Honours: refusal and removal

Honours are awarded by the King, on advice from the Prime Minister and specialist subject committees. Most awards arise from nominations made by the public. The steps to decline or remove an honour are set out. See also Casework article Honours: Nomination and award.

Can an honour be refused?

People nominated and approved by honours Committees are notified by email or letter that the King intends to award them an honour. They are asked to reply to accept formally. Recipients are also asked not to disclose the offer of award, until details are published in an honours list, as this information is confidential.

An honour may be declined at this stage. In that case no information about the person would be made public. A record is kept of numbers of refusals, which has usually been about twenty- five per awards round. People don’t have to give a reason for refusal, and most don’t. Some people state that their work or volunteer duties have been part of a team.

Can an honour be returned after award?

There is no official method for renouncing an honour, after it has been accepted and awarded.

The monarch awards an honour and only the monarch can take it away.

The physical insignia (medals) can be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. This is symbolic, as replacement medals can be purchased.

Returning medals, or announcing that that an honour has been returned, is always unofficial. The record at the time of the appointment in the The Gazette and membership of the Order would remain valid. A holder may choose not to use the letters of their award (CBE; OBE) after their name.

How can an honour be removed?

An honour can be removed after it has been awarded. This process is called forfeiture. An honour can only be removed if the holder is still alive.

The King may, on the advice of Ministers, cancel an award if the holder is considered unworthy to retain it. The object of forfeiture is to preserve the integrity of the honours system.

There is a Forfeiture Committee, which is an independent advisory group of senior civil servants and independent members. The Committee makes a recommendation to The King, through the Prime Minister. Their discussions are confidential.

If an honour is forfeited, a note will be published in The Gazette. The wording used is “cancel and annul”.

Why might an honour be removed?

An honour can be taken away if someone is sentenced to prison for at least three months for a criminal offence. This can also happen if someone is censured by a professional or regulatory body, for something directly relevant to their honour (for instance a doctor being struck off).

Other reasons for forfeiture can also be considered and not all are specified. The overall criterion is whether the honours system has been brought into disrepute.

Can the public suggest that an honour be removed?

A member of the public, or an MP, may write to the Honours Secretariat, Cabinet Office, (honours@cabinet office.gov.uk) to explain how the person may have brought the honours system into disrepute. Recommendations will be made by the Forfeiture Committee, to the Prime Minister and the King.

Can a removed honour be restored?

Since 2021, it has been possible for honours and medals to be restored to living individuals, whose convictions for repealed offences are eligible to be disregarded or pardoned. This mostly applies to historical sexual offences which are no longer illegal. Application for restoration can be made to the Forfeiture Committee, through the Honours Secretariat. (honours@cabinet office.gov.uk)

Further information:

• Constituency Casework article, Honours: Nomination and award
• Commons Library Briefing Paper SN0283, Honours: History and reviews.

Author: Hazel Armstrong is a researcher in the Commons Library, covering honours, Government Departments and the civil service.