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Are there any clear rules to whom it is given?

Coz for example most of the actors who has played bond have it, also some Beatles members, and now Bill Gates and he isn't even british...


wtf

Sir Finti

Bill Gates received the honorary knighthood from the Queen in recognition of his contribution to enterprise, employment and charities in the UK.

Titles are parasitic...they imply that the person with the particular title is better than the average person.

I wonder if that guy Sir Mix A Lot was knighted for his infamous song "Baby Got Back!"

Bad joke, Wind....

Bill Gates isn't a sir, he's a KBE.

to be honest it makes no difference to me..
but he is given some title only coz he is rich

Well, it answers your question! He's not Sir Bill gates at all! So the clear rule is, you have to be a Commonwealth member.

And even if it wasn't, I believe US citizens are de-barred by law (US law, not UK) from holding such offices- not from the UK especially, but from anywhere else.

I haven't heard of any such law.

well darn it cant be existing then

I THINK I've heard of such a law existing in the US...I'd have to check on it, though.

(Silver, cause you understand the joke, you're being used here )

Oh my god! Silver, look at her butt!
It is SO big. She looks like, ...one of those rap guys' girlfriends.
But, y'know, who understands those rap guys?
They only talk to her, because, ...she looks like a total prostitute, 'kay?
I mean, her butt, is just so big. I can't believe it's just so round, it's like,
OUT THERE, I mean ... gross. Look!
She's just so ... black!

I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung, wanna pull out your tongue
'Cause you notice that butt was stuffed
Deep in the jeans she's wearing
I'm hooked and I can't stop staring
Oh baby, I wanna get wit'cha
And take your picture
My homeboys tried to warn me
But with that butt you got makes me feel so horny
Ooh, Rump-o'-smooth-skin
You say you wanna get in my Benz?
Well, use me, use me
'Cause you ain't that average groupy
I've seen them dancin'
The hell with romancin'
She's sweat, wet,
Got it goin' like a turbo 'Vette
I'm tired of magazines
Sayin' flat butts are the thing
Take the average black man and ask him that
She gotta pack much back
So, fellas! (Yeah!) Fellas! (Yeah!)
Has your girlfriend got the butt? (Hell yeah!)
Tell 'em to shake it! (Shake it!) Shake it! (Shake it!)
Shake that healthy butt!
Baby got back!


(and yes, I know it from the top of my head)

Wasn't Norman Schwartzkopf knighted, after Desert Storm?

Possibly, why?

Because he is an American.

And?

Didn't someone say that Americans weren't allowed to be Knighted...or am I confused?

No, no-one said that. It was said that they could not have the title 'Sir'.

ok. and it is not the same?

Nope!

Order of the Bath.

Ah, the pictue is coming into focus...

As for rules, I think it's the discretion of the monarchy or the government, isn't it? I mean, Norman Schwartzkopf was knighted for his involvment in the liberation of Kuwait. Elton John got it for his contribution to music and charity. And, Ian McKellen got it for acting.

What is that?

I'm guessing that it means they can be knighted, but not CALLED 'Sir' so and so. Like Ian McKellen can, and often is, called Sir Ian McKellen. But Schwartzkopf isn't called Sir Norman Schwartzkopf. (Or, what ever he really was awarded, just an example)

Like I said with Bill, they get to be KBEs, not sirs.

The Order of the Bath is one of the many UK chivalrous Orders, and the one foreign nationals normally get, because it allows for honourary memberships- the 'honourary' part means you can't use the Sir, but they still received a KBE (Knight of the British Empire). Most people don't bother putting KBE on their name if they have one as it is implicit from the 'Sir' or 'Dame' before their name, but if you cannot use the prefix, you use the suffix instead!

Hope that helps.

I want to become a KBE

I want to be a CBE. Thanks Ush, yes it helps.

No probs.

Actually, I know the system is a bit old-fashioned, but it has long been my ambition to receive one of these Honours- not necessarily a Knighthood, but an MBE or OBE perhaps. You can get them for long public service, after all.

i still don't understand

and couldn't it be just that the guy payed some money to the english gov and has been awarded a title for that?

The english government corrupt? how dare you

Er... that's not why he got it. It would be pretty much impossible to get one like that.

He's made a tremendous positive impact on the British economy, creating jobs, wealth, and opportunities. In as much as public service is worth honouring, he's done a ton of it.

The only question is whether a KBE is too far... but Labour is throwing out a lot of those these days.

ok. but if he didn't have money he wouldn't have done all that. ergo he wouldn't get the title.
so it is all about him being the richest guy in the world

And if you are not a policeman or fireman you couldn't get one for providing service through that job.

Or, in my case, teaching.

