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Order of the British Empire. Awarding of the Order of the British Empire to Soviet marshals in Berlin

The Order of the British Empire was founded back in 1917 by order of King George V. Since then, not only famous personalities within the state, but also outside it have become holders of this organization. A special title of “honorary members” was created for foreigners, which was awarded to many people from other countries. Several famous holders of the order will be discussed in the article.

Developments in genetics

Alec Jeffreys was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1994 for his outstanding achievements in the field of genetics. It was he who developed the special technology of DNA fingerprinting. It is still actively used in all countries when conducting forensic examinations. The invention greatly simplified the process of proving guilt when committing a crime. Alec Jeffries currently works as a professor at the University of Leicester. It is worth noting that throughout his life he received more than fifteen different awards. In 2015, a short series was filmed about the man, which talked about the invention of DNA fingerprinting, the first application and future success of the technology.

First son of the current Queen Elizabeth

Prince Charles also received the Order of the British Empire for his activities. He was born in 1948 and became the first grandson of King George. In his honor, the bells of Westminster Abbey rang five thousand times, forty-one artillery shots were fired, and sailors throughout the country received a double portion of their favorite alcoholic drink. In 1953, he attended the coronation of his mother Elizabeth. He was home-schooled from the age of five to eight and is a graduate of the prestigious University of Cambridge. He was married to Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997. From this marriage two sons were born - William and Harry. In 2005, he married his mistress Camilla Bowles again, with whom he had a long-term relationship even during his marriage to Diana. The man is actively involved in charity work, has his own foundation and patronizes a huge number of different organizations. Prince Charles has written many books in the fields of architecture, painting, gardening, and is interested in playing polo and fox hunting.

Famous athlete

Renowned yachtsman Rodney Stewart Pattison also received an OBE for his achievements in this sporting category. He was born in 1943 in Scotland, and it is known that he served as a pilot in the army. When moving to England, he entered Penborne College, which trained specialists for the Navy. In those years, I became actively interested in sailing competitions. He met Macdonald-Smith in London, who worked as a lawyer. Together they participated in the nineteenth Olympic Summer Games, which took place in Mexico City. They won gold in the Flying Dutchman competition. After that, Rodney and his crew won gold three more times over the next four years. In 1971, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to sport. In Munich he managed to defend the title of Olympic champion, and in 1976 in Montreal he became the standard bearer of his state. Then in the sailing battles he lost together with Julian Brooke-Hayton only to the duo from Germany. Until 2008, he was the most titled yachtsman in Great Britain, until his record was broken by Ben Ainslie.

Achievements in the field of sculpture

John Skelton also became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, joining the list of famous people on this list. The man was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1923 and had five more brothers and sisters. He attended school in the city of Coventry, and also attended classes at the choir institution at Norwich Cathedral. It was here that he first began to become involved with art. Later, his uncle Eric Gill, who was already a famous English sculptor, took him to study. John was an ordinary assistant until he had to join the army in 1942. While serving in the artillery, he visited many Asian countries. After arriving, he completed his education. In 1948 he created his own workshop in East Sussex. Many works belong to his hands, including the tombstone of Edward James and inscriptions in different scripts on Chichester Cathedral. He was one of the craftsmen who worked on the memorial to British generals in World War II.

Russian actor

In 2006, Queen Elizabeth herself awarded the Order of the British Empire to Vasily Livanov. This Russian actor received a high award for his most popular role as Sherlock Holmes in a number of Soviet films of the same name. The award was given to him for the fact that he perfectly conveyed the image of the legendary detective on the screens. The Queen admitted that even the masters of English cinema could not create a more subtle image. He himself said that they succeeded for one simple reason - they followed the original source. Holmes's main qualities were emphasized, they made him a true gentleman and did not try to add anything of their own. At the same time, Watson in other films based on these works was shown as a man at the beck and call of the brilliant detective. In Soviet films he was equated with Sherlock, and the result was an excellent duet. Livanov was awarded the Order of the British Empire in Moscow, at the British Embassy.

Commander of the British Empire

Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

Original title
Motto	For God and Empire(English) For God and the Empire)
Country	United Kingdom
Type	Knight's order
Who is it awarded to?
Reasons for the award
Status	awarded
Statistics
Options
Establishment date	June 4, 1917
First award
Last award
Number of awards
Sequence
Senior Award
Junior Award	varies depending on class
Compliant

Most Excellent Order of the British Empire(English) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire ) - an order of knighthood created by the British King George V on June 4, 1917. The Order consists of five classes of civil and military divisions (in descending order of seniority):

Knight Grand Cross(GBE) Knight Grand Cross) or Dame Grand Cross(GBE) Dame Grand Cross)
Knight Commander(KBE) Knight Commander) or Lady Commander(English) Dame Commander) (DBE)
Commander(CBE) Commander)
Officer(OBE) Officer)
Member(MBE) Member)

Holders of only the first two ranks are eligible for knighthood.

