House of Lords reform in 1999, members of the royal family who were peers of the first creation were offered life peerages as a pure formality, which would have given them the right to sit in the House of Lords, but nobody seriously expected them to accept, and all declined with the exception of the Earl of Snowdon.[49] These included:

Baronetcy

See also: Baronetcy.

In addition to these, many offers of baronetcies have technically been declined, since this is a hereditary honour and was one way, until recent times, for the Crown to raise money from landed gentry. When a baronetcy becomes vacant on the death of a holder, the heir may choose not to register the proofs of succession, effectively declining the honour. The baronetcy can be revived at any time on provision of acceptable proofs of succession, by, say, the son of a son who has declined to register the proofs of succession.[54] As of December 2017 some 208 baronetcies are listed as awaiting proofs of succession.[55]

Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter

Knight of the Order of the Thistle

Knighthood (Knight Bachelor)

See main article: Knight Bachelor.

Appointment to the Order of the Bath

As Knight Companion (KB)

Appointment to the Order of Merit (OM)

Appointment to the Order of the Star of India

As Knight Commander (KCSI)

Appointment to the Order of St Michael and St George

As Knight Grand Cross Commander (GCMG)

As Knight Commander (KCMG)

As a Companion (CMG)

Appointment to the Order of the Indian Empire

As a Companion (CIE)

Appointment to the Royal Victorian Order

As a Knight Commander (KCVO)

As a Commander (CVO)

Appointment as a Companion of Honour (CH)

Appointment to the Order of the British Empire

As a Knight Grand Cross (GBE)

As a Knight Commander (KBE)

As a Dame Commander (DBE)

As a Commander (CBE)

As an Officer (OBE)

As a Member (MBE)

Renouncing an honour

As no official provision exists for (unilaterally) renouncing an honour, any such act is always unofficial, and the record of the appointment in The London Gazette stands. Nevertheless, the physical insignia can be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood; this is purely symbolic, as replacement insignia may be purchased for a nominal sum. Any recipient can also request that the honour not be used officially, e.g. Donald Tsang, ex-Chief Executive of Hong Kong, was knighted in 1997 but has not used the title since the handover to China.[177]

Those who have returned insignia include:

Knights who have "renounced" their knighthoods include:

Replacement honours proposed

Those objecting the British Honours system have proposed alternative honours.

