Over on Global Spin, TIME’s Ishaan Tharoor gives a run-down on British knights who’ve been stripped of their title after bringing embarrassment or dishonor to the title. As you’ll see from the list, being stripped of the title typically occurs after serious offenses have been committed; many of the fallen knights were dictators, guilty of crimes such as political brutality and mass murder, or were found guilty of treason.
In the case of the most recent stripping, however, Sir Fred Goodwin will be losing his title for a considerably lesser offense, at least in comparison. As the CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2008, Goodwin oversaw the bank’s disastrous decline, which required the largest government bailout of the recession. While Goodwin may have been deficient, he hasn’t been convicted of a crime and many are questioning the decision to rid him of the title.
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Now that the requirements for punishment have been relaxed to such a degree, NewsFeed has already started wondering who else could (or at least should) be stripped of their knighthood. Here are a few suggestions:
Sir Alan Greenspan – This suggestion was originally offered by the Telegraph. The former chairman of the Federal Reserve, Greenspan was made an honorary knight in 2002 and, as the Telegraph notes, “his monetary policy arguably did more damage to the global economy.”
Sir Jackie Stewart – The former Formula One race car driver was knighted in 2001 and as one of Goodwin’s closest allies, has taken to staunchly defending the disgraced banker. Stewart might want to reconsider his defense, because although he’s making a compelling case that Goodwin is being scapegoated, it’s already been pointed out on Twitter that being too close to former knight Goodwin could be enough to warrant having one’s title revoked.
Sir Ben Kingsley – The actor was knighted in 2002 which was six years before he appeared in The Love Guru. TIME’s Richard Corliss noted his performance was “giving the goose to his Oscar-winning Gandhi.” Why he wasn’t promptly stripped of his honor after the film debuted, we can’t imagine.
Sir Michael “Mick” Jagger – The rebellious rocker was knighted in 2002 for services to music. For actually accepting the honor — and thereby turning his back on years of anti-establishment coolness — Jagger should have immediately had his title revoked.
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