There is also a British Empire Medal, the recipients of which are not members of the Order, but are associates of the Order. In Great Britain the Medal is no longer awarded, but in some colonial possessions and Commonwealth states the awards continue.

The motto of the Order is “ For God and the Empire"(For God and the Empire). This is the most junior order in the British awards system; at the same time, it has the largest number of members.

Story

Star of the Order of the British Empire

Ribbons of the Order of the British Empire

The Order was founded by George V to fill a gap in the British honors system: the Order of the Bath was given only to senior military officers and civil servants, the Order of St Michael and St George to diplomats, and the Royal Victorian Order to those who served the royal family personally. In particular, George V considered it necessary to reward several thousand who served in non-combat units during the First World War. At first the Order included only one division; shortly after its founding, in 1918 it was divided into military and civilian divisions. The Order of the British Empire is more democratic in nature than the Order of the Bath and the Order of Saints Michael and George, and was not highly valued in the beginning. Over the years the situation has changed.

Compound

The Charter of the Order provides for a limit of 100 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dame Commanders and 8960 Commanders. There is no limit on the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be awarded in a year. By custom, upon their appointment, female judges of the High Court of England and Wales become Dame Commanders and male judges become Knight Bachelors.

Most Knight Commanders of the Order are honorary members or British subjects living abroad, and only a small proportion are residents of the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the degree of Dame Commander is the most common award in the British honors system and is awarded in cases where men receive the rank of Knight Bachelor.

Most members of the Order are subjects of Great Britain or other Commonwealth states. Citizens of other countries can be admitted to the Order as "honorary members" (and can become full members if they take British citizenship).

At the founding of the Order, the "Medal of the Order of the British Empire" was introduced (renamed the "British Empire Medal" in 1922). Recipients of the medal are not members of the Order and are also divided into civilian and military divisions. Only junior government and military officials are awarded the medal; senior officials are immediately admitted to the Order. The award of the medal has not been recommended by the UK Government since 1992, however some Commonwealth states continue to award the medal.

The Order has six offices: prelate, deacon, secretary, registrar, herald and gatekeeper. The Bishop of London, the senior bishop in the Church of England, is a prelate of the Order. Deacon of St. Paul - ex officio ( ex officio) deacon of the Order. The order's herald is not a member of the heraldic college, like other heraldic officers. The Doorkeeper of the Order is called the "Gentleman Gatekeeper of the Purple Rod"; he does not sit in the House of Lords.

Robes and decoration

Robe of the Order

Obverse and reverse of the badge of members of the order

At important events (such as coronations and order services), members of the Order wear costumes depending on their rank (the appearance has undergone significant changes in):

On certain "collar days" specified by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the Order's collar on their military uniform or evening wear. When collars are worn, the badge of the Order is worn on the collar. After the death of the owner, the collars are returned, but other insignia remain.

Chapel

The Order's chapel is at the far eastern end of the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral, but large services are held in the main section of the cathedral (the Cathedral also houses the chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George). Religious services for the entire Order are held every four years; at this service new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are announced. The chapel was dedicated in 1960.

Seniority and privileges

An example of the placement of the Order of the British Empire on a coat of arms

All members of the Order have their place in order of precedence. Seniority is also established for the wives of members of the Order of all classes, sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knight Commanders. There is no order of precedence for relatives of wives of members of the order.

Knights Grand Cross and Knight Commanders bear the title "Sir", and Dames Grand Cross and Dame Commanders bear the title "Dame" before their personal names. Wives of knights can add “Lady” to their surname; there is no such rule for the husbands of titled ladies. These titles are not used by members of the order if they are also peers or princes, other than by writing their names in their fullest form. Honorary members and clerics are not knighted.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dame Commanders who are not subjects of the Queen cannot use the prefix "Sir" or "Dame", but may use abbreviations after their names.

For example, Bill Gates, who was awarded the title of Knight Commander of the British Empire, did not receive the right to be titled “Sir William” or “Sir William Gates III”, but may be written “William Henry Gates III, KBE”.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross are entitled to include heraldic holders. They also have the right to surround their coats of arms with a circle with the motto and on the collar. Knights and Dames Commanders, as well as Commanders, are only entitled to the circle.

At the end of March, Joan Collins celebrated an important event in a big way: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the actress to... knighthood. Of course, Joan won't be wearing armor or a sword, but the actress now has the title "Dame of the Cavalry" - the female equivalent of a knighthood. My agent called and said that they had sent me a letter from Buckingham Palace with an offer to accept the title of lady, Collins told HELLO!. - But the envelope was lost among letters from fans; it was discovered only a week after receiving it. I was worried that I wouldn’t have time to agree. Fortunately, it was not too late.

