Order of the British Empire
Order of British Empire
Star of the Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the
Order of the British Empire
Awarded by the Queen of the United Kingdom
Type
Order
Motto
For God and the Empire
Awarded for
At the monarch’s pleasure
Status
Currently constituted
Sovereign
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II of the United Kingdom
Chancellor
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Grades (w/
post-
nominals)
Knight/Dame Grand Cross
(GBE)
Knight/Dame Commander
(KBE/DBE)
Commander (CBE)
Officer (OBE)
Member (MBE)
Statistics
Established
1917 (see History)
Precedence
Next (higher) Royal Victorian Order
Next (lower)
Varies, depending on rank
Ribbon of the order with the Civil Division
(upper) and the Military Division (lower)
The Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire
is a British order of chivalry
established on 4 June 1917 by King George V.
The Order includes five classes in civil and
military divisions; in decreasing order of seni-
ority, these are:
• (GBE) or Dame Grand Cross (GBE)
• (KBE) or Dame Commander (DBE)
• (CBE)
• (OBE)
• (MBE)
Only the two highest ranks entail admission
into knighthood, an honour allowing the re-
cipient to use the title "Sir" (male) or "Dame"
(female) before their first name. Honorary
knighthoods, given to individuals who are
not nationals of a realm where Queen Eliza-
beth II is Head of State, permit usage of the
honour as a post-nominal but not as a title
before their name. These recipients are clas-
sified as honorary members of the Order they
receive, and do not contribute to the num-
bers restricted to that Order as full members
do.
There is also a related British Empire
Medal, whose recipients are not members of
the Order, but who are nonetheless affiliated
with the Order. The British Empire Medal
has not been used in the United Kingdom or
its dependencies since 1993,[1] but is still
used by the Cook Islands and by some other
Commonwealth nations.
The Order’s motto is For God and the Em-
pire. It is the most junior of the British orders
of chivalry and has more members than any
other.