Katana VentraIP

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service.[2] It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female.[3] There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order.

"CBE" and "OBE" redirect here. For other uses, see CBE (disambiguation) and OBE (disambiguation).

Most Excellent
Order of the British Empire

1917

For God and the Empire

British nationals, citizens of the Commonwealth realms, or anyone who has made a significant achievement for the United Kingdom

Prominent national or regional achievements[1]

Currently constituted

  • Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GBE)
  • Knight/Dame Commander (KBE/DBE)
  • Commander (CBE)
  • Officer (OBE)
  • Member (MBE)

Varies, depending on rank

Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire (later Commonwealth) and the Viceroy of India. Nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British honours. Most Commonwealth countries ceased recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire when they created their own honours.[a]

Styles and honorary knighthoods[edit]

The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross, and Knight or Dame Commander, entitle their members to use the title of Sir for men and Dame for women before their forename. Most members are citizens of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth realms that use the Imperial system of honours and awards.


Honorary knighthoods are granted to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state, and may permit use of post-nominal letters but not the title of Sir or Dame. Occasionally, honorary appointees are, incorrectly, referred to as Sir or Dame. Honorary appointees who later become a citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. An example is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan, who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship, was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan.[4][5]

The Orders of the , the Thistle and St Patrick honoured royals, peers, statesmen and eminent military commanders;

Garter

The honoured senior military officers and civil servants;

Order of the Bath

The honoured diplomats and colonial officials;

Order of St Michael and St George

The and the Order of the Indian Empire honoured Indian rulers and British and Indian officials of the British Indian Empire; and

Order of the Star of India

The , in the personal gift of the monarch, honoured those who had personally served the royal family.

Royal Victorian Order

King George V founded the order to fill gaps in the British honours system:


In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of those who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War. When first established, the Order had only one division. However, in 1918, soon after its foundation, it was formally divided into Military and Civil Divisions.[6] The Order's motto is For God and the Empire.[2]


At the foundation of the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. In 1922, this was renamed the British Empire Medal (BEM). It stopped being awarded by the United Kingdom as part of the 1993 reforms to the honours system, but was again awarded beginning in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.[7] In addition, the BEM is awarded by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of the country's population".[8] In 2004, a House of Commons Select Committee recommended changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion; as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring".[9][10]

Prelate: , The Rt Hon. & Rt Rev. Dame Sarah Mullaly DBE[12]

Bishop of London

Dean: (ex officio), The Very Rev. Andrew Tremlett

Dean of St Paul's

Secretary: , Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Segrave

Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood

Registrar: , Simon Case CVO

Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service

King of Arms: Lieutenant General KBE CB[13]

Sir Simon Mayall

Lady Usher of the Purple Rod: DBE CVO

Dame Amelia Fawcett

The mantle, worn by only Knights and Dames Grand Cross, was originally made of yellow satin lined with blue silk, but is now made of rose pink satin lined with pearl-grey silk. On the left side is a representation of the star (see below).

The collar, also worn by only Knights and Dames Grand Cross, is made of gold. It consists of six medallions depicting the Royal Arms, alternating with six medallions depicting the Royal and Imperial Cypher of George V (GRI, which stands for "Georgius Rex Imperator"). The medallions are linked with gold cables depicting lions and crowns.

Members of the order wear elaborate vestments on important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations), which vary by rank (the designs underwent major changes in 1937):


On certain "collar days" designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, or evening wear. When collars are worn (either on collar days or on formal occasions such as coronations), the badge is suspended from the collar. Collars are returned upon the death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained.


On less important occasions, simpler insignia are used:

Sovereign:

King Charles III

Grand Master: (2024)

Queen Camilla

Forfeiture of Order of the British Empire honours[edit]

Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning the insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch.[33]

– the British honours system

Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom

List of knights grand cross of the Order of the British Empire

List of dames grand cross of the Order of the British Empire

List of honorary British knights and dames

United Kingdom order of precedence

Honours Committee

Roger Willoughby, (Savannah Publications, London, 2012) ISBN 1 902366 53 0

For God and the Empire. The Medal or the Order of the British Empire, 1917-1922

(1996). The Order of the British Empire. Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. ISBN 978-0-907605-65-2.

Galloway, Peter

Hood, Frederic (1967). The Chapel of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. With a foreword by .

Prince Philip

Weatherly, Cecil (1911). . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). London: Cambridge University Press. pp. 851–867.

"Knighthood and Chivalry" 

(PDF). London: The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2023.

Statutes of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

– official website of the British Monarchy

Order of the British Empire

– UK Government

The Honours system

The London Gazette, lists recipients of honours

Queen's Birthday and New Year honours

Cambridge University Heraldic and Genealogical Society

"The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" (2002)

– Heraldica.org

"Order of Precedence in England and Wales", Velde, F. R. (2003)

Search recommendations for the Order of the British Empire on the UK National Archives' website

– JPEG image, IanMcGrawPhotos.co.uk

The Chapel of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – OBE Chapel Exterior detail