King Charles Strips MBE and OBE Titles from Nine People

Published: March 11, 2026
The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

King Charles III has revoked several British honours this year, cancelling the appointment of nine individuals who previously held titles such as MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) or OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) after conduct deemed incompatible with the standards expected of recipients. The decisions, made on the advice of the Honours Forfeiture Committee and formally confirmed in notices published in The London Gazette, reflect the system’s mechanism for removing honours when individuals are convicted of serious offences or bring the honours system into disrepute.

One of the most publicised cases involves former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg, who has had his MBE annulled after pleading guilty in 2024 to a long‑running campaign of domestic abuse against his then‑estranged wife. Hogg was originally awarded the honour in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to rugby but lost it following public and political pressure as details of his misconduct emerged.

Alongside Hogg, other recipients lost honours for a range of criminal convictions or serious misconduct. One individual included in the latest forfeiture list was Paul Allen Rose, the founder of Barrow’s Owl Sanctuary, who was stripped of his MBE after pleading guilty to animal welfare offences. Additional names on the forfeiture list relate to convictions for fraud, sexual offences and other actions judged by the committee to have undermined the integrity of the honours system.

Under the established process, cases are reviewed by the Honours Forfeiture Committee, a Cabinet Office body that assesses whether an individual’s behaviour justifies revoking a previous award. The committee then recommends actions to the monarch, who may direct that an honour be cancelled and the recipient’s name erased from the official register. Honours can be removed on grounds such as serious criminal conviction, professional censure or conduct that brings the honours system into disrepute.

The removal of honours is relatively rare, and such decisions are typically published discreetly as notices in The Gazette. However, high‑profile cases like that of Hogg have brought increased public attention to the mechanism, highlighting debates over accountability and the continued relevance of the honours system in recognising individuals whose later actions may contradict the merit on which their awards were originally based.

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