Royal honors rejected as King Charles takes away titles
RadarOnline.com can reveal King Charles is accused of reducing royal honors to ‘pointless’ tributes after stripping nine people of MBEs and OBEs in one month – amid the monarch’s decision to strip his younger brother Andrew Windsor of his royal titles.
Charles, 77, ordered the removal of nine awards from recipients of the Order of the British Empire this month alone, according to notices published in Britain’s official public register The Gazette.
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King Charles strips awards from several recipients
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King Charles is facing criticism over a wave of withdrawn royal honors.
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The revocations typically occur when a recipient has been convicted of a crime, found guilty of misconduct, or disciplined by a professional regulator. Among those to lose an honor is former Scottish rugby star Stuart Hogg, whose MBE was canceled after he admitted assaulting his estranged wife, Gillian.
The message published in The Gazette describes the formal removal of Hogg’s distinction.
The report states: ‘The King has decreed that the appointment of Stuart William Hogg to the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 30 December 2023, shall be annulled and annulled and that his name shall be struck from the register of the said order.’
Hogg, who previously played for Glasgow Warriors and earned more than 100 caps for Scotland while also appearing on three British and Irish Lions tours, had been awarded the MBE in the 2024 New Year Honors for services to rugby.
However, the honor was withdrawn after he admitted shouting, swearing and being abusive towards Gillian.
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Debate is growing about the value of royal honors
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Awards are typically revoked following criminal convictions or misconduct.
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Royal insiders said the wave of removals has sparked debate over whether awards retain their value when they can be revoked so often.
A source familiar with the honors system told us: “Seeing so many titles canceled in such a short space of time inevitably leads some people to wonder whether the whole system looks a bit pointless.”
The source added that the moves reflect Charles’ increasingly tough approach to royal status and honor.
They said: “The King has shown that he is willing to take away titles if he believes standards have been breached. We saw it when Andrew Windsor lost his royal titles and patronages, and now we see the same strict attitude being applied to the honors system.”
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Andrew Windsor case highlighted in royal policy
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The approach reflects his decision to strip Prince Andrew of his royal roles.
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Andrew, 66, was stripped of his military ties and royal patronages by his older brother Charles after a series of scandals linked to his relationship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein forced him out of public royal life.
The decision left Windsor with the official roles and titles he once held as a senior member of the royal family.
Another royal observer said the latest series of award cancellations illustrates Charles’s desire to protect the reputation of royal honors.
They said: “There is a feeling that the king wants to demonstrate that honor cannot be preserved if one’s conduct undermines the dignity of the distinction.”
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The list of people losing their honor is expanding
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Others had their awards annulled following professional disciplinary rulings.
Among the other people stripped of the award this month are Ian Ashbold, who was awarded an MBE in 2016 before losing it due to a criminal conviction, Lloyd Hamilton, who was awarded an MBE in 2011 and later revoked it after a conviction, and Angela Middleton, who had her 2019 MBE annulled after it emerged she had brought the honors system into disrepute.
Nigel O’Connor, who was awarded an MBE in 2015, and Tony Reilly, who was awarded an OBE in 2011, had their awards removed following professional censure.
Paul Allen Rose, founder of Barrow’s Owl Sanctuary in Cumbria, was also stripped of his MBE after being convicted of animal welfare offences. Rose was sentenced in May 2024 after pleading guilty to two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and one charge of failing to ensure animal welfare under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Other recipients whose honors have been revoked include Anant Shah, who was awarded an OBE in 2020 before it was annulled for bringing the awards system into disrepute, and Graham Trewhella, who was awarded an MBE in 2010 and later lost it after a criminal conviction.
