KBE is an abbreviation of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Order created 1917 by King George V to recognise those who had served conspicuously during World War I. Award is either announced on Queen‘s official birthday in June, or at the New Year. Non-British nationals are given honorary awards – they receive a medal and ribbon but cannot use title „Sir“ in front of their name. Previous U.S. recipients of KBE include Bob Hope, Sidney Poitier, Douglas Fairbanks Jnr, Colin Powell, Andre Previn, Edward R. Murrow, John Paul Getty II, Norman Schwarzkopf and Alistair Cooke. Other overseas recipients include Sir Julius Chan (former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea), Takuma Yamamoro (Chairman of Fujitsu), Dr.Tadhiro Sekimoto (Chairman of Nippon) and musician Bob Geldof. There are over 100,000 living members of the Order of the British Empire worldwide. The motto of the Order is „For God and the Empire“. A statement on the British Embassy website said: „The award of an honorary knighthood recognises Steven Spielberg‘s extraordinary contribution to the entertainment industry and the British film industry over the last 25 years.“ The honour is conferred by the Queen, on the advice of the Foreign Secretary, on those who have made an important contribution to relations between their country and Britain. CNN