Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or a dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with the order, but are not members of it.

The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V, who created the order to recognise "such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire". Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state.

Current classes

The five classes of appointment to the order are, from highest grade to lowest grade:

Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE);
Knight Commander or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE or DBE);
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE);
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE); and
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).

The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use the titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards.

History

King George V founded the order to fill gaps in the British honours system:

thumb|upright=0.6|left|MBE (civil division) as awarded in 1918

The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to the order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were the same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920, appointment as an MBE "for an act of gallantry" was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from a burning building containing explosives. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by a proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in the civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards.

With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards "for gallantry" and awards "for meritorious service" (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1941, the medal of the order "for meritorious service" was renamed the British Empire Medal, and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey' (with the addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in the centre for awards in the military division). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours. The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of the Order of Canada. On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours. New Zealand continued to use the order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by the United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued.

In the 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility:

Arts and media
Community, voluntary and local
Economy
Education
Health
Parliamentary and political
Science and technology
Sport
State

with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service.

In 2017, the centenary of the order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral.

Prelate: Bishop of London, vacant
Dean: Dean of St Paul's (), The Very Rev. Andrew Tremlett
Secretary: Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Segrave
Registrar: Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service, Dame Antonia Romeo
King of Arms: Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall
Lady Usher of the Purple Rod: Dame Amelia Fawcett

At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922, the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary: the former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award.

Antigua and Barbuda
The Bahamas
Belize
Cook Islands
Grenada
Papua New Guinea
Saint Christopher and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu

Honorary awards<span class="anchor" id="Honorary knighthoods"></span>

Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or other Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame. Honorary appointees who later become a citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order.

Gallantry awards

thumb|A silver oak-leaf emblem denoted an award made "for gallantry" between 1958 and 1974.|alt=A crossed pair of oak leaves, in silver, against a background of red woven ribbon material

Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach the standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear. In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry.

Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade.

Insignia

File:Mbe medal front and reverse.jpg|Obverse (left) and reverse of the MBE badge and riband (civil division)

File:MBE for Aviva Ben Raphael (5528384137).jpg|MBE badge as awarded to a female recipient (civil division)

File:OBE - George 6th.jpg|OBE badge and riband (military division)

File:Medal, order (AM 2001.25.423-1).jpg|CBE badge and riband (military division)

</gallery>

When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929, mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of the highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck.

GBE mantle.jpg|Mantle worn by Knights and Dames Grand Cross (GBE)

GBE star.jpg|Close-up of the Star on the mantle

File:Collar and star of the Order of the British Empire.jpg|Collar, badge and Star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order

File:Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire - Memorial JK - Brasilia - DSC00378.JPG|Broad riband and badge of a Knight Grand Cross of the Order

</gallery>

The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. It comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions.

A lapel pin for everyday wear was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal. The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips' review of the honours system in 2004.

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;" width=55%

|+ Order of the British Empire ribbon bars

|- style="vertical-align:center;"

! width=15% |

! width=20% | Civil

! width=20% | Military

|- style="vertical-align:center;"

! 1917–1935

| 110px|centre

|- style="vertical-align:center;"

! Since 1936

| 110px|centre

Chapel

thumb|Chapel of the Order in the [[crypt of St Paul's Cathedral (photographed in 2013). The banners are those of the Sovereign (right) and of the Grand Master (left) of the Order as they were then in office.]]

The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral. It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire. Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George. Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services.

Precedence and privileges

thumb|Knights, Dames and Commanders of the Order may display its [[circlet around (and suspend its Badge below) their coat of arms.]]

Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir, and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame, to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when the names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England and the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained), as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use the title Dame.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM.

Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence. Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of the Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters. They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of the latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet.

Current Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Sovereign and Grand Master

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"

!Name

!Year of appointment

!Present age

|Charles III (ex officio)

|Sovereign since 2022

|Queen Camilla

|2024

Knights and Dames Grand Cross

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"

!Military rank (if any)

