Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry within the British honours system and was established in 1917. The motto of the Order is For God and the Empire

The order has five grades, the top two of which are knightly (post-nominals in parantheses):

• Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
• Knight/Dame Commander of Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
• Commander of Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
• Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

There is an related British Empire Medal (BEM) which is no longer awarded in the United Kingdom, but is still awarded by some Commonwealth countries.

The Order is limited to 120 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commanders, and 8960 Commanders. Also, no more than 858 Officers and 1464 Members may be appointed per year.

Although most of the recipients are British or from certain other Commonwealth countries, the honour is occasionally awarded to foreign nationals. Such a recipient is unable to use the appellation "Sir" unless he subsequently becomes a subject of the British monarch (as in the cases of Sir Yehudi Menuhin and Sir Jean Paul Getty, Jr).

Notable foreign recipients include:

• Wesley Clark
• Bob Geldof
• Rudolph Giuliani
• Billy Graham
• Alan Greenspan
• Bob Hope
• Steven Spielberg
• Jean Paul Getty, Jr
• Yehudi Menuhin
• Pelé
• Andre Previn

See also:

• British honours system
• British and Commonwealth orders and decorations