Actor Stephen Mangan admits he would 'refuse' royal honour from King Charles
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GB News
Stephen Mangan has said he would not bow for King Charles and would refuse an honour if it were offered to him.
Mangan, known for his recent role in The Split, said he would never accept a royal honour as he is from an Irish republican family, though declined to say whether any kind of offer had been made.
“I wouldn’t do any of that. I’m from an Irish republican family.
"I’m not bowing down in front of King Charles,” he told the Sunday Times.
Actor admits he would 'refuse' OBE from King Charles
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His comments come ahead of the King’s announcement of the New Year Honours list.
Those expected to be knighted include the former England football manager, Gareth Southgate, and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan.
However, Mangan, whose parents moved to England from County Mayo when they were 17, would not be the first to snub royalty were he to receive an honour.
David Bowie twice refused offers from Queen Elizabeth II in 2000 and 2003, saying at the time: “I seriously don’t know what it’s for.”
Stephen Mangan stems from an Irish Republican family
PA
Director Danny Boyle also turned down a knighthood after masterminding the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics.
Meanwhile, comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders refused OBEs in 2001, with Saunders saying: “It didn’t seem right somehow.”
Elsewhere, Monty Python star John Cleese, cook Nigella Lawson and poet Benjamin Zephaniah have all said no, with the writer declaring he was “profoundly anti-empire”.
Other celebrities who returned their honours include John Lennon and Welsh actor, Michael Sheen.
The King will announce the full list of OBE awardees in the New Years Honours List
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OBE stands for the Order of the British Empire
PAPainter LS Lowry is thought to hold the record for most refusals, having turned down the royals five times.
Mangan has worked extensively in British television as a lead actor in both serious drama and comedy.
His first film part was as Doctor Crane in Billy Elliot.
The actor went on to appear in many other films such as Chunky Monkey, Birthday Girl, Festival and Beyond The Pole.
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