These artists refused Elizabeth II. The Queen’s award was rejected, for example, by David Bowie

The Order of the British Empire, whose motto is “For God and the Empire”, is awarded for outstanding services to the country. It can be awarded to activists in many fields, both athletes and musicians. Granting the award entitles the recipient to use a special title after the name – the appropriate class of the order. Although it is quite an honor for many people, there are several figures in the history of music who refused Elizabeth II to accept the award.

John Lydon

The vocalist of the punk rock legend Sex Pistols, also known as Johnny Rotten, received a surprising offer from the queen. Considering that at the beginning of his career in 1977, he sang the slogan “no future” in the well-known anti-monarchist single “God Save The Queen” released on the Silver Jubilee, the award from Elizabeth II sounds rather unbelievable. Many people say that the rumors about it were fabricated by Lydon himself. In 2015, he said in an interview:

I’ve heard the rumors. Oh, they’re trying to give me an OBE or an MBE or whatever that is. No, I’m not interested … You wouldn’t say I’m a national treasure if you saw the condition of my panties.

The song “God Save The Queen” reached second place in the UK charts, but the queen did not officially refer to its content. The band members became famous when they said that the British Queen “is not a human being” and on her Silver Jubilee they promoted their work by renting the boat “Queen Elizabeth”, on which they ostentatiously party with manager Malcolm McLarren.

Years later, John Lydon’s views changed significantly. After the death of Elizabeth II, he said that “if the Sex Pistols were going to make money from this event, it would be without good taste.” On the official website he posted: “Rest in peace, queen”. He also referred to an old hit and explained that it is nowadays misinterpreted.

It is about the political situation and the demand to obey the monarchy in which I do not believe. But it is a human being and I will miss it as a human being on planet Earth. I have nothing against anyone in the royal family. They never did anything to me. I am only bothered by this institution and the assumption that I have to pay it. This is where I draw the line.

Lydon explained to The Times.

David Bowie

David Bowie was offered the title of CBE, or Commander, in 2000. The artist, however, was not interested in accepting the queen’s offer. Three years later, he was offered a knighthood but still refused to attend the ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Bowie’s anti-monarchist stance was never expressed explicitly, and he himself commented on the question about such views as follows:

I would have a serious answer to that if I lived in this country. I would never accept anything like that [tytułu szlacheckiego i orderu – red.]. I don’t know what this is for. This is not what I have worked for all my life. It is not for me to judge Jagger, it is his decision. But it’s just not for me

he explained to The Sun magazine. The words about Mick Jagger refer to the award of The Rolling Stones musician with the princely title for his contribution to popular music. This is how Elton John and Bob Geldof were also awarded. However, Jagger was heavily criticized as he moved to France to avoid paying British taxes.

Half of The Beatles

In 1965, all members of The Beatles were awarded the Order of the 5th Class, Cavaliers (MBE) for their role in promoting British music on the world stage. However, they were young enough then that they did not form a clear opinion about the meaning of the title. While Paul McCartney proudly introduces himself as “sir”, George Harrison refused to “upgrade” his award rank from CBE to OBE, and John Lennon returned his MBE. He argued the decision in an open letter, writing:

I address my MBE as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra affair as we oppose America’s actions in Vietnam and ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping off the charts

– he wrote. The Harrison case is less clear. Some speculate that the decision of this Beatles member was dictated by jealousy over the title awarded to McCartney in 1997. However, given the musician’s attitude to the monarchy, this does not seem likely.

I’m telling you Mrs. Gandhi should rule England. After all, India has a direction. There are no beggars in the streets, no chaos. I love India because ancient traditions have been preserved here. They are not as materialistic as the West

– he said in 1971 during a UNICEF concert for Bangladesh. It is likely that the scale of the destruction caused by Great Britain in India discouraged Harrison from accepting the Queen’s Award. India itself and the mentality of the gurus there have been a great inspiration for the band over the years.

Also among the artists who declined the mention were Paul Weller, Nitin Sawhney, Brian Eno, Skepta, and John Pandit.