Fourteen years ago, the British Crown honored actor Alan Cumming with the Order of Knights. He's no longer happy about it. The Queen's death opened the eyes of the 58-year-old.
Actor Alan Cumming, known from the James Bond film "GoldenEye", announced in an Instagram post for his 58th birthday on January 27 that he recently officially returned his knightly order of Officer of the British Empire.
Fourteen years ago he was incredibly grateful to be inducted into the Queen's Birthday Honors and to receive the Order "because it was not only awarded for my work as an actor, but 'for activism for gay equality and Lesbian Community, USA'". Cumming writes that in his post, in which he published pictures of himself today and then after the award.
The Scottish-born actor, who is also a US citizen, went on to explain that the Queen's death and the ensuing discussions about the role of the monarchy and "particularly the way the British Empire is doing at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples around the world have really opened my eyes".
He has concerns about being associated with the "toxicity of the Empire". He therefore gave up the medal, explained his reasons and thanked him for having received it at all. "I'm just good old Alan Cumming again now."