There is no point moaning that people can only get awards relating to what they can do! That's just the world, not the honours system! What do you want them to be awarded for, being a good drinking buddy?

At the end of the day, these are awards given for either specific or long-term acts- and so yes, you have to be in a position to perform those acts first.

no but i used to be thinking that those kind of awards are for doing something special, and not just doing some charity (i mean the charity is important, but in his case it didn't make him much financial difference) nothing more.

There should be awards for good drinking buddys, im writing to tony blair this instant

They are awards of service to the State. Bill has performed such service. Why have it more complex than that?

i don't agree with that decision.

and what do you mean by complex?

As in define it is "service to the State... err, but not if the person who performed that service did it by having lots of money..."

No no no. The honours system are very simple indeed- benefit the UK and you get them. That CAN be by charity work or other such public service, but it can also be just by making the UK a better place, in any way.

He didn't get it for charity, but for creating jobs and revolusionizing the UK in a good way. I don'T see your point, do you want to say that just because he rich what he does is not worth anything?

but i cant get it? even if a made a big possitive impact on the UK, right?

Of course you can!

really? and you don't have to be a guy?

Not at all!

so why i've never heard of any girl being given a title?

Really? We only just had a major one.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4246285.stm

i didn't know about her

Well, there we go!

You can get working on yours now.

what about Sir Rudy Juliani?
I think "Sir" title is sorta like a nobel prize of sorts.. you make a great contribution to society and you are knighted... Im sure theres more specifics to it than that though.. so I'll leave it to the brits to clarify

Err... well, he's not a Sir either, is he?

That was a controversial one, though, because he was given it for giving such strong leadership to the world of which the UK is a part of... which is kinda stretching the ideal.

Yeah like Ush said if you are American you can't put the tile 'sir' in front of your name something to do with the Constitution i think i may be wrong.

Also my dad got the Victoria Cross few years ago which means he has the initials 'V.C' in front his name

*starts working* purplequeen1

I looked that up- because I certainly heard it before- and it seems to be a disputed call.

The Constitution certainly forbids anyone in the American political arena to have foreign titles, and the American Government cannot bestow titles itself.

Whether private citizens can, literally, receive any seems to be under debate. But

a. certainly protocol is that they don't

and

b. When it comes to Knighthoods, we don't give the title to foreigners anyway, so it doesn't matter.

Anyone with a knighthood is to be adressed as 'sir'

Err... except the ones that aren't!

Right, lets see if I can make this clearer... from the beginning... Honours, including Knighthoods and Honorary Knighthoods, are given by the British Government to anyone who has benefitted Britain in any conspicuous way.... a Parliamentary committee draws up a shortlist, which is then approved (or not!) by the Prime Minister, and sent for the Royal Assent... when this has been done, the Honours are awarded... in the case of Knighthoods, any British Citizen, or certain Commonwealth Citizens, receive Full Knighthoods, entitling the bearer to use the title ( hence "entitle" Sir, or in the case of a female recipient, Dame.... any foreign national, including some Commonwealth citizens, receive Honorary Knighthoods, which convey no special precedence under British law (although etiquette leads to a certain precedence being allowed...) and does not entitle the bearer to use any title whatsoever... Knighthoods are not hereditary and are ranked by order.... so a Knight of the Garter would rank above any other Knight, and one of the Order of St Michael and St George would rank above one of the Bath or of the Order of the British Empire.... within each order are specific ranks, starting with Grand Commander at the top, followed by Knight Commander, and at the bottom, Commander... beneath these are the Member, and the holder of the Order... these last two do not usually class as Knighthoods (examples being OBE and MBE...) As an aside, the Civil Service usually gets the order of St Michael and St George.... among themselves they assert that the initials conveyed upon them stand for (CMG) Call me God.... (KCMG) Kindly call me God... and (GCMG) God calls me God......

Baronetcy on the other hand also conveys the title Sir, and is hereditary.... I'm in line for one.... eventually.....

Wow, never knew there was so much to that system.
I thought you did something really good, mother Teresa-ish and you got knighted, not all these different levels...

Now I have this mental Picture of a Sir Ush.... Its quite amusing

Hehehe!!!!

But yeah, that's certainly more complex that I thought...meh, I was totally clueless, who am I kidding...

oops..... should have said, at the bottom is "Companion...." but it was late at knight.....

what late knight?

Don't forget that the harder he(Bill Gates) pushes for this outright act of profit, (as in him calling for better scools, equals direct profits for his company.) You can base what you're saying off the fact that he cares littlen about the future of america, but the reality is much different. It doesn't take much to preach against a society thet uses your product against you. Condeme schools, but realize that your's isn't then only way.


God is hate! Down with god!