How Does the British Honours System Work?

The British honours system works by letting anyone nominate a deserving person, free of charge and at any time of year, through the Cabinet Office. The nomination is checked by the Honours Secretariat, weighed by one of ten independent sector committees, consolidated by a Main Honours Committee, reviewed by the Prime Minister, and finally approved by the Sovereign. Successful recipients are announced twice a year, on the New Year Honours list and the King’s Birthday Honours list, and then invited to an investiture to receive their insignia in person.¹²

What Honours Are on Offer

The best-known awards sit within the Order of the British Empire, which covers both civilian and military contributions across the arts, sciences, charity, and public life. It has five ranks, awarded according to the scale of the recipient’s impact:

The British Empire Medal (BEM) recognizes hands-on, local community service. A BEM might go to someone who has run a food bank for years or organized sustained voluntary work in their neighbourhood. Presentations are usually made locally by a Lord-Lieutenant rather than the Sovereign.³
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) is awarded for outstanding achievement or community service that stands out as an example and has delivered sustained, real impact.³
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) recognizes a distinguished regional or county-wide role, or nationally recognized practitioners in a particular field.³
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) is for a prominent national role, a leading role in regional affairs, or a highly distinguished and innovative contribution to a particular area.³
Knight or Dame Commander (KBE/DBE) is for a pre-eminent contribution at national level that peers recognize as inspirational, with sustained commitment behind it. Recipients gain the title Sir or Dame.³

Above the KBE/DBE sits the Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GBE), the most senior rank of the Order and one rarely conferred.⁴

Several other orders sit alongside it and carry equal or greater prestige for particular kinds of service. The Order of the Bath recognizes exemplary service in the military or civil service, with three ranks: Companion (CB), Knight or Dame Commander (KCB/DCB), and Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCB). A CB is second only to a knighthood or damehood in seniority.⁵ The Order of St Michael and St George recognizes service in a foreign country or in relation to foreign and Commonwealth affairs, commonly going to diplomats, with matching ranks of CMG, KCMG/DCMG, and GCMG.⁶

Two of the most exclusive awards are in the personal gift of the Sovereign, with no government involvement. The Order of the Companions of Honour is capped at 65 members across the entire Commonwealth and recognizes outstanding achievements in the arts, sciences, medicine, or public service.⁷ The Order of Merit is limited to 24 members plus foreign honorary members and carries no title beyond the post-nominal letters “OM.”⁸ The Royal Victorian Order, also entirely in the Sovereign’s gift, recognizes distinguished personal service to the Monarch and the Royal Household.⁹

Awards for Bravery

Acts of bravery are recognized on a separate track, assessed by the George Cross Committee. The incident must have occurred within the previous five years, and the nominee must have personally been at risk. The committee weighs the degree of risk, the person’s awareness of it, and their persistence in the face of it.¹⁰

The gallantry hierarchy runs from the George Cross, the highest civilian gallantry award and equal in stature to the Victoria Cross, down through the George Medal for conspicuous gallantry, the King’s Gallantry Medal, and the King’s Commendation for Bravery. Only British citizens are eligible for the George Cross.¹⁰ The committee also notes that some acts, such as resuscitation, are better recognized by specialist organizations or local awards.

Who Can Be Nominated

The system primarily serves British nationals and citizens of Commonwealth countries where the British Monarch is Head of State. Non-British citizens can receive honorary awards for significant contributions to UK interests. Honorary recipients may use the post-nominal letters but not the title Sir or Dame; if they later become British citizens, they can apply to convert the award into a substantive one and gain the full title.¹¹¹²

Timing matters. The nominee should still be active in the work for which they are being recognized, and the Cabinet Office advises submitting at least 12 months before someone is expected to retire, because the assessment itself takes 12 to 18 months. Honours cannot be awarded posthumously. If a nominee dies during the process, the nominator must notify the Honours Secretariat immediately and the nomination ends.¹³

One boundary catches Americans off guard. US federal government employees, military personnel, members of Congress, and their spouses or dependents may not accept a foreign decoration without approval from their employing agency. If the agency does not approve, the decoration becomes property of the United States and must be deposited with the agency within 60 days. Private US citizens face no such restriction.¹⁴

How to Submit a Nomination

Anyone can nominate someone by completing the form on the Cabinet Office website. There is no fee and no need to hold an official position. Nominations are accepted year-round and processed on a rolling basis, so you cannot target a specific honours list.¹⁵¹³

The form asks for the nominee’s name, age, address, and contact details, along with a detailed description of their work or volunteering. The Cabinet Office stresses that you should not simply list jobs or posts held. Instead, explain the actual contribution and the impact. Supporting evidence can include articles, photographs, or letters of recognition.¹³

The description is where most cases succeed or fail. Focus on specific, measurable outcomes rather than general praise. If the nominee built a new programme, secured unusual funding, or led during a crisis, spell that out. Long service alone, without evidence of exceptional impact, rarely carries a nomination through the committee stage.

