Twice yearly Queen Elizabeth II, as monarch of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, publishes a list of the names of those she is going to bestow honours upon - including the people who are going to be knighted. At New Year and on the Queen's official birthday in June, the list of the new "sirs" and "dames" - as well as those receiving other appointments to the Order of the British Empire - are announced, with the most-recent group including actor John Hurt and ChildLine founder Esther Rantzen. However, there is a prestigious list of names of those who have rejected the chance to be knighted - including some of the best-loved actors, musicians, artists, writers and inventors - for varying reasons, some to much acclaim, others to much criticism. The majority of rejections have been made privately, although there are a select few examples whereby the person has decided to reveal publicly that they have declined the chance to be a "sir" or a "dame". In fact, one such name on this list holds the record for the most honours rejections - refusing titles offered to them on no less than five separate occasions! Here are 15 famous people who have rejected knighthoods or damehoods...