Wales

There have been calls to introduce a Welsh honours system such as a "Medal Cymru" which was backed by a petition but the Senedd's Assembly Commission has said that it was not an appropriate time to introduce "Medal Cymru" due to the "current economic climate" in 2009. One particular option that was considered following a public consultation, was to award one "Medal Cymru" per year from the Senedd. Tanni Grey-Thompson has said that this proposal would be a "lovely idea".[188] In 2013, the St David Awards was launched alongside the existing British honours system, awarding Welsh people for "inspiring and exceptional work".[189] In 2021, a petition was launched to the Senedd titled "The inauguration of an Honorary National System of Awards; The Cymru Knighthood Award", proposing a Welsh honours system. The Welsh Government said that it did not have plans to introduce a Welsh honours system to replace the British honours system.[190] But Plaid Cymru still nominate members of the House of Lords at Westminster.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: MPs to investigate 'secretive' honours system . Liane . Katz . 22 December 2003 . London, UK . The Guardian . 21 October 2011.
  2. News: Busby . Mattha . Number of people rejecting Queen's honours doubles in past decade . 2 December 2020 . The Guardian . 1 December 2020.
  3. Web site: 2020-12-01 . Number of people rejecting Queen's honours doubles in past decade . 2022-06-02 . The Guardian . en.
  4. News: Some who turned the offer down . 22 December 2003 . London, UK . . 21 October 2011.
  5. Web site: Roald Dahl among hundreds who turned down Queen's honours . 26 January 2012 . . 7 January 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120329025651/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/need-to-read/2012/01/26/roald-dahl-among-hundreds-who-turned-down-queen-s-honours-91466-30203207/2/ . 29 March 2012.
  6. News: Lady Antonia Fraser leads New Year Honours 2011 list . https://web.archive.org/web/20110103022525/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/honours-list/8232095/Lady-Antonia-Fraser-leads-New-Year-Honours-2011-list.html . dead . 3 January 2011 . Anita . Singh . 31 December 2010 . London, UK . . 21 October 2011.
  7. News: 2018-12-31 . Anrhydeddau'r Frenhines: Diolch, ond dim diolch . cy . BBC Cymru Fyw . 2022-06-04.
  8. JAMES, CARWYN REES (1929-1983), teacher, rugby player and coach . s11-JAME-REE-1929 . 2022-06-02.
  9. News: 2021-01-21 . Beti George: 'Dyw byw eich hun yn ystod pandemig ddim yn sbort' . cy . BBC Cymru Fyw . 2022-06-03.
  10. Web site: Rawlinson . Kevin . 2020-12-29 . Michael Sheen returned OBE to air views on royal family . 2020-12-29 . . en.
  11. Web site: Michael Sheen OBE . 2022-06-02 . GOV.WALES . 13 September 2017 . en.
  12. Web site: 2022-06-03 . Huw Edwards backs Gareth Bale after criticism over acceptance of MBE . 2022-06-04 . Nation.Cymru . en-GB.
  13. Web site: 'It's long past time for the entire honours system to be overhauled' . 2022-06-02 . The National Wales . en.
  14. Book: Roots, Ivan . Speeches of Oliver Cromwell . Ivan Roots . 1989 . Everyman's Classics . Dent . London, UK . 0-460-01254-1 . 128.
  15. Web site: Biography of Benjamin Disraeli . 15 August 2010 . . 5 October 2013.
  16. Book: Rappaport, Helen . Queen Victoria: A Biographical Companion . Helen Rappaport . 2003 . Santa Barbara, California . . 978-1-85109-355-7 . 330 . 5 October 2013.
  17. News: Dukedom for Salisbury Expected . 3 September 1901 . . 21 October 2011.
  18. The Point of View: American Style . . 28 . 124 . 1900 . . 5 October 2013.
  19. Book: Hicks, Lady Pamela . Daughter of Empire; My Life as a Mountbatten . Lady Pamela Hicks . 2013 . Simon & Schuster . New York . 4 . 1st . 978-1-4767-3381-4.
  20. Book: Smith, E. A.. George Iv. 2001. Yale University Press. Chapter 4:Maria Fitzherbert. 978-0-300-08802-1. 39.
  21. Book: Koss, Stephen . Stephen Koss . 1976 . Asquith . London, UK . Allen Lane . 66–67.
  22. Book: Egremont, Max . Max Wyndham, 2nd Baron Egremont . Balfour: A Life of Arthur James Balfour . London, UK . Collins . 1980 . 315 . 978-0-00216-043-8.
  23. Book: https://archive.org/details/completepeerageo02coka/page/n661 . Appendix D: Presidents of the Board of Control . Gibbs . Vicary . Vicary Gibbs (St Albans MP) . 1912 . . II: Bass to Canning . London, UK . St Catherine's Press . 647 . 24 November 2018.
