15 Famous Names Who Turned Down British Honours

Nicely juxtaposed with Winner’s braggadocio is the more modest response from Nobel Prize winning author Doris Lessing. Just take a look at her understated reaction to winning the biggest award in literature as proof of how little importance she holds in such grandiose adornments.

So it’s of little surprise to learn she turned down the offer of an OBE in 1977 and damehood in 1992. However she did soften somewhat in later life, accepting the title of Companion of Honour in 2000, stating she preferred this because "you're not called anything - and it's not demanding. I like that."