BLACKPINK, the renowned South Korean girl group, has been granted honorary membership in the Order of the British Empire.
In a special investiture ceremony on November 22 at Buckingham Palace, King Charles presented all four members of BLACKPINK with honorary MBEs. Notably, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee were also present during the investiture ceremony.
On the Royal Family’s official social media accounts, they also shared clips of the BLACKPINK members receiving their honorary MBEs from King Charles. “The K-pop band have been awarded the honors in recognition of their role as advocates for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow,” they captioned the post.
The King, joined by The President and First Lady of the Republic of Korea, has welcomed @BLACKPINK to Buckingham Palace, as they are awarded Honorary MBEs. 🎖️
The K-Pop band have been awarded the honours in recognition of their role as Advocates for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow. pic.twitter.com/8xeD4zWP3J— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 22, 2023
For those unfamiliar, the MBEs are part of a series of medals and honors that the King can confer on behalf of the government.
According to reports, Rosé, holding dual New Zealand citizenship and being a national of a British realm, received a “substantive” MBE. This distinguishes her from the purely honorary recognition bestowed upon the three remaining members: Jisoo, Jennie, and Lisa.
Another historic feat for BLACKPINK
As recognition stems from their pivotal role as official advocates for the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, the Royal Family further commended BLACKPINK for their vocal support for the campaign to raise awareness about climate change.
A day prior to the investiture ceremony, King Charles also hosted a banquet at Buckingham Palace for the South Korean president and first lady, with all four BLACKPINK members in attendance.
영국 국왕은 윤 대통령과 김 여사가 계신 자리에서 버킹엄 궁전의 특별한 손님인 @BLACKPINK 에게 대영제국 훈장(MBE)을 수여했습니다.
블랙핑크는2021년 영국 글래스고에서 열린COP26의 홍보대사로 활동한 공로를 인정받아 이 훈장을 수여받았습니다. pic.twitter.com/MTbVejBl8f
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 22, 2023
In his banquet speech, King Charles commended Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé, for effectively conveying the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience while balancing their roles as international superstars. Based on the clips circulating online, the members were visibly surprised by the acknowledgment of their pivotal role.
BLACKPINK react to being honoured during a speech by King Charles III for the Korean State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, via Sky News. pic.twitter.com/OYSfEOIqtm
— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 21, 2023
Moreover, BLACKPINK’s contributions for this initiative extended beyond verbal support. As the group also released educational videos aimed at enlightening the younger generation about climate issues. Which led to the group being appointed as global ambassadors for the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.
With this, BLACKPINK has now become the first and only non-British musical artist to receive this prestigious honorary award. Furthermore, they’ll be joining notable musical artists such as The Beatles (1965), Adele (2013), and Ed Sheeran (2017) as recipients of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).
.@BLACKPINK (2023) becomes the FIRST and the ONLY Non-British Musical Artist Honorary Awardee of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBEs).
They join The Beatles (1965), Adele (2013), Ed Sheeran (2017) as Musical Artist Honorary Awardee of the MBEs. pic.twitter.com/OUZXMSvshc
— BLΛCKPIИK GLOBAL FANBASE (@BLACKPINKGLOBAL) November 22, 2023
On social media, fans of the group are overjoyed with BLACKPINK’s latest achievement. On top of that, they’re also delighted to see all four members together again amidst the group’s ongoing contract renewal negotiation with YG Entertainment.
Featured image: BLACKPINK poses with their honorary MBEs. Credit: Twitter/Royal Family