Each nomination needs at least two letters of support. There is no maximum, but repetitive letters do not help. Each letter should be about a page and must have been written within two years of the submission. The nominator cannot write one of them.¹³ Good candidates for writers include a senior person from the nominee’s organization, a local MP or councillor, or someone who works alongside them regularly. The letters need to confirm the nominee is doing what the nomination describes, confirm that the wider community would support the honour, highlight recent achievements, and describe the person’s impact. A letter from a colleague paired with one from someone who has benefited from the nominee’s work tells a more convincing story than two letters from the same office.

What Happens After You Nominate

The nomination goes first to the Honours Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, which validates the case and performs background checks.¹ It then moves to one of ten independent honours committees organized by sector:

Arts and Media
Community and Voluntary Service
The Economy
Education
Health and Social Care
Parliamentary and Political Service
Public Service
Science, Technology and Research
Sport
State¹⁶

Each committee evaluates cases against others in the same field. Their recommendations go to the Main Honours Committee, which compiles a consolidated list. That list goes to the Prime Minister for review before being sent to the Sovereign for formal approval. The Sovereign holds the ultimate authority to grant the awards.

Successful nominees appear on one of the two annual lists. The New Year Honours list is published as the calendar year begins, and the King’s Birthday Honours are announced in June. Both are published in The Gazette, the official public record of the British government.²

Receiving the Honour

After the announcement, recipients are invited to an investiture to receive their insignia in person. Around 30 investitures are held each year, with roughly 60 recipients at each one. Most take place in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace or the Grand Reception Room at Windsor Castle, occasionally at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh or overseas during state visits.¹⁷

The ceremony follows a set format. A member of the Royal Family enters attended by the Yeomen of the Guard, the National Anthem plays, and recipients are called forward one by one by the Lord Chamberlain. Those receiving a knighthood kneel on an investiture stool to be dubbed. Each recipient is personally congratulated while a military band plays.¹⁷

Losing an Honour

Honours can be taken away. The Forfeiture Committee reviews cases where a holder has brought the system into disrepute. The most common trigger is a criminal conviction resulting in a prison sentence of more than three months, but referrals can also follow professional misconduct, regulatory sanctions, or other behaviour judged to undermine the award’s integrity.¹⁸

Only the Sovereign can formally annul an honour. Once forfeiture is approved, the notice is published in The Gazette. The former recipient must return their insignia to Buckingham Palace and can no longer reference the honour in any context, including post-nominal letters on websites, publications, or business cards.¹⁸

A recipient can also choose to renounce their honour voluntarily by returning the insignia and ceasing to use the title. The legal position is unusual, though: the person still technically holds the honour unless and until the Sovereign formally annuls it. The Cabinet Office will not publicize a voluntary renunciation, and the individual could in theory continue to describe themselves as holding the honour until the annulment is officially made.¹⁸

1
GOV.UK. How the Honours System Works
2
GOV.UK. Honours Lists
3
Honours and Appointments Secretariat. Orders, Decorations and Medals – Section: The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
4
The Gazette. What Is the Difference Between a CBE, OBE, MBE and a Knighthood
5
Honours and Appointments Secretariat. Orders, Decorations and Medals – Section: The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
6
The Royal Family. The Order of St Michael and St George
7
Honours and Appointments Secretariat. Orders, Decorations and Medals – Section: The Order of the Companions of Honour
8
The Royal Family. Order of Merit
9
The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. The Royal Victorian Order
10
UK Honours System. Gallantry
11
GOV.UK. Honorary Awards to Foreign Nationals in 2025
12
The Gazette. American Citizens With Honorary British Knighthoods and Damehoods
13
UK Government. Nomination Guidance
14
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 US Code 7342 – Receipt and Disposition of Foreign Gifts and Decorations
15
UK Honours System. How to Nominate
16
GOV.UK. Honours Committees
17
The Royal Family. Investitures
18
GOV.UK. Having Honours Taken Away Forfeiture