15 Famous Names Who Turned Down British Honours

15. John Lennon

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It’s maybe a bit of a surprise that John Lennon accepted an MBE in the first place. This joke, made at the 1963 Royal Variety performance, hints at the rumblings of some anti-monarchist sentiments in the young Lennon, especially as he intended to drop the F-bomb too (only to be talked out of it by Paul McCartney and manager Brian Epstein). But he did accept an MBE, and then returned it in 1969, explaining:

"I am returning this MBE in 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."