Actor Michael Sheen returned his OBE so as not to be 'a hypocrite'
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Michael Sheen has appeared in movies like The Queen (above) and is also a political activist.
PHOTO: FESTIVE FILMS
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Welsh actor Michael Sheen has revealed that he had returned his Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 2017.
He explained that it would be hypocritical of him not to hand back the royal honour he received in 2009 once he learnt more about the "tortured history" his native Wales shared with the British state.
This came up in 2017 as he was preparing a lecture on the subject, he told Guardian columnist Owen Jones.
"By the time I'd finished writing that lecture, I remember sitting there going: 'Well, I have a choice. I either don't give this lecture and hold on to my OBE or I give this lecture and I have to give my OBE back,'" said the actor. He has appeared in movies such as The Queen (2006) and the Good Omens miniseries (2019) and is also a political activist.
An OBE is an order of the British Empire, awarded to those who make a great impact in their line of work.
In returning the honour, Sheen called on the royal family to end the centuries-old practice of handing the title of Prince of Wales to the heir apparent to the English throne.
He revealed that he did not publicise his decision at the time and reserved the right to speak about it, but no one had asked him about it until now.
He added: "I didn't mean any disrespect but I just realised I'd be a hypocrite if I said the things I was going to say in the lecture about the nature of the relationship between Wales and the British state."
People are allowed to return or turn down the award. Other prominent figures who have done so include author Roald Dahl, musicians John Lennon and David Bowie, actors Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, and celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.
