King 'open' to removing the word empire from honours

The word empire” may be dropped from British honours as part of reforms reportedly being considered by royal officials.

- REBECCA THOMAS

Under the plans, those with an OBE – Order of the British Empire – could choose to receive an Order of British Excellence, according to a new biography of the King by author Robert Hardman, which is being serialised by the Daily Mail.

A parallel Order of Elizabeth has also been proposed in remembrance of the late Queen. However, in both cases, the colonial-era titles could be retained for those who wanted them.

In the new biography of the King, a senior palace official is quoted saying: “Any change is a matter for the government, but I think that they would find that this place was pretty open to the idea.” Any alteration to the honours system would be down to Sir Keir Starmer’s government.