RIP Queen Elizabeth

Although Bowie turned down the opportunity to be knighted on two different occasions, I strongly suspect that he would have been among the large group of British rockers paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth after her passing.

According to a 2016 article in Mirror (the British publication), Bowie “was offered a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2000, which the Queen awards to those who have made ‘a distinguished, innovative contribution to any area’ of British life. While most would be flattered with the gesture, he refused it, explaining at the time: ‘I seriously don’t know what it’s for.’ Then in 2003 he rejected a knighthood in recognition of ‘having a major contribution’ to British life which was ‘inspirational and significant… over a long period of time.’ While musical pals Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John and Sir Mick Jagger are among the few elite rock stars who have accepted the award, Bowie again declined, saying: ‘I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that. It’s not what I spent my life working for.’

Add to all that, he spent much of his adult life living outside England, and his last twenty years living in New York State. All that said, I’m not aware of any disparaging comments he ever made about the Queen. In 2014 he made the unusual step of issuing a statement in opposition to Scottish independence from Britain — “Scotland stay with us.” That suggests to me that he had at least residual affection for the British order.