Alan Cumming hands back his OBE citing the ‘toxicity of empire’

Actor says recent conversations about role of monarchy opened his eyes' to suffering of Indigenous people around the world

We tend to receive things on our birthdays, but on his 58th Alan Cumming has given something back: the OBE he was awarded in 2009.

In a post on Instagram, the Scottish actor talked about how he had recently opened his eyes" to the toxicity" of the British Empire. He said his soul-searching was prompted by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the conversations the event sparked.