On November 22, 2023, King Charles III bestowed a distinguished royal award to Rosé, Jisoo, Jennie, and Lisa of BLACKPINK, designating them as Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). Following the Buckingham Palace ceremony, conversations centered on the unique benefits that Rosé would have as a result of attaining the honorary medal.
In addition to ruling the United Kingdom, King Charles III is also the head of state of 14 other countries, including New Zealand, which separated from the British Empire in 1947 but maintained its monarchy by constitutional decree.
Given that she is a dual citizen of South Korea and New Zealand, Rosé is entitled to "full" honors, unlike Jisoo, Jennie, and Lisa of BLACKPINK, who are only eligible for "honorary" titles. The On The Ground singer is believed to receive certain privileges since she hails from New Zealand which is a part of the British Commonwealth and the head of state of the United Kingdom.
What are the benefits that BLACKPINK Rosé would enjoy due to her MBE honor?
In public acknowledgment of an individual's excellence, service, or courage, the British honors system bestows awards such as decorations, medals, and honors. His Majesty the King confers honors twice a year. The lists of recipients include knights and dames, appointments to the Order of the British Empire, and medals for valor and courage. Various honors are given out based on an individual's accomplishments.
After the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) and Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), comes the MBE, which stands for Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, is the third-highest Order of the British Empire honor (with the exception of a knighthood or damehood). The MBE is given in recognition of a remarkable accomplishment or community contribution that has had a major, long-lasting influence.
For instance, those with an MBE or above could get married in St. Paul's Cathedral, a privilege that is also extended to their children. The renowned cathedral has a unique chapel that is only open to people who have received knighthoods, damehoods, MBEs, OBEs, or CBEs.
On top of that, honor holders not only have the option to marry in the chapel, but they may also have their children and grandkids baptized at the legendary St. Paul's Cathedral.
Rosé benefits from an array of perks since she is a citizen of one of the 14 commonwealth nations under the United Kingdom monarchy. Admirers are in a state of bewilderment upon learning of the benefits, particularly the ability to marry in the same location as royal weddings.
Additionally, as soon as the award is revealed, the awardees can begin using the new title or letters after their name. Similar to how educational credentials are shown, recipients of the MBE can acknowledge the honor by appending the "post-nominal" letters MBE to the final portion of their name. In this instance, the BLACKPINK singer Rosé can use it as "Roseanne Park MBE".
However, these aren't often used to address the person during a conversation or in informal settings. Although, an MBE can only be awarded to British citizens or to citizens from the 14 Commonwealth nations. Hence, BLACKPINK member Jisoo, Jennie, and Lisa has created history and created precedence for being the first non-British recipients of such an esteemed accolade.
BLACKPINK members create history by being the first non-British recipients of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)
King Charles III of the United Kingdom awarded prestigious honors to the K-pop phenomenon BLACKPINK in recognition of their work raising young awareness of the effects of climate change on November 22, 2023. This holds significant weight because the supergroup was the first K-pop group and the first non-British musical act to receive this distinction.
It is worth noting that BLACKPINK has become the latest recipient of the MBE's Musical Artist Honorary Award, joining the esteemed The Beatles (1965) and the famed artist Adele (2013).
Furthermore, the four BLACKPINK members were invited as esteemed dignitaries to attend the South Korea-UK State Banquet hosted at Buckingham Palace, United Kingdom, on November 21, 2023. Fans of the supergroup BLACKPINK have been showering the artists for their latest achievements since then.
In other news, on November 17, 2023 (PST), BLACKPINK Rosé spoke at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting. The United States First Lady extended an invitation to her to join the jury in order to talk about the significance of mental health.
Rosé attended the APEC event as a guest of Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee and spoke at the summit held at Cupertino, California about measures to promote mental health. The event was attended by the First Lady of the United States Jill Biden along with Apple's CEO Tim Cook.