!Name

!Known for

!Year of appointment

!Present age

! rowspan="3" |

|Sir Christopher Leaver

| rowspan="3" |Lord Mayor of London

|1981

|Sir Anthony Jolliffe

|1982

|Sir Alexander Graham

|1990

|Air Chief Marshal

|Sir Patrick Hine

|Joint Commander British Forces Gulf War

| rowspan="1" |1991

|Air Chief Marshal

|Sir Bill Wratten

|Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command

|1998

|Air Chief Marshal

|Sir Anthony Bagnall

|Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff

| rowspan="3" |2002

! rowspan="3" |

|Sir Michael Perry

|Chairman of the Senior Salaries Review Body

|Sir Ronnie Flanagan

|Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland

|Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss

|President of the Family Division

|2005

|General

|Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman

|Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff

| rowspan="2" |2011

! rowspan="5" |

|Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury

|Governor of the Bank of England

|Sir John Parker

|President of the Royal Academy of Engineering

| rowspan="2" |2012

|Helene Hayman, Baroness Hayman

|Lord Speaker

|Sir Keith Mills

|Deputy Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

|2013

|Sir John Bell

|President of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research

|2015

|Air Chief Marshal

|Stuart Peach, Baron Peach

|Chief of the Defence Staff and Chair of the NATO Military Committee

| rowspan="2" |2016

! rowspan="19" |

|Sir Ian Wood

|Businessman and philanthropist

|Sir Cyril Chantler

|Paediatric nephrologist

|2017

|Sir Keith Peters

|Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge

| rowspan="3" |2018

|Sir Christopher Greenwood

|Judge of the International Court of Justice

|Rosalyn Higgins, Baroness Higgins

|President of the International Court of Justice

|Sir Michael Burton

|President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal

|2019

|Frederick Curzon, 7th Earl Howe

|Deputy Leader of the House of Lords and Minister of State for Defence

|2021

|Dame Sue Ion

|Engineer and Member of the National Academy of Engineering

|2022

|Sir Partha Dasgupta

|Economist and Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge

| rowspan="2" |2023

|Dame Hermione Lee

|Biographer and President of Wolfson College, Oxford

|Margaret Beckett, Baroness Beckett

|Politician and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

| rowspan="6" |2024

|Dame Carol Black

|Rheumatologist and Chair of the British Library

|Sir William Beaumont

|Chairman of World Rugby

|Sir James McDonald

|Engineer and Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde

|Sir Ridley Scott

|Filmmaker and director

|Dame Jenny Abramsky

|Journalist, Chancellor of the University of East Anglia and Director of Audio and Music at the British Broadcasting Corporation

|Dame Jacqueline Wilson

|Novelist

|rowspan="3" |2025

|Sir Leszek Borysiewicz

| Immunologist and academic administrator

|Sir Simon Wessely

| Psychiatrist

|Admiral

|Sir Tony Radakin

|Chief of the Defence Staff

|2026

Honorary Knights and Dames Grand Cross

See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; background:white; border:#01796f solid;"

!Country

!Name

!Office when appointed

!Year of appointment

!Present age

|Jordan

|Taher Masri

|28th Prime Minister of Jordan

|1988

|Hungary

|Zsigmond Járai

|7th Minister of Finance of Hungary

| rowspan="2" |1999

|United States

|George Mitchell

|8th Chancellor of the Queen's University, Belfast

| rowspan="2" |Italy

|Nicola Mancino

|8th Acting President of Italy

|2000

|Luciano Violante

|10th President of the Chamber of Deputies

|2000

thumb|right|A bejeweled breast star of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire

Forfeiture

Only the monarch can annul an honour, based on recommendations from the Honours Forfeiture Committee, which considers cases such as criminal convictions or actions that bring the honours system into disrepute. An individual can symbolically renounce their honour by returning the insignia to Buckingham Palace and ceasing to reference their title. However, the honour remains officially held unless formally annulled by the monarch.

For instance, John Lennon returned his MBE insignia in 1969 as a form of protest, but the honour was not formally annulled and remained officially in place.

People who declined Order of the British Empire honours

In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie, John Cleese, Nigella Lawson, Elgar Howarth, L. S. Lowry, George Melly, and J. G. Ballard. In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to the honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". Benjamin Zephaniah, a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality – it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised".

The author C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) was named on the last list of honours by George VI in December 1951. Despite being a monarchist, he declined in order to avoid association with any political issues.

In 2019, comedian John Oliver turned down an offer of appointment as an OBE, which would have been part of the Queen's New Year Honours list, later saying: "Why on Earth would I want that?".

The members of the rock band The Beatles were appointed Members in 1965. John Lennon justified his investiture by comparing military membership in the Order: "Lots of people who complained about us receiving the MBE [status] received theirs for heroism in the war – for killing people ... We received ours for entertaining other people. I'd say we deserve ours more". Lennon later returned his MBE insignia on 25 November 1969, as part of his ongoing peace protests.

Other criticism centres on the view that many recipients of the Order are being rewarded with honours for simply doing their jobs; critics say that the Civil Service and Judiciary receive far more orders and honours than leaders of other professions.

Notes

References

External links

Order of the British Empire – Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
The Order of the British Empire – UK Cabinet Office
The King and Honours – Royal Household website
The British honours system – UK Government

Order of the British Empire

Current classes

History

Honorary awards<span class="anchor" id="Honorary knighthoods"></span>

Gallantry awards

Insignia

Chapel

Precedence and privileges

Current Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Sovereign and Grand Master

Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Honorary Knights and Dames Grand Cross

Forfeiture

People who declined Order of the British Empire honours

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links