Ariana Grande, John Lennon And Other Musicians Who Refused Queen Elizabeth’s Honors

Every year, hundreds of people are recognized by the Queen for their talents, contributions or feats in the New Year’s Honours list. As much as the honor of receiving an award or commendation from the Queen herself is a reward in itself, there are still some celebrities who declined Her Majesty’s honors for various reasons. Here are a few among those who have declined the offer of an MBE, OBE or CBE.

David Bowie

World-renowned English singer-songwriter David Bowie turned down an honor granted to him in 2000. He explained that he sees nothing wrong with it but that simply he does not see the point of the award. He added that it just was “not for [him].”

“I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that,” Bowie stated. “It’s not what I spent my life working for.”

George Harrison

George Harrison was a very well known musician and song writer and was the lead guitarist of the legendary band The Beatles. His musical prowess and contribution to the music industry placed his name forward for an OBE in 2000. Harrison, however, declined the award mainly because his bandmate Paul McCartney had received a knighthood three years previous.

“Whoever it was who decided to offer him the OBE and not the knighthood was extraordinarily insensitive,” said journalist Ray Connolly. “George would have felt insulted — and with very good reason.”

John Lennon

The Beatles co-founder John Lennon actually received an MBE but returned the honor in 1969. Lennon was protesting the British involvement in Nigeria and the American support for Vietnam at that time, spurring him to return the honorific.

“Your Majesty, I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts,” Lennon wrote to the Queen.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande is not only a very talented artist and musician but also a very compassionate person. In 2017, a terrorist attack at her Manchester concert left numerous dead, fueling the award-winning singer to step up in order to help the families of those hurt. She visited the families of the affected and even the charity concert “One Love Manchester” for the families of the victims.

Grande was offered a damehood, but she politely declined. She explained that it was too soon for it and that she was still “grieving” from the incident.