By . Simon Walters . PUBLISHED: . 18:40 EST, 1 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:40 EST, 1 September 2012 . Firm stand: A source says the Queen does not want titles changed . The Queen wants moves to scrap the word ‘Empire’ from awards such as the OBE and MBE to be put off until after her reign, it was claimed last night. It follows a Labour bid to replace ‘Empire’ with ‘Excellence’ in the titles of the honours because it is a ‘jingoistic relic of Britain’s colonial past’. The moved was resisted after Tory MPs threatened to veto  a Westminster review of the honours system in protest. They insisted that there should be no change until at least  2017, the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Order of the British Empire. A senior source told The Mail on Sunday that the Queen believes honours should stay the same, and any future changes should be dealt with when Prince Charles accedes to the throne. ‘I have been told that her view is, “If it really must be changed, can you please wait until I am no longer Monarch?” ’ said the source. Buckingham Palace last night said: ‘We have no comment on speculation as to Her Majesty’s views on the continued inclusion of the word “Empire” in the honours system.’ Senior Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the Commons Public Administration Select Committee, which investigated the honours system, said last night: ‘If this is the Queen’s view, it is personally understandable. 'An “Order of British Excellence” sounds wet and is the kind of thing that must make her heart sink. It would have been unthinkable when she ascended the throne and would have had her father and grandfather spinning in their graves.’ 'Her father would turn in his grave': The Queen, seen here with Prince Phillip yesterday, has indicated that a change should be avoided at any cost whilst she sits on the throne . Mr Jenkin said Prince Charles should have the final say if  similar reforms were proposed when he succeeds the Queen. ‘Whatever changes are made in the future, the views of the sovereign must be paramount and take precedence over those of politicians,’ he said. Mr Jenkin said he favoured retaining ‘Empire’, but added that if it were to go, it could be changed to Order of the British Commonwealth. ‘The transition from the Empire to the Commonwealth is one of the greatest achievements of the modern Monarchy and to recognise that in awards would be much more in keeping with the tradition and heritage of the honours system,’ he added. OBE: 'Officer of the British Empire' would become Officer of British Excellence' Sharp divisions opened up during a Commons inquiry into the honours system over whether ‘Empire’ should remain in the Order of the British Empire – which includes, in order of seniority, the KBE  or DBE (Knight Commander or Dame Commander), CBE (Commander of the British Empire), OBE (Officer of the British Empire) and MBE (Member of the British Empire). Republican Labour MP Paul Flynn said the Order, created  in 1917, was an outdated ‘relic’ of the ‘jingoism of a country at war’. He said that it should be replaced by ‘Excellence’ – or renamed the British Citizen’s Medal. However, Conservatives refused to agree to the idea and threatened to pull the plug on the entire report. Mr Flynn and fellow Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins issued their own rebel ‘minority report’ in protest. The Queen has a direct personal link to the Empire: her father, George VI, was the last Emperor of India, losing the title in 1947 when the country was granted independence. The hardline decision by Mr Jenkin’s committee to block any change – or even a review – into the matter marked a U-turn. When the same committee  studied it before the last Election, it questioned the continued use of the word ‘Empire’. In its latest report, MPs said they had heard ‘mixed evidence’. Former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling told the inquiry: ‘We do not have one [an empire]. We are making someone a  Commander of the British Empire and we are in no position to offer him such a command.’ But Richard Tilbrook, the Head of the Honours Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, pointed out that when the OBE was created, the statutes made it clear that for any changes to take place, the Order would have to be closed and a new one created. The report concluded: ‘We do not recommend any changes ahead of the Order’s centenary in 2017.’
Queen wants change postponed until Prince Charles ascends the throne .
Change from Empire to Excellence would 'have her father and grandfather spinning in their graves'
By . Simon Walters . PUBLISHED: . 18:40 EST, 1 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:40 EST, 1 September 2012 . Firm stand: A source says the Queen does not want titles changed . The Queen wants moves to scrap the word ‘Empire’ from awards such as the OBE and MBE to be put off until after her reign, it was claimed last night. It follows a Labour bid to replace ‘Empire’ with ‘Excellence’ in the titles of the honours because it is a ‘jingoistic relic of Britain’s colonial past’. The moved was resisted after Tory MPs threatened to veto  a Westminster review of the honours system in protest. They insisted that there should be no change until at least  2017, the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Order of the British Empire. A senior source told The Mail on Sunday that the Queen believes honours should stay the same, and any future changes should be dealt with when Prince Charles accedes to the throne. ‘I have been told that her view is, “If it really must be changed, can you please wait until I am no longer Monarch?” ’ said the source. Buckingham Palace last night said: ‘We have no comment on speculation as to Her Majesty’s views on the continued inclusion of the word “Empire” in the honours system.’ Senior Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the Commons Public Administration Select Committee, which investigated the honours system, said last night: ‘If this is the Queen’s view, it is personally understandable. 'An “Order of British Excellence” sounds wet and is the kind of thing that must make her heart sink. It would have been unthinkable when she ascended the throne and would have had her father and grandfather spinning in their graves.’ 'Her father would turn in his grave': The Queen, seen here with Prince Phillip yesterday, has indicated that a change should be avoided at any cost whilst she sits on the throne . Mr Jenkin said Prince Charles should have the final say if  similar reforms were proposed when he succeeds the Queen. ‘Whatever changes are made in the future, the views of the sovereign must be paramount and take precedence over those of politicians,’ he said. Mr Jenkin said he favoured retaining ‘Empire’, but added that if it were to go, it could be changed to Order of the British Commonwealth. ‘The transition from the Empire to the Commonwealth is one of the greatest achievements of the modern Monarchy and to recognise that in awards would be much more in keeping with the tradition and heritage of the honours system,’ he added. OBE: 'Officer of the British Empire' would become Officer of British Excellence' Sharp divisions opened up during a Commons inquiry into the honours system over whether ‘Empire’ should remain in the Order of the British Empire – which includes, in order of seniority, the KBE  or DBE (Knight Commander or Dame Commander), CBE (Commander of the British Empire), OBE (Officer of the British Empire) and MBE (Member of the British Empire). Republican Labour MP Paul Flynn said the Order, created  in 1917, was an outdated ‘relic’ of the ‘jingoism of a country at war’. He said that it should be replaced by ‘Excellence’ – or renamed the British Citizen’s Medal. However, Conservatives refused to agree to the idea and threatened to pull the plug on the entire report. Mr Flynn and fellow Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins issued their own rebel ‘minority report’ in protest. The Queen has a direct personal link to the Empire: her father, George VI, was the last Emperor of India, losing the title in 1947 when the country was granted independence. The hardline decision by Mr Jenkin’s committee to block any change – or even a review – into the matter marked a U-turn. When the same committee studied it before the last Election, it questioned the continued use of the word ‘Empire’. In its latest report, MPs said they had heard ‘mixed evidence’. Former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling told the inquiry: ‘We do not have one [an empire]. We are making someone a Commander of the British Empire and we are in no position to offer him such a command.’ But Richard Tilbrook, the Head of the Honours Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, pointed out that when the OBE was created, the statutes made it clear that for any changes to take place, the Order would have to be closed and a new one created. The report concluded: ‘We do not recommend any changes ahead of the Order’s centenary in 2017.’
would have had her father and grandfather spinning in their graves.’ 'Her father would turn the throne . Mr Jenkin said Prince Charles should transition from the Empire to the Commonwealth is