Michael Sheen Reveals He Returned His OBE to Avoid Feeling Like a 'Hypocrite'
(Photo: Getty Images)
Welsh actor Michael Sheen has revealed that he returned his OBE so he could share his views on Wales's historical relationship with the British state without feeling like a "hypocrite."
Sheen was appointed an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 for services to drama. However, he decided to quietly hand back the accolade in 2017 after delving into Welsh history for a lecture he had been asked to deliver by the Raymond Williams Society.
During a YouTube interview with British journalist Owen Jones, the actor explained that his conscience wouldn't permit him to deliver the lecture honestly and continue to hold the OBE.
Sheen said that during his research, he learned that Edward I, King of England, first bestowed the title "Prince of Wales" on an English prince in 1301, partly as a way of quelling a Welsh rebellion. Ever since, the title has been granted to the heir apparent to the British throne.
“Raymond Williams famously wrote a piece called "Who Speaks for Wales?" in 1971 – and I took that as my starting point for the lecture as in who speaks for Wales now?," the actor said. "And in my research, to do that lecture, I learnt a lot about Welsh history. By the time I finished typing that lecture, I remember sitting there and thinking 'Well, I have a choice' – either [I] don’t give this lecture and hold on to my OBE, or I give this lecture and give the OBE back. I wanted to do the lecture so I gave my OBE back."
"I didn't mean any disrespect," he added, "but I just realized 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."
Continuing, Sheen said it would be "a really powerful gesture" if Prince Charles decided to not to pass the "Prince of Wales" title to his son and heir, Prince William, once he ascends to the throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
"That would be an incredibly meaningful thing, I think, to happen," he added.
Do you agree with Michael Sheen's decision to return his OBE?