  24. Book: Terrill, Ross . Ross Terrill . 1974 . R. H Tawney and his Times: Socialism as Fellowship . London, UK . . 0674743776.
  25. Book: Young, Michael . Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington . The Elmhirsts of Dartington: the Creation of an Utopian Community . London, UK . Routledge & Kegan Paul. 1982 . 344 . 0-07-100905-1.
  26. Biography of Thomas Holderness, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  27. Stephen Murray-Smith, ed., The Dictionary of Australian Quotations, p. 144
  28. Book: Ziegler . Philip . Personal Diary of Admiral the Lord Louis Mountbatten: Supreme Allied Commander South-East Asia, 1943-1946 . 1988 . William Collins Sons & Co. . London . 0-00-217607-6 . 270 . 1st .
  29. Book: Hardman, Robert . Her Majesty; Queen Elizabeth II and her court . 2012 . Pegasus Books . New York . 978-1-60598-361-5 . 190 . 1st .
  30. News: Major to turn down Peerage . 8 October 2000 . . 5 October 2013.
  31. News: Tony Blair spurns honour system . https://wayback.archive.org/all/20130309174937/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/1574027/Tony-Blair-spurns-honour-system.html . dead . 9 March 2013 . Melissa . Kite . 30 December 2007 . The Daily Telegraph . London, UK . 1 September 2010.
  32. News: Rodney Bickerstaffe obituary . Mark . Seddon . 3 October 2017 . The Guardian . London, UK . 11 October 2017.
  33. News: Union Chief Turns Down Seat in Lords . 4 January 2001 . . 11 October 2017.
  34. News: Lord Cleese of Fawlty Towers: Why John Cleese declined a peerage . Nikkhah . Roya . 17 April 2011 . . 17 April 2011.
  35. Web site: Refusals_Release_2016.pdf . UK Government.
  36. News: Michael Foot: Leftwing fighter who led Labour to poll collapse . Chris . Moncrieff . 3 March 2010 . . 3 March 2017.
  37. News: Major John Freeman: Soldier who became an MP, diplomat and broadcaster . Michael . Leapman . 21 December 2014 . The Independent . 3 March 2017.
  38. News: 2018-12-31 . Anrhydeddau'r Frenhines: Diolch, ond dim diolch . cy . BBC Cymru Fyw . 2022-06-03.
  39. News: Geoffrey Goodman obituary . Molloy . Mike . 6 September 2013 . The Guardian . 24 November 2018.
  40. Ben Pimlott, Harold Wilson (1992) ISBN 978-0-00-215189-4
  41. The Times Letters June 13, 2016
  42. 90043. Thomas Jackson (1925–2003).
  43. 101871. Jones, James Larkin [Jack] (1913–2009)).
  44. News: Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor turns down peerage following Catholic row . The Daily Telegraph. London . Jonathan . Wynne-Jones . 6 December 2009 . 2 August 2020.
  45. Canon 285 §3 of the Catholic 1983 Code of Canon Law states: "Clerics are forbidden to assume public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power."
  46. News: JB Priestley, Roald Dahl, Lucian Freud and LS Lowry among 277 people who turned down honours . Christopher . Hope . 26 January 2012 . The Daily Telegraph . London, UK . 26 January 2012.
  47. Web site: Ex-Unite leader Tony Woodley turns down peerage offered by Jeremy Corbyn . LabourList. 26 August 2020 .
  48. Web site: Ex-Unite Union Chief Tony Woodley Accepts Seat in House of Lords . HuffPost. 2 November 2020 .
  49. News: Fury over Blair offer of life peerages to Royals . Colin . Brown . Sarah . Schaefer . 3 November 1999 . London, UK . The Independent . 21 October 2011.
  50. Book: James, Ioan . Remarkable Engineers: From Riquet to Shannon . 2010 . Cambridge University Press . 50 . 978-0-52151-621-1.
  51. Book: Allen . Vivien . Hall Caine : portrait of a Victorian romancer . 1997 . Sheffield Academic Press . Sheffield . 1-85075-809-3 . 367–368.
  52. Web site: Richardsons in Scotland and Ireland . The Richardson Name Website . 5 October 2013.
  53. Web site: GEORGE PEABODY HOUSE MUSEUM.
  54. Whitaker's Almanack, 2005, p. 83, et seq.
  55. Web site: Baronetcies to which no succession has been proved . 31 December 2017 . The Standing Council of the Baronetage . 24 November 2018.
  56. Book: Vickers, Hugo . 1994 . Royal Orders . Great Britain . Boxtree Limited . 55 . 1852835109.
  57. Book: Somerset, Anne . Queen Victoria and Her Prime Ministers . William Collins . 2024 . 978-0-00-810622-5 . 1st . 295 . English.
