Radical reforms being considered by royal officials could see the word ‘Empire’ dropped from British honours.
Under the outline plans, those recognised with an OBE – Order of the British Empire – could instead choose to receive an Order of British Excellence. A parallel Order of Elizabeth has also been proposed in remembrance of the late Queen.
In both cases, the traditional, colonial-era titles would be retained for those who wanted to accept them.
Any alteration to the honours system would be down to Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
A newly updated biography of the King, by the Mail’s Robert Hardman, quotes a senior Palace official saying: ‘Any change is a matter for the government, but I think that they would find that this place was pretty open to the idea.’
The move comes amid an increasing reappraisal of the British Empire’s legacy, with Caribbean countries calling for the UK to pay hundreds of billions of pounds in reparations for the slave trade.
Several public figures have refused honours because of their disdain for the word ‘empire’.
Here are some of the high-profile figures who have rejected or returned their honours because they felt uncomfortable with the connotations of the word ‘Empire’:
Actor Alan Cumming last year returned his OBE saying he had ‘misgivings about being associated with the toxicity of empire’ and that ‘conversations about the role of monarchy and the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes’.
The poet Benjamin Zephaniah rejected an OBE in 2003, saying: ‘I get angry when I hear that word “empire”.’
Film director Ken Loach turned down an OBE in 1977, saying: ‘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.’
The author JG Ballard, refused a CBE in 2003, saying: ‘Thousands of medals are given out in the name of a non-existent empire. It makes us look a laughing stock and encourages deference to the Crown.’
Journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown said she had been ‘stupid’ to accept an MBE, which she returned, saying ‘The honours system sucks.’ She called for a better system to ‘acclaim exceptional citizens for their contribution to the nation, not to overweening political parties or the semi-skilled, dysfunctional Windsors.’
Actor Michael Sheen returned his OBE in 2017, while calling for the Royal Family to abandon the tradition of giving the title Prince of Wales to the heir to the English throne.
John Lennon returned his MBE in 1969, four years after receiving it, citing Britain’s involvement in the Nigerian Civil War, support of the USA’s war in Vietnam – and Cold Turkey by his wife’s Plastic Ono Band slipping down the charts.
Last year, actor Alan Cumming returned his OBE saying he had ‘misgivings about being associated with the toxicity of empire’ and poet Benjamin Zephaniah, whose parents came from the Caribbean, rejected an OBE in 2003, saying: ‘I get angry when I hear that word “empire”. It reminds me of slavery.’
The proposal is revealed in the updated biography of the King by acclaimed royal writer Robert Hardman, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday.
It has already dropped the bombshells that Charles cut off Prince Andrew’s allowance, and the late Queen was planning to evict him from Royal Lodge. And today’s extracts reveal that the Princess of Wales deepened her religious faith since discovering that she had cancer.
The landmark biography also states that Queen Elizabeth was ‘quite intrigued’ by a proposal to change the name of the OBE to the ‘Order of Britain & Elizabeth’ and ‘would not have objected to a discussion’.
Last night, when asked about the honours proposal, a No 10 source said: ‘We would not discuss any conversations with the Palace under any circumstances’.
But Foreign Secretary David Lammy made a series of outspoken remarks about British colonialism, including his support for the idea of reparations, before entering Government.
The honours reform would be the first change to the Order of the British Empire since it was created by George V in 1917 to reward contributions to the arts and sciences, charitable and welfare organisations and public service outside the civil service.
There are five levels, from Knight Grand Cross to Member of the Order (MBE). The OBE is officially an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
The related British Empire Medal would also be reformed under the plans now under discussion.
A number of Commonwealth nations also make appointments to the Order.
Last month, the Prime Minister lost his battle to prevent Caribbean nations from using the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit to demand billions in reparations for the British slave trade.
After The Mail on Sunday revealed that they would be pressing the issue, No 10 insisted it was ‘not on the agenda’ for the summit – and continued to do so until the final communique was published in which the leaders agreed that the ‘time has come’ for a discussion on the matter, more than 200 years after the slave trade was abolished by the UK parliament.
Campaigners have called for £200billion in reparations, with some demanding many multiples of that sum.
Mr Lammy, who is descended from enslaved people, has described how his ancestors heard ‘the twisted lies of imperialism as they were stolen from their homes in shackles and turned into slaves’.
He also controversially supported protesters who toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol and dumped it into the harbour four years ago.
Dozens of other memorials to traders and colonialists were removed in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.
The potential honours shake-up also comes after the Prime Minister’s controversial decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius last month, in a move which has led to fears for the future of British control of other strategic territories including the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.
Reform to the honours system was first suggested by a Commons select committee in 2004, in a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System.
It recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire as its title was ‘now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of the country’s population.’
The committee suggested switching ‘Empire’ for ‘Excellence’ and changing the rank of Commander (CBE) to Companion as the former was said to have a ‘militaristic ring’. However the MPs’ suggestions were rejected by Tony Blair’s government.