Joan Collins

For many centuries, English monarchs have knighted their subjects in recognition of military merit. Most knights belong to orders: the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Bath, the Order of the Thistle... However, there is a class of knights who do not belong to any order: they are called bachelors, and they appeared in the 13th century during the time of King Henry III. Then, although these warriors were called sirs, they did not have the right to their own banner and their own detachment of knights.

Times are changing, and now any man can become a knight bachelor thanks to his achievements, which have nothing to do with war and palace coups. Moreover, in modern Britain women are also encouraged (they are ordained ladies). Thus, Paul McCartney, Sean Connery, Patrick Stewart, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren received royal recognition for their services to art. As a rule, along with the title, the Queen presents the lucky winner with the Order of the British Empire. Unlike her colleagues in show business, Angelina Jolie received the Order of St. Michael and St. George not for her acting successes, but for her humanitarian work. The actress was also awarded the title of lady, but she cannot use it because she is not a British citizen.

Elizabeth II and Angelina Jolie

According to tradition, the ceremony is performed by the queen, but monarchs are busy people, so sometimes Her Majesty is replaced by her heirs. The Queen can also refuse her duties for personal reasons. For example, as in the case of Sir Mick Jagger. The musician was included in the list of candidates for knighthood for five years in a row on the recommendation of Prime Minister Tony Blair, a big fan of the rocker. But each time, Elizabeth II crossed out the name of the leader of The Rolling Stones. It is not known for certain why Her Majesty refused the award to the musician, but they say it was because of the “tender friendship” between Jagger and the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret.

Be that as it may, Mr. Jagger still became a sir. True, the words “I knight you!” he heard from Prince Charles, who, according to rumors, persuaded his mother to recognize the merits of Rolling. The queen herself went to the clinic that day for surgery on her kneecap. The public was dissatisfied with this award: no one understood for what services the brawler and rebel Jagger was awarded the title. It seems that only his 6-year-old son Gabriel was sincerely happy about this event: “Now dad will be able to wear armor,” he boasted at school.

Interestingly, not every holder of the Order of the British Empire is a knight. For example, David Beckham has an order, but does not have a title. In 2006, the football player was fully confident that his time had come. “I’ll tell you a secret: I will be knighted, I will become the second Jew after the Prime Minister of England Disraeli with such a title,” he said in an interview. But, alas, neither then, nor seven years later, when the football player’s name was on the list of candidates, Beckham never became a sir. Perhaps Queen Elizabeth II remembered how, at Prince William's wedding, David pinned his order on the right side of his tuxedo, although according to the rules, all awards are worn closer to the heart - on the left.

David and Victoria Beckham

They say that the guests endured it, coughed, but still pointed out to the unlucky order bearer his mistake. At the same time, Beckham is at court so often and has a strong friendship with Prince William that many believe that the athlete has been with the title for a long time. So, in 2012 in Greece, at the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame, the presenter, announcing guests from Great Britain, called Beckham sir. Representatives of the English delegation laughed in unison, but Beckham, most likely, was not laughing: he still hopes to receive the coveted title.

However, no matter how honorable the title of knight is, it gives its owner little: free travel on public transport and the right to request an audience with the monarch at any time. And one more detail: the title of knight bachelor is not inherited, but according to the law, everyone must address the sir’s wife as a lady. But this privilege does not apply to same-sex marriages, so after the wedding, Sir Elton John’s husband remained simply “Mr. David Furnish.”

Other interesting facts about the knights of our days, the order of Angelina Jolie and a retro photo of Elton John - in the gallery, click on this photo:

Click on the photo to view the gallery Click on the photo to view the gallery

Text: HELLO! UK
Translation and adaptation: Natalya Vasilets/HELLO! Russia

Motto For God and Empire (eng. For God and the Empire) Country United Kingdom Type Knight's order Status awarded Statistics Establishment date June 4, 1917 Sequence Senior Award Royal Victorian Order Junior Award varies depending on class Media files on Wikimedia Commons

Most Excellent Order of the British Empire(English) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) - an order of knighthood established by the British King George V on June 4, 1917.

The motto of the order is “For God and the Empire”. This is the most junior order in the British award system, while it has the largest number of members.

Most members of the order are subjects of Great Britain or other Commonwealth states. Citizens of other countries can be admitted to the order as "honorary members" (and can become full members if they take British citizenship).