  58. Book: Somerset, Anne . Queen Victoria and Her Prime Ministers . William Collins . 2024 . 978-0-00-810622-5 . 51 . English.
  59. Book: Auerback, Frank Helmut . Rubinstein . William D. . 2011 . The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History . London, UK . . 41 . 978-1-349-51951-4.
  60. Obituary: Peter Benenson . 3 March 2005 . . 24 November 2018.
  61. Book: Wagman-Geller, Marlene . 2010 . Eureka!: The Surprising Stories Behind the Ideas That Shaped the World . New York . Penguin . 978-0-39953-589-5 . registration .
  62. Web site: Arnold Bennett: The Edwardian David Bowie? . Samira . Ahmed . BBC News . 23 June 2014.
  63. News: Sixty things about David Bowie . BBC News . Jody . Thompson . 8 January 2007.
  64. Web site: Hebblethwaite . Phil . Why did these 8 musicians decline a British honour? . . 6 July 2018 . 15 October 2021.
  65. News: Honours list: happy for Sir Wiggo, but Danny Boyle has a point . Stephanie . Merritt . 30 December 2012 . London, UK . The Guardian . 30 December 2012.
  66. Book: Cadigan, Neil . 2008 . A Man Among Mavericks – Lester Brain: Australia's Greatest Aviator . Sydney . . 978-0-7333-2096-5 . 211–212.
  67. Book: Olby, Robert Cecil . 2009 . Francis Crick: Hunter of Life's Secrets . . Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press . 434 . 978-0-87969-798-3.
  68. News: Britain Releases Partial List of Those Declining Knighthood . Lyall . Sarah . 26 January 2012 . The New York Times . 3 March 2017 . 0362-4331.
  69. DAVIES, HENRY REES (1861–1940), antiquary . s-DAVI-REE-1861 . 2022-06-02.
  70. News: Anti-matter and madness . McKie . Robin . 1 February 2009 . London, UK . The Guardian . 21 October 2011.
  71. Web site: Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac . O'Connor . J. J. . Robertson . E. F. . October 2003 . . 21 October 2011.
  72. Web site: MUST-LISTEN: Bernie Ecclestone guests on F1's official podcast. formula1.com. 2020-01-13.
  73. EDWARDS, HUW THOMAS (1892 – 1970), trade unionist and politician . s12-EDWA-THO-1892.
  74. https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201603/physicshistory.cfm#:~:text=Faraday%20suffered%20a%20nervous%20breakdown,president%20of%20the%20Royal%20Society. Michael Faraday profile
  75. Book: Ceccarelli . Marco . 2009 . Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science: Their Contributions and Legacies, Part 2 . . Springer Science & Business Media . 92 . 978-9-40178-946-2.
  76. Book: Sarker, Sunil Kumar . E.M. Forster's A Passage to India . 2007 . New Delhi . Atlantic . 92 . 978-8-12690-791-5.
  77. Book: The Cambridge Companion to E. M. Forster . David . Bradshaw . 2007 . 978-0-521-83475-9 . Cambridge University Press . Chronology . 27 May 2008.
  78. News: News in Brief: Mr. Galsworthy . . 7 . 2 January 1918.
  79. News: Stephen Hawking warns Government over 'disastrous' science funding cuts . Peterkin . Tom . 15 June 2008 . The Daily Telegraph. London . 2 April 2018 .
  80. Book: Carroll, Brian . Australia's Governors General: From Hopetoun to Jeffery . Rosenberg Publishing Pty, Limited . 2004 . 185 . 9781877058219 . 5 October 2013.
  81. News: Patrick Heron obituary: The Colour of Genius . McNay . Michael . 22 March 1999 . The Guardian . 3 March 2017.
  82. News: Peter Higgs interview: 'I have this kind of underlying incompetence' . Aitkenhead . Decca . Decca Aitkenhead . 6 December 2013 . The Guardian . 24 November 2018.
  83. Web site: Peter Higgs: honour for physicist who proposed particle . Rincon . Paul . 28 December 2012 . BBC News . 29 December 2012.
  84. News: Former MP turns down knighthood . 18 June 2010 . Streatham Guardian . London, UK . 21 October 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110809133123/http://www.streathamguardian.co.uk/news/8228235.Former_MP_turns_down_knighthood . 9 August 2011.
  85. Web site: Home . 3 June 2022 . welshcurtaincalls.co.uk.
  86. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/54527/page/12351 Marmaduke Hussey gazetted as as Baron Hussey of North Bradley
  87. Book: Dillingham, William B. . 2005 . Rudyard Kipling: Hell and Heroism . registration . New York . Palgrave Macmillan . 51 . 978-1-40396-997-2.
  88. Book: Adams, Jad . 2005 . Kipling . London, UK . Haus . 138 . 978-1-90495-019-6.
