the Queen's New Year Honours List

[faceless]

There's been coverage of this on the news all day - for those who don't know the awards are meant to honour those who have contributed something to British society. I'm more interested in the people who refuse to accept them though... and here's a list. It would be interesting to know why they refused the honours, but that info isn't available on the wiki page I took this from.

Knighthood

* Frank Auerbach, artist (in 2003)
* Sir Edmund Barton, first Prime Minister of Australia; he refused knighthoods in 1887, 1891 and 1899, but agreed to be made a GCMG in 1902
* Peter Benenson, founder of Amnesty International
* Alan Bennett, playwright (in 1996; had previously declined appointment as CBE in 1988)
* David Bowie, musician (in 2003; had previously declined appointment as CBE in 2000)
* Benjamin Britten, composer (later accepted appointment as CH and OM and a life barony)
* The Hon Iqbal Chand Chopra, CBE, QC, barrister/politician in then Tanganyika, declined a knighthood on grounds that his partner in Williamson Diamonds Ltd., Dr. J.T. Williamson, could not accept a knighthood as a Canadian citizen.
* Joseph Conrad, author
* Hugh Cudlipp, OBE, editor (in 1966; later accepted a knighthood in 1973 and a life peerage in 1974)
* The Revd Hugh Bruce Cunningham, minister (in 1700s)
* Michael Faraday, chemist and physicist
* Albert Finney, actor (in 2000, had previously declined appointment as CBE in 1980)
* E. M. Forster, author and essayist (in 1949; later accepted appointment as CH in 1953)[1]
* Michael Frayn, dramatist (in 2003; had previously declined appointment as CBE in 1989)
* John Galsworthy, novelist (later accepted appointment as OM)
* Thomas Hardy, novelist/poet (later accepted appointment as OM)
* Stephen Hawking, physicist
* David Hockney, artist (in 1990; later accepted appointment as CH in 1997)
* Trevor Howard, actor
* Aldous Huxley, author (in 1959)
* Augustus John, artist (on a number of occasions, probably at the urging of his wife; later accepted appointment as OM)
* Rudyard Kipling, author and poet
* C. S. Lewis, author, Oxford professor (to avoid association with any political issues)
* L. S. Lowry, artist (in 1968; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1955 and CBE in 1961; later declined appointment as CH in 1972 and 1976; holds the record for the most honours declined)
* Humphrey Lyttelton, jazz musician and broadcaster (in 1995)
* Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum (in 1999)
* Alexander Mackenzie, second Prime Minister of Canada (as he thought it an affront to his Scottish heritage)
* Dan McKenzie, earth scientist (later accepted appointment as CH in 2003)
* Robert Morley, CBE, actor and playwright
* William Martin Murphy, industrialist, MP (in 1906)
* Gilbert Murray, classical scholar and public intellectual (in 1912)
* Harold Pinter, playwright (later accepted appointment as CH)
* Anthony Powell, writer (later accepted appointment as CH)
* Richard Redgrave, artist (in 1869)
* John Singer Sargent, US painter (declined an honorary knighthood)
* Don Stephen Senanayake, first Prime Minister of Ceylon
* Paul Scofield, CH, CBE, actor (on several occasions)
* Alastair Sim, CBE, actor
* Ringo Starr, UK musician,most notably as the drummer for the British rock band The Beatles.
* Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer (later accepted appointment as OM)
* Bill Woodfull, cricketer (in 1934 (for services to cricket); later accepted appointment as OBE in 1963 (for services to education))
* W. B. Yeats, Irish poet (in 1915)

[edit] Appointment as a Companion of Honour (CH)

* Francis Bacon, artist (in 1977; had previously declined appointment as CBE in 1960)
* Robert Graves, poet and novelist (in 1984; had previously declined appointment as CBE in 1957)
* L. S. Lowry, artist (in 1972 and 1976; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1955 and CBE in 1961 and a knighthood in 1968; holds the record for the most honours declined)

[edit] Appointment to the Order of the Bath

[edit] As a Knight Commander (KCB)

* T. E. Lawrence, CB, DSO, World War I soldier, diplomat, and author, best known as Lawrence of Arabia
* Maj.-Gen. Adolphus Haggerston Stephens, CB, ADC and friend to the Duke of Cambridge and Edward VII, declined the offer of a KCB three times, as a gentleman.
* ACM K Lavin, KT, GCVO, GCMG, Commander of the RAAF 1967-1969, Commander of the ADF 1969-1971, declined knighthood out of humility and a gentlemanly nature.