Story

Badges of the order (above - the badge of the order, covered with blue enamel, common to the commander, knight-commander and knight grand cross, worn on a neck ribbon; below - the star of the knight grand cross; in the center - the star of the knight commander; bottom left - the silver badge of the cavalier , worn on a ribbon on the chest; lower right - a gold officer’s badge, worn similarly to a cavalry one)

The Order was founded by George V to fill a gap in the British honors system: the Order of the Bath was given only to senior military officers and civil servants, the Order of St Michael and St George to diplomats, and the Royal Victorian Order to those who served the royal family personally. In particular, George V considered it necessary to reward several thousand who served in non-combat units during the First World War. The Order of the British Empire is more democratic in nature than the Order of the Bath or the Order of Saints Michael and George, and at first was not highly valued, but over time the situation changed.

Initially, the order included only one division, but soon after its founding, in 1918, it was divided into military and civilian divisions.

Organization

Degrees

The Order consists of five classes of civil and military divisions (in descending order of seniority):

Knight Grand Cross, GBE (eng. Knight Grand Cross) or Dame Grand Cross,GBE (eng. Dame Grand Cross)
Knight Commander, K.B.E. (eng. Knight Commander) or Lady Commander, D.B.E. (eng. Dame Commander)
Commander, C.B.E. (English Commander)
Officer,OBE (English officer)
Cavalier (member), M.B.E. (English Member)

Holders of only the first two ranks are eligible for knighthood.

Civil and military medals of the order

At the founding of the Order, the “British Empire Medal” was introduced (renamed the “British Empire Medal” in 1922). Medal holders are not members of the order (but are associated with it) and are also divided into civilian and military divisions. Only junior government and military officials are awarded the medal; senior officials are immediately accepted into the order. The UK Government has not recommended the award of the medal since 1992, although some Commonwealth states continue to award it.

Charter

The order's charter provides for a limit of 100 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dame Commanders and 8,960 Commanders. There is no limit on the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be awarded in a year. In practice, in the 21st century, the highest two degrees are awarded quite rarely. For example, since 1964, only three women have become Dames Grand Cross. Men are awarded the highest degree more often - 31 people have become Knight Grand Cross since 1990. By custom, upon their appointment, female judges of the High Court of England and Wales become Dame Commanders and male judges become Knight Bachelors.

Seniority and privileges

All members of the order have their place in order of precedence. Seniority is also established for the wives of members of the order of all classes, sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knight Commanders. There is no order of precedence for relatives of wives of members of the order.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dame Commanders who are not subjects of the Queen are the so-called. "honorary" members and may not use the prefix "Sir" or "Lady", but may use abbreviations after their names. For example, Bill Gates, who was awarded the title of Knight Commander of the British Empire, did not receive the right to be titled "Sir William" or "Sir William Gates III", but may be written "William Henry Gates III, KBE". Honorary members and clerics are not knighted.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross are entitled to include heraldic holders. They also have the right to surround their coats of arms with a circle with the motto and the right to a collar. Knights and Dames Commanders, as well as Commanders, are only entitled to the circle.

Robes and distinctions

At important events (such as coronations and service of the order), members of the order wear costumes depending on their rank (the appearance underwent significant changes in 1937). The badge of the order is worn on the left side of the chest.

On some "collar days" specified by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the order's chain on their military uniform or evening wear. When the chain is worn, the badge of the order is worn on the chain. After the death of the owner, the chain is returned, but other insignia remain.

Chapel

The order's chapel is at the far eastern end of the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral, but large services are held in the main ward of the cathedral. Religious services for the entire order are held every four years; at this service new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are announced. The chapel was dedicated in 1960.

Criticism

The Order has attracted some criticism of the idea

The current version of the page has not yet been verified by experienced participants and may differ significantly from the one verified on January 15, 2019; checks are required.

Most Excellent Order of the British Empire(English) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) - an order of knighthood established by the British King George V on June 4, 1917.

The motto of the order is “For God and the Empire”. This is the most junior order in the British award system, while it has the largest number of members.

The Order was founded by George V to fill a gap in the British honors system: the Order of the Bath was given only to senior military officers and civil servants, the Order of St Michael and St George to diplomats, and the Royal Victorian Order to those who served the royal family personally. In particular, George V considered it necessary to reward several thousand who served in non-combat units during the First World War. The Order of the British Empire is more democratic in nature than the Order of the Bath or the Order of Saints Michael and George, and at first was not highly valued, but over time the situation changed.

Initially, the order included only one division, but soon after its founding, in 1918, it was divided into military and civilian divisions.

The Order consists of five classes of civil and military divisions (in descending order of seniority):

The Order has attracted some criticism regarding the idea of the British Empire. The poet Benjamin Zephaniah publicly rejected the OBE in 2003 because, he said, it reminded him of “thousands of years of brutality.” He went on to say, “This reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and how my forefathers were cruelly treated.” British artist Lawrence Stephen Lowry twice refused to be awarded the Order of the British Empire (4th and 2nd class).