  89. Web site: Outline chronology: 1918 (Oct-Dec) . T.E. Lawrence Studies . 24 November 2018 . 5 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180605092420/http://www.telstudies.org/biography/chron_1918_2.shtml . dead .
  90. Book: Orlans, Harold . 2002 . T.E. Lawrence: Biography of a Broken Hero . . . 7 . 978-0-78641-307-2.
  91. News: Fraser . Giles . Lawrence of Arabia wouldn't have been surprised by the rise of Isis . The Guardian. 8 April 2016 . 2021-06-07 .
  92. A100084b . Lewis, Essington (1881–1961) . Geoffrey . Blainey . Ann G. . Smith . 10 . 1986 . 14 September 2010.
  93. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Wright . E. P. . Mann, Arthur Henry (1876–1972) . 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/31405 . 13 February 2013 . subscription .
  94. Book: Buchanan, Brenda J. . . Oxford University Press . Oxford, England . May 2007 . McAdam, John Loudon.
  95. Web site: Reeves, William Pember (1857–1932) . Keith . Sinclair . 1 September 2010 . New Zealand Dictionary of National Biography . 5 October 2013.
  96. Web site: Frank Pick profile . . 30 April 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060713100244/http://www.designmuseum.org/design/frank-pick . 13 July 2006.
  97. News: Giving Prince Philip a knighthood is both dumb and dumber . Sheridan . Greg . 28 January 2015 . . subscription . 17 March 2017.
  98. Book: Martin, Stanley . The Order of Merit: one hundred years of matchless honour . Taurus . London, UK . 2007 . 484 . George Bernard Shaw . 978-1-86064-848-9.
  99. Web site: Bringing off the miracle of resurrection . 14 May 2009 . Fred . Inglis . London, UK . . 30 August 2011 . subscription .
  100. Private Eye June 2023
  101. Book: Marr, David . Patrick White, a life . 1991 . Random House . Milsons Point, NSW . 0091825857 . 516.
  102. The Solicitors' Journal and Reporter, Vol. 21 (1877), p.874.
  103. Web site: Speaker of the House John Bercow delivers J.H. Whitley Lecture . 7 November 2014 . University of Huddersfield . 31 October 2016.
  104. News: Norman Willis obituary . Goodman . Geoffrey . 25 June 2014 . The Guardian . 24 November 2018.
  105. Web site: William Woodfull. 2012 . Sport Australia Hall of Fame . 26 September 2020.
  106. FOI 316126 Freedom of Information request . 20 February 2012 . Roger . Smethurst . . Peter Doughty.
  107. Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of . 06.
  108. Stanhope, Philip Dormer . 54.
  109. Web site: Berkeley, Hon. George Cranfield (1753–1818) . Fisher . David R. . The History of Parliament Online . 21 October 2011.
  110. "A. E. Housman", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  111. Book: Gibbs, A. M. . Bernard Shaw: A Life . . 2005 . Gainesville, FL . 554 . 0-8130-2859-0 . registration .
  112. Book: Lal, Mohan . Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, Volume 5 . 4175 . Sahitya Akademi . 2006 . 978-81-260-1221-3.
  113. Book: Pothen, Nayantara . 2012 . Glittering Decades: New Delhi in Love and War . Viking. 172. 9788184756012.
  114. News: Ramaswamy . Chitra . 7 August 2022 . India 1947: Partition in Colour review – a heartbreaking, rage-inspiring history of Britain's colonial legacy . . 14 August 2022.
  115. Book: Murdoch, Walter . Alfred Deakin: A Sketch . Walter Murdoch . 1923 . London, UK . . 103.
  116. News: Fysh, Sir Philip Oakley (1835–1919). Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  117. Who's Who, 1935, p.1792.
  118. Who's Who, 1956, p.39.
  119. Book: Galloway . Peter . Stanley . David . Martin . Stanley . Royal Service (Volume I) . 1996 . Victorian Publishing . London . 28.
  120. Web site: On Being Hurt . Craig . Murray . 27 August 2011 . craigmurray.org.uk . 21 October 2011.
  121. Web site: Page 1 | Supplement 52563, 14 June 1991 | London Gazette | the Gazette.
  122. News: Oakeshott . Michael . A Letter from Margaret Thatcher . michael-oakeshott-association.org.
  123. Book: Lovell, R. R. H. . Wilson, Charles McMoran, first Baron Moran (1882–1977) . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 59 . 2004 . Oxford University Press . 504 . 0-19-861409-8.
  124. News: People who snubbed honours from the Queen: in full . 25 January 2012 . The Daily Telegraph. London . 4 March 2017.
  125. J. H. Penson: mystery man and mystery record . Foley . M. J. Y. . 2006 . . 26 . 171–178 . 24 November 2018.
