London: King Charles III honoured the K-pop band BLACKPINK on Wednesday for their work in raising awareness about climate change. Charles made BLACKPINK members Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim and Lalisa Manoban honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire.
Bandmate Roseanne (Rosé) Park also received an MBE, though hers came without the ‘honorary’ qualifier because she has dual citizenship in New Zealand, one of the 14 countries, where the UK monarch is head of state.
The honours were presented during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in recognition of BLACKPINK’s role in promoting the work of the COP26 summit on climate change two years ago in Glasgow, Scotland. The awards are part of Britain’s honours system, which recognises outstanding service to the nation and the wider world.
Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé smiled and greeted King Charles III as he presented them the medals. Jennie and Jisoo wore a black outfits, while Lisa wore a baby blue dress with a short cape. Rosé chose a grey pantsuit.
Charles had lauded the K-pop girl group on Tuesday during a state banquet in honour of Korean President Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee ‘for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience’.
King Charles III jokingly said to BLACKPINK members at the ceremony, “It’s amazing you’re still talking to each other after all these years… I hope I shall be able to see you perform live at some point”.
At Tuesday’s banquet, the BLACKPINK ladies arrived in beautiful gowns and dresses and were spotted exchanging glances and smiles as Charles and others spoke.
