I’m not sure it fits in this StackExchange site but here’s the question:
Can a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) use the title “sir” or “dame” before their name?
The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross, and Knight or Dame Commander, entitle their members to use the title of Sir for men and Dame for women before their forename.
This would suggest that a CBE cannot use the title because it is reserved for GBE and KBE/DBE only.
However in Wikipedia articles regarding for example Elton John, David Attenborough and Anthony Hopkins you can see all of them being CBE but titled “sir”. On the other hand Benedict Cumberbatch is also a CBE but it isn’t titled “sir” in his Wikipedia article.What is the rule here?
Answer
No, one does not put a title before one’s name, but letters afterwards.
If I were the holder of that prestigious appointment, I would use W. Vane CBE.
Moreover, it is for others to use a title, not me.
So I introduce myself, or sign off, as W. Vane, not Mr W. Vane.
But anyway, a CBE holder is not entitled to be called a Sir or a Dame.
Sir Elton John is called thus, because he has also been made a Knight Bachelor.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Kuba Szymanowski , Answer Author : Weather Vane