King Charles has stripped nine Brits of their honorary titles so far this month. The monarch can give honours such as OBE, MBE and BEM and withdraw them if the holder is found guilty of a criminal offence or behaviour “deemed to bring the honours system into disrepute”.
The Cabinet Office’s Forfeiture Committee recommends forfeitures, which the Prime Minister submits to the monarch. If the King agrees, then a notice of forfeiture is published in the London Gazette. Those stripped of their titles in March include the retired Scottish rugby player, Stuart Hogg.
His MBE was cancelled and annulled by the King after he pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse charge against his estranged wife. Mr Hogg was given a year-long community payback order.
He was awarded a gong in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List for his service to rugby. The former Glasgow Warriors fullback took part in three British and Irish Lions tours. He was decorated with a century of senior caps for his country, according to the Mirror.
Paul Allen Rose, founder of Barrow’s Owl Sanctuary, was also stripped of his honour this month.
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 News & Star.
Ensure our latest royal headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or just add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
According to the London Gazette, the following people also had their honours cancelled and annulled by the King:
- Ian Michael Ashbolt was stripped of his MBE
- Lloyd Ian Hamilton saw his MBE cancelled and annulled
- Angela Jane Middleton had her MBE taken back
- Nigel Timothy James O’Connor was stripped of an MBE
- Tony Reilly had his OBE cancelled and annulled
- Anantkumar Meghji Pethraj Shah lost his OBE
- Graham Gilbey Trewhella was stripped of his MBE
While a person can renounce their own honour themselves, they still retain it until the King annuls it.
Former HBOS chief executive, James Crosby, asked for his knighthood to be removed in 2013, according to the House of Commons Library.
He made the request amid the fallout from the financial crisis, when the banking giant was taken over by Lloyds.
Mr Crosby said he felt “deeply sorry” about what had happened and requested the removal, the BBC reported.
Former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Fred Goodwin had his knighthood revoked in 2012.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