[edit] Appointment to the Royal Victorian Order

[edit] As a Commander (CVO)

* Craig Murray, former United Kingdom Ambassador to Uzbekistan (had previously declined appointment as LVO and OBE)

[edit] As a Lieutenant (LVO)

* Craig Murray, former United Kingdom Ambassador to Uzbekistan (later declined appointment as OBE and CVO)

[edit] Appointment to the Order of the British Empire

[edit] As a Dame Commander (DBE)

* The Lady Callaghan of Cardiff, campaigner and fundraiser
* Doris Lessing, author (in 1993; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1977; later accepted appointment as CH in 2000)
* Geraldine McEwan, actress (in 2002; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1986)
* Vanessa Redgrave, CBE, actress (in 1999)

[edit] As a Commander (CBE)

* Francis Bacon, artist (in 1960; later declined appointment as CH in 1977)
* J. G. Ballard, author (in 2003)
* Nancy Banks-Smith, television critic (in 1970)
* Alan Bennett, playwright (in 1988; later declined a knighthood in 1996)
* Honor Blackman, actress (in 2002)
* David Bowie, musician (in 2000; later declined a knighthood in 2003)
* Sir Francis Boyd, journalist (in 1967; later accepted a knighthood in 1976)
* Kenneth Branagh, actor and director (in 1994)
* John Cleese, actor/comedian (in 1996)
* John Cole, journalist (in 1993)
* Bernie Ecclestone, owner of Formula One commercial rights (in 1996)
* Albert Finney, actor (in 1980; later declined a knighthood in 2000)
* Michael Frayn, dramatist (in 1989; later declined a knighthood in 2003)
* Lucian Freud, artist (in 1977; later accepted appointment as CH in 1983 and OM in 1993)
* Robert Graves, poet and novelist (in 1957; later declined appointment as CH in 1984)
* Wally Herbert, polar explorer (later accepted a knighthood)
* Sir Alfred Hitchcock, director (in 1962; later accepted appointment as KBE in 1980)
* John le Carré, author
* L. S. Lowry, artist (in 1961; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1955; later declined a knighthood in 1968 and appointment as CH in 1972 and 1976; holds the record for the most honours declined)
* George Melly, musician, artist and raconteur (in 2001)
* Dame Helen Mirren, actress (in 1996; later accepted appointment as DBE in 2003)
* Sir V. S. Naipaul, author (in 1977; later accepted a knighthood in 1990)
* Keith Richards, guitarist (The Rolling Stones)
* Robert Simpson, composer
* Savenaca Siwatibau, Fijian academic
* Polly Toynbee, columnist (in 2000)
* Evelyn Waugh, novelist (in 1959)
* Paul Weller, musician (in 2007)

[edit] As an Officer (OBE)

* Peter Alliss, golfer and commentator (in 2002)
* Jim Broadbent, actor (in 2002)
* Roald Dahl, author (in 1986)
* Dawn French, comedienne (in 2001 together with Jennifer Saunders)
* Graham Greene, author (in 1956; later accepted appointment as CH in 1966 and OM in 1986)
* Hamish Henderson, poet and folklorist (in 1983 as protest against the Thatcher government's nuclear policies [1])
* Lenny Henry, comedian (later accepted appointment as CBE)
* Hattie Jacques, actress and comedienne (in the 1970s)
* Philip Larkin, poet (in 1968 on the grounds that he deserved a higher honour; later accepted appointment as CBE in 1975 and CH in 1985)
* Nigella Lawson, cookery writer
* Doris Lessing, author (in 1977; later declined appointment as DBE in 1993; later accepted appointment as CH in 2000)
* Ken Loach, director (in 1977)
* L. S. Lowry, artist (in 1955; later declined appointment as CBE in 1961, a knighthood in 1968 and appointment as CH in 1972 and 1976; holds the record for the most honours declined)
* Geraldine McEwan, actress (in 1986; later declined appointment as DBE in 2002)
* Hank Marvin, guitarist (The Shadows)
* Stanley Middleton, author, 1979
* Craig Murray, former United Kingdom Ambassador to Uzbekistan (had previously declined appointment as LVO; later declined appointment as CVO)
* V. M. Sabherwall, Birmingham industrialist
* Jennifer Saunders, comedienne (in 2001 together with Dawn French)
* Jon Snow, newscaster (having declined, investigated and presented a Channel 4 documentary, Secrets of the Honours System [2])
* Grace Williams, composer
* Michael Winner, director (in 2006, saying, "An OBE is what you get if you clean the toilets well at King's Cross station."[3] )
* Benjamin Zephaniah, poet

[edit] As a Member (MBE)

* Derek Allhusen, Olympic equestrian gold-medallist in 1968
* Leonard Barden, British Chess Champion in 1954
* Shane Brewer, equestrian (in 1996)
* Joseph Corre, co-founder of Agent Provocateur (in 2007[2])
* Rachel Whiteread, artist (in 1997; later accepted appointment as CBE in 2006)
* Emer Rose Crangle, aid worker (in 1999)
* Barry McGuigan, boxer (in 1986; later accepted same appointment in 1994)
* Joan Smith, journalist
* Pearl Witherington, Special Operations Executive agent (declined appointment intended to compensate when men who had performed the same heroic acts in same wartime Resistance roles were being awarded the Military Cross at the time; her recommendation had been turned down simply because of her sex, not lack of gallantry; the first female winner of the MC was Michelle Norris in 2006.)

[edit] Unknown honour

* Charles Babbage, scientist
* Charles Holden, architect
* A. E. Housman, poet
* Anish Kapoor, artist
* Richard Lambert, editor of the Financial Times
* A. E. W. Mason, novelist, who declared that honours meant nothing to a childless man
* J. B. Priestley, OM, playwright
* Claire Tomalin, journalist and biographer