  126. Web site: Cabinet Office list of honours declined by since deceased persons, 1951–1999 . 5 October 2013 . http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120202145535/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/document2012-01-24-075439.pdf . dead . 2 February 2012.
  127. News: Why Honor Blackman still packs a punch . Farndale . Nigel . 27 August 2012 . The Daily Telegraph . London, UK . 24 November 2018.
  128. Web site: Some who turned the offer down . The Guardian. 22 December 2003.
  129. News: The refuseniks and the honours they turned down . en . . 2022-06-02 . 0140-0460.
  130. Web site: Evans . Geraint . 2019-01-24 . The Rev Owen Evans obituary . 2022-06-02 . The Guardian . en.
  131. Web site: How the Empire gong could be dumped in the dustbin of history . . 13 July 2004 . 10 May 2021.
  132. https://www.linkedin.com/analytics/post-summary/urn:li:activity:6946852273780105216/
  133. Book: C. S., Lewis . Letters of C.S. Lewis . 1994 . Mariner Books . New York . 0-15-650871-0 . 528 . W. H. . Lewis . Walter . Hooper . Churchill offered Lewis the investiture following the Conservative Party's return to power in 1951..
  134. News: Hennessy . Patrick . Ken Livingstone turned down CBE for Olympic role . 29 December 2012 . The Daily Telegraph . London, UK . 5 October 2013.
  135. News: The woman who gave us Sutton Hoo. 26 March 2014. East Anglian Daily Times. 21 December 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20140327233821/http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/features_2_483/the_woman_who_gave_us_sutton_hoo_1_78723. 27 March 2014.
  136. Web site: Page 2 | Supplement 44999, 30 December 1969 | London Gazette | the Gazette.
  137. Web site: Alan Rickman's secret showbiz diaries: the late actor on Harry Potter, politics and what he really thought of his co-stars . . 24 September 2022 . 24 September 2022.
  138. Web site: Jo Shapcott: the book of life . . 27 January 2011 . 16 September 2021.
  139. News: Patrick . Holly . 2 January 2024 . Real-life Mr Bates reveals why he turned down OBE for Post Office campaigning . Independent.
  140. Web site: 'I wake up and check the obituaries in the paper. If I'm not listed, I get up' Stanley Baxter on turning 90. HeraldScotland. 21 May 2016 . 2020-05-01.
  141. Web site: Jez Butterworth turned down OBE over government's EU Referendum pledge . . 16 July 2017 . 12 October 2023.
  142. News: Curthoys, Roy Lancaster (1892–1971). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Allan. Martin. 1993. 13.
  143. Web site: Cabinet Office list of honours declined by since deceased persons, 1951–1999 . dead . http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120202145535/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/document2012-01-24-075439.pdf . 2 February 2012 . 5 October 2013.
  144. EDWARDS, Sir IFAN ab OWEN (1895 – 1970), lecturer, founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru . s2-EDWA-OWE-1895 . 2022-06-02.
  145. Web site: Evans, Cyrus J., Hon. Secretary, The Welsh Hospital, 47 Principality Buildings, Cardiff, – National Library of Wales Archives and Manuscripts . 2022-06-02 . archives.library.wales.
  146. News: Ginsborg . Paul . Obituary . The Guardian . 3 June 2022.
  147. News: Why did these 8 musicians decline a British honour?. 6 July 2018. BBC. Phil Hebblethwaite.
  148. Web site: Scotland's Writers: Hamish Henderson, 1919-2002 . . 24 November 2018.
  149. Lonely prince of coaches. Foot . David . The Guardian . 22 March 2001.
  150. JONES, JAMES IDWAL (1900-1982), headteacher and Labour politician . s6-JONE-IDW-1900 . 2022-06-02.
  151. Gwyn . Thomas . Gwyn Thomas (poet) . 2004 . 61278 . Jones, John Gwilym.
  152. News: Doris Lessing rejected top honour for being 'in the name of a non-existent Empire' . Stephen . Adams . 21 October 2008 . The Daily Telegraph . London, UK . 20 March 2014.
  153. News: Director Loach slams TV news . 13 March 2001 . BBC News . 10 June 2018.
  154. Kenneth McKellar – Scotland's Greatest Tenor . 5 October 2013 . Trusadh . Trusadh . Anne . Gillies . . 24 December 2012 . 3 . gd.
  155. Web site: Hank Marvin says no to OBE . . 13 June 2004 . 12 October 2023.
  156. Book: Newman, William . William Newman (computer scientist) . B. Jack . Copeland . B. Jack Copeland . 2006 . Max Newman – Mathematician, Codebreaker and Computer Pioneer . Colossus: The Secrets of Bletchley Park's Codebreaking Computers . limited . Oxford University Press . 177. 978-0-19-284055-4.
