Livia Giuggioli tears up MBE, returns royal honor over Trump UK state visit

Livia Giuggioli, the Italian activist and ex-wife of Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth, has torn up her royal honor and said she will return the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) to the UK government in protest of how the country greeted President Donald Trump during his state visit last week. In an Instagram post, Giuggioli said she could not reconcile the “frightening and cowardly display of appeasing someone who stands for the obliteration of the natural world and the most vulnerable people on earth.” She added that she was returning the award to sender and shredded her MBE certificate, explaining the decision as a stand against what she described as a “cowardly display.”

The MBE, awarded in 2019 for her contributions to the fashion industry, was presented as part of a broader royal rite that accompanies a state visit: a ceremonial procession, a state banquet, and a formal address from the monarch. Giuggioli said she accepted the honor originally on behalf of garment worker activists and out of respect for King Charles III when he was Prince of Wales, noting his long history of social and environmental justice advocacy. Her stance, she wrote, changed in the wake of Trump’s visit and the royal hosts’ reception of the foreign leader.

Giuggioli is best known for her work in eco-fashion and advocacy, and she and Colin Firth—who won Best Actor for The King’s Speech at the Academy Awards—were married from 1997 to 2019. The couple, who have two children, Luca and Matteo, publicly separated after Giuggioli admitted to an affair with Italian journalist Marco Brancaccia during a temporary separation in 2015–2016. The couple ultimately finalized their divorce, with details of the affair settled privately.

The controversy surrounding Trump’s state visit has drawn global attention to questions about the balance between diplomacy and protest within royal symbolism. The visit included a landscaped program of official engagements and concluded with a family photo featuring Queen Camilla, King Charles III, President Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump at a Windsor Castle state banquet on Sept. 17, 2025. The royal components of the visit have been widely scrutinized in light of broader debates about environmental policy, global leadership, and the legacy of the British Empire.

Giuggioli’s decision to return the MBE places her among a recent wave of activists who use symbolic acts to express dissent over government policy and international engagements. Her Instagram post, signed “Livia Giuggioli (Firth),” framed the act as a principled stand rather than a personal grievance and underscored her intention to draw attention to garment workers and environmental justice—causes she has long championed.

In the wake of her action, observers noted the tension between Giuggioli’s anti-Imperial rhetoric and her earlier gratitude toward the monarchy for its longstanding commitments to social and environmental causes. The episode highlights how figures connected to high-profile cultural institutions can become focal points in broader debates about state power, diplomacy, and historical legacies.

![Livia Giuggioli protest image]({"url": "https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/activist-hits-cowardly-display-appeasing-112091561.jpg?w=764", "alt": "activist protest image", "caption": ""})

![Colin Firth ex-wife image]({"url": "https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/activist-hits-cowardly-display-appeasing-112091553.jpg?w=480", "alt": "Livia Giuggioli image", "caption": ""})

The outspoken action by Giuggioli adds to ongoing conversations about how former colonies and their modern ties to Britain are navigated in contemporary diplomacy, as well as how public honors are perceived when awarded for work that intersects with politics, policy, and global ethics. While the royal family has historically played a ceremonial role, modern state visits continue to evoke questions about values, alliance, and accountability on the world stage. As for Giuggioli, she has positioned the act as a call for accountability and a reminder of activism beyond personal accolades, reiterating that her support for environmental and garment-worker advocacy remains central to her public identity.

Further context comes from her personal history with Firth, including the couple’s two children and the high-profile dissolution of their marriage. Giuggioli’s decision to shred the certificate and return the honor appears to be a pointed, individual statement aimed at the intersection of celebrity, philanthropy, and political symbolism, rather than a wholesale indictment of the British honors system itself. The episode underscores the evolving relationship between cultural figures and state power in a year marked by heightened scrutiny of how leaders engage with global issues on the world stage.