Queen Elizabeth II has stripped veteran entertainer Rolf Harris of an honour she bestowed on him in 2006, with an official statement saying the move was prompted by his conviction for child sex crimes last year.

Harris, a household name in Australia and his adopted home Britain, was jailed for almost six years last July for repeatedly abusing young girls over decades when he was a much loved host on children's television.

An announcement in the London Gazette, Britain's official newspaper of record, said the royal award given to Harris, who had painted the Queen's portrait in 2005, had now been rescinded.

"The Queen has directed that the appointment of Rolf Harris to be a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [CBE], dated June 17, 2006, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the register of the said Order," the statement said.

Police and prosecutors said Harris, an artist and musician who first earned fame in the 1950s with the top 10 hit novelty song Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport, had used his fame to abuse girls for years.

He was the most high-profile figure to have been convicted of crimes since British police launched a major inquiry into celebrity sex crimes, following revelations three years ago that late BBC TV host Jimmy Savile had been a prolific child abuser.

Reuters