Taking the global music scene by storm, K-pop sensation BLACKPINK has received yet another feather in their illustrious cap – the esteemed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) honour. Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé, the empowering women of this influential group, were awarded this distinction by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the regal Buckingham Palace.
The honour was a part of a grand ceremony, a diplomatic banquet hosted in honour of the South Korean President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook. This splendid event marked a significant milestone – the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and South Korea.
BLACKPINK aren’t the first girl group to waltz through the grand gates of Buckingham Palace. They follow in the feisty footsteps of the Spice Girls, who attended back in 1997. Still, their visit wasn’t just a nod to their global popularity, rather a heartfelt acknowledgment of their tremendous influence in promoting environmental sustainability across the world.
During the lavish dinner, King Charles III made a point of complimenting the group for their work as ambassadorial representatives of the UK COP26 Presidency and their support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Despite being international pop-stars, they had used their massive platform to advocate for important global issues.
BLACKPINK made history on November 22 when they became the first K-pop group to receive the MBE. Lined up with past laureates like The Beatles, Adele, and Ed Sheeran, and noteworthy achievers like Jackie Chan, Anne Hathaway, Steven Gerrard, Marcus Rashford, Jimmy White, and Mark Williams, the group finds itself in a list of truly luminary figures.
Established by King George V in 1917, the five classes of the MBE honour are GBE, KBE or DBE, CBE, OBE, and MBE. This order acknowledges contributions to the arts, sciences, charity work, and public service. Anand Panyarachun and Professor Dr Vitit Muntarbhorn, the chosen Thais, were awarded the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the past, in appreciation of their significant contributions.
Intriguingly, Ben Svasti Thomson, the UK’s Honorary Consul, was the recipient of this weighty honour last year. Meanwhile, circling back to the monarchs who presided over this remarkable event, King Charles III possesses an impressive fortune, amassed through strategic investments and royal estates. Adding to his wealth was an inheritance of about £360 million, left to him by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, resulting in an estimated overall wealth of £600 million, a figure reported by The Times.
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