Adele and PJ Harvey Awarded MBEs in Queen’s Birthday Honors
Adele and PJ Harvey became Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire this week when Queen Elizabeth II awarded them MBEs in her annual Birthday Honors, the BBC reports. The two singers were both recognized for their services to music.
The award adds another highlight in an eventful year for Adele, who won a Best Original Song Oscar for “Skyfall,” as well as a Grammy, a Golden Globe and a Brit, and gave birth to her first child in the fall. PJ Harvey has not been making as many headlines lately, but her most recent album, 2011’s Let England Shake made her the first artist ever to win Britain’s prestigious Mercury Prize twice.
The list of 1,180 recipients of this year’s honors also included Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson and sculptor Anish Kapoor.
Adele and PJ Harvey follow in the footsteps of the Beatles, who received MBE medals from Elizabeth II in 1965. Four years later, John Lennon famously returned his medal to the Queen in protest against Britain’s involvement in Biafra and support of the U.S. in Vietnam, while Paul McCartney went on to be knighted in 1997.