The Honours Forfeiture Committee will discuss the possibility of completely stripping Jimmy Savile of his knighthood even though it ended when he died - a move that would be a first for the honours system.
Having a knighthood means someone is the member of an order with a lifetime membership which no longer exists when the person dies.
Therefore, as Savile is dead and technically a former member of the order, there is nothing to strip him of.
With the widespread public revulsion for Savile, it is believed the Honours Forfeiture Committee is looking at this issue as one that could possibly bring the honours system into disrepute.
Two examples of how a member of the order may bring the system into disrepute are outlined on the official government website.
The first one is if someone has been "sentenced to imprisonment of at least 3 months for a criminal offence".
The second example given is if someone is "censured, struck off etc by a relevant professional or regulatory authority for something directly relevant to the granting of the honours (eg a doctor has been struck off)".
The website also says, crucially in the case of Savile, that "other criteria can be considered as well", adding that the committee's discussions are confidential.
Should the committee decide an honour should be forfeited, the normal procedure is that a recommendation is submitted to the Queen and she makes the final decision.
