Michael Sheen received the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 2009, but he returned the award in 2017. The 51-year-old actor opened up about the reason for returning the award after three years in an interview with The Guardian.
The Underworld: Rise of the Lycans star revealed that he earned the award for his service to the entertainment industry. He returned the award quietly after learning about the relationship history between Wales and England.
The actor was present at the Raymond Williams Society lecture, and he recalled after he finished writing the lecture, he had two options. The actor explained that he could have simply kept the award and not give the lecture, or he went up on the stage and returned the OBE.
Sheen admitted that he felt extremely honored by the award he earned, but at the same time, he also felt the discomfort of handing the throne according to an old tradition. Sheen noted that as per the tradition formed in 1301, the Prince of Wales title was given to an English-born heir.
The actor said that such things have an immense amount of power while choosing to stay quiet about his decision. The actor portrayed Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen that was released in 2006 and said that he didn't want to be a hypocrite.
"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," he said. Although the actor added that he doesn't want to disrespect the honor he received.
The Crown was based on the complicated relationship in the monarchy with Wales, while Prince Charles was busy learning about his speech at Wales's Aberystwyth University. Season three of the drama series highlighted the Royal Family affairs in detail, while Sheen played an important role in the series.
It is worth noting that there are other celebrities apart from Sheen who returned or refused to accept the honor. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire honor was returned by singer John Lennon to stand against the Vietnam war.
On the other hand, singer David Bowie also refused to accept two awards from the monarchy, including a knighthood in 2003 and a CBE in 2000. Alan Bennett, Nigella Lawson, Benjamin Zephaniah, Jennifer Saunders, Jim Broadbent, and Paul Weller also refused to accept the honor.