Alan Cumming seems to have had enough of the “toxicity” of the British empire as he has returned the Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) award. The Scottish actor received an honorary award from the late Queen at a 2009 tribute.
Cumming earned it for her activism for the LGBTQ+ community and her dedication to the arts through film and theater. The “Spy Kids” star, who just turned 58, took to Instagram on her birthday to announce she was returning her OBE.
The actor also wrote a statement explaining why he had to hand back the highly regarded British honour.
Read on to learn more.
Alan Cumming Returns OBE Awarded by the Late Queen Elizabeth II
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Cumming announced her 58th birthday to her nearly 500k Instagram followers with two pictures of herself. He later shared that he was no longer an Officer of the Most Distinguished Order of the British Empire in the caption.
The actor revealed that he gave back the OBE because of the conversation that arose after the death of Queen Elizabeth II about the British Empire and the monarchy.
The “My Old School” star noted that the Queen’s death and recent discussions about the royal family “opened her eyes.” He realized that the British Empire was taking a lot of resources from “native peoples all over the world.” He was also upset that the empire’s actions caused the “death” of many people.
Although the award helped him fight for LGBTQ rights, he no longer wanted to be associated with the “toxicity” of the empire. Cumming wrote, “The great good that the award brought to LGBTQ+ in 2009 is now less powerful than the doubts I had, attributed to the toxicity of Empire.” Amidst his doubts, he shared that he was grateful for the honor.
Alan Cumming ‘Repeats’ His ‘Great Gratitude’
Although Cumming felt differently about the British Empire and the Royal family, he thanked them for giving him the award in the first place.
He said, “So I returned my award, explained my reasons, and reiterated my great gratitude for having been given it in the first place.” The “Good Fight” actor also added that he’s “now back to being the average Alan Cumming.”
Cumming received the honorary title more than a decade ago from the Royal family at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. After accepting the award, the actress told her Instagram followers how “surprised” and “happy” she was.
The Award Helped Her Fight For Equality
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follow People magazine, Cumming wrote at the time, “I am very surprised and delighted to receive this honor. I am very happy to be honored for my activism as well as for my work. The star also stated that “the fight for equality for the LGBT community in the US” will be made easier with the award.
He said, “I see this honor as an encouragement to keep fighting for what I believe is right and for what I take for granted as a UK citizen.” The “Smurfs” star thanked the Queen for her contribution to the cause.
Although he has now returned the award, he is not the first person to return a gift from the Royal family.
Noted author CS Lewis turned down a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) award in 1952, while English musician David Bowie followed suit later in 2000. Bowie also turned down a knighthood in 2003, while Director Danny Boyle turned down the same award a decade later.
John Lennon Also Returns His Royal Award
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Legendary singer and member of The Beatles, John Lennon, returned his honorary MBE four years after all four members of the group earned the award. At the time, the singer explained why in an official letter. He wrote, per Many people,: “I am returning my MBE in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra affair, against our support for America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey sliding down the charts.”
Michael Sheen, a Welsh actor, followed in Lennon’s footsteps in 2017. He handed back his OBE after reading about the historical relationship between England and Wales. In 2020, he said The Caretaker that he had to decide between holding the OBE and giving it back. However, Sheen later returned the award to the Royal family.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
