London; Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been stripped of his honorary CBE that he was accorded for his contribution to the British film industry in 2004. The forfeiture was done on the directive of the Queen of England.
The UK’s official public record, the Gazette, issued a notice to the effect, according to a report in theguardian.com. “The Queen has directed that the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated January 19 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order,” the report stated.
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison term in New York after being convicted of rape.
The producer rose to become one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers in the nineties and the 2000s. Miramax, the production house he co-founded, made numerous films that scored the box office and also won big at awards ceremonies, especially the Oscars.
Many of his feted productions including “The English Patient”, “Shakespeare In Love”, and “Enigma” drew on British literary and historical associations, noted The Guardian website.
According to the website, English honours can be removed on the advice of a forfeiture committee, with the Queen’s approval if the committee deems the recipient has brought disrepute to the system. There have been calls to strip Weinstein of his CBE since 2017 when many women in Hollywood came out alleging sexual misconduct.
