A few days ago, The Queen’s 2020 Birthday Honours list and a special COVID-19 Honours list were announced. This year, Her Majesty the Queen is honoring hundreds of people for their contributions to fighting Covid-19. The Queen has the sole right of conferring titles of honor on deserving people from all walks of life, in public recognition of their merit, service or bravery. The most well-known honors are MBEs, OBEs and CBEs, but there are also a range of other honors in addition to these. Recipients are invited to collect their awards from The Queen or another Member of the Royal Family at an Investiture ceremony. Throughout history, monarchs have rewarded those who have shown service, loyalty or gallantry with gifts or titles. After medieval times, physical gifts such as land or money were replaced by the awarding of knighthoods and of membership within Orders of chivalry, accompanied by insignia such as gold or silver chains. As the UK Government evolved and Parliament’s legislative role grew in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Cabinet took over the role of selecting honors recipients. Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, only members of the aristocracy and high-ranking military figures could be appointed to an Order of chivalry. Since then, appointments were drawn from a wider variety of backgrounds. In 1917 the Queen’s grandfather, George V, developed a new order of chivalry, called the Order of the British Empire, as a way of rewarding both men and women who had made an outstanding contribution to the WWI war effort. Today, the Order of the British Empire rewards service in a wide range of areas, from acting to charity work, with honors that include the well-known MBE and OBE. Two BABCPHL Board Members, Oliver St. Clair Franklin, Honorary British Consul, is an OBE, and Howard Silverstone, Director, Forensic Resolutions and former BACPHL President and current Membership Chairman, is an MBE. Click here to view The Queen’s 2020 Birthday Honours list and the special COVID-19 Honours list. The BABCPHL congratulates all those who have received an Honour for their outstanding work and dedication.
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Feature Story – The Queen’s Honours