  157. Web site: John Oliver: I've turned down an OBE : News 2019 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide. Bennett. Steve. chortle.co.uk. 2019-10-29.
  158. OWEN, HUGH JOHN (1880 – 1961), solicitor, author and local historian . s2-OWEN-JOH-1880 . 2022-06-02.
  159. PARRY, Sir THOMAS (1904-1985), scholar, Librarian of the National Library of Wales, University Principal, poet . s6-PARR-THO-1904 . 2022-06-02.
  160. Web site: Page 6230 | Supplement 47549, 2 June 1978 | London Gazette | the Gazette.
  161. News: Michèle Roberts: Confessions of a cultural heretic . Stephanie . Cross . 6 May 2012 . . 10 June 2018.
  162. The NS Interview: Nitin Sawhney, musician . Shackle . Samira . 22 September 2011 . . 24 November 2018.
  163. News: Hillsborough campaigner Prof Phil Scraton turns down OBE . 29 December 2016 . The Guardian . 24 November 2018.
  164. News: Last night's television: Secrets of the Honours System . Banks-Smith . Nancy . Nancy Banks-Smith . The Guardian . London, UK . 1 May 2010.
  165. News: Badshah . Nadeem . Pioneering Observer columnist Katharine Whitehorn dies aged 92 . . 8 January 2021 . 11 January 2021.
  166. News: Winner shuns 'toilet-cleaner OBE' . 28 May 2006 . BBC News . 1 May 2010.
  167. News: Benjamin Zephaniah declines an OBE in protest against colonialism . Danielle . Demetriou . 27 November 2003 . The Independent . London, UK . 1 May 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100616162002/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/benjamin-zephaniah-declines-an-obe-in-protest-against-colonialism-737107.html . 16 June 2010.
  168. News: Lingerie firm founder rejects MBE . 20 June 2007 . BBC News . 24 November 2018.
  169. Glynn, 2014, 39 mins
  170. Web site: Former BBC presenter turns down MBE . 30 December 2016 . BBC News . 24 November 2018.
  171. News: Honoured? No thanks, say elite of arts and TV . Harvey . McGavin . 22 December 2003 . . London, UK.
  172. News: Why I rejected my MBE . Bob . Holman . 4 June 2012 . The Guardian . London, UK . 5 October 2013.
  173. News: Breaking out of constraints . Alexa . Baracaia . 4 October 2012 . . 5 October 2013.
  174. News: George the Poet: I rejected MBE over 'pure evil' of British empire. Rawlinson. Kevin. 25 November 2019. The Guardian. 11 October 2021. 0261-3077.
  175. News: Pandit G Turns Down MBE . 25 June 2002 . . 7 June 2008.
  176. Web site: Shukla. Nikesh. 2021-06-14. I turned down an MBE – I don't want an honour glorifying the British empire Nikesh Shukla. 2021-06-14. The Guardian. en.
  177. The Complete Peerage (1911–1949)
  178. News: 2023-01-27 . Alan Cumming: Actor and US Traitors host hands back OBE over 'toxicity of empire' . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-03-09.
  179. News: When Sir Ian heard who the lawyer was, it is likely he let out a long, hard sigh . Andrew . Alderson . Nina . Goswami . 5 August 2005 . The Sunday Telegraph . London, UK . 7 July 2011.
  180. News: New Years Honours List . 31 December 2008 . 12 . The London Gazette.
  181. Web site: Rawlinson. Kevin. 2020-12-29. Michael Sheen returned OBE to air views on royal family. 2020-12-29. The Guardian. en.
  182. Book: Spitz, Bob . 2005 . Bob Spitz . The Beatles: The Biography . . New York . 978-0-316-80352-6. The Beatles: The Biography . 556–57.
  183. News: Protest at honour for Beatles . . 15 June 1965 . 56348 . 12 .
  184. News: Captain returning O.B.E. in protest . . 16 June 1965 . 56349 . 12 .
  185. News: Two to one against Beatles . . 17 June 1965 . 56350 . 6.
  186. News: Author returns his Military Medal . . 22 June 1965 . 56354 . 10.
  187. News: Sparrow . Andrew . 9 January 2024 . Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to hand back CBE with immediate effect in wake of Horizon scandal – UK politics live . 9 January 2024 . . 0261-3077.
  188. News: 2009-02-10 . Welsh hero medal proposal dropped . en-GB . 2022-06-04.
  189. Web site: Cinus . Alex . 2013-09-10 . First Minister launches new Welsh honours system to honour Wales' heroes . 2022-06-04 . WalesOnline . en.
  190. Book: P-06-1196 The inauguration of an Honorary National System of Awards; The Cymru Knighthood Award.