BLACKPINK receive honorary MBEs from King Charles III for their climate activism

Yesterrday morning (22 November), BLACKPINK were named honourary Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at Buckingham Palace by King Charles III due to their commitment to raising awareness about climate change. The king recognised their role as COP26 Advocates for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow 2021, where they encouraged millions of young people to engage with the United Nations climate change conference.

Charles presented BLACKPINK with their medals at a ceremony attended by South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, and first lady, Kim Keon Hee. Jennie, Jisoo, and Lisa received honorary MBEs, whilst Rosé – who has citizenship in New Zealand – was given a traditional MBE because King Charles is head of state there.

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Addressing the honour of awarding BLACKPINK, King Charles said: “It is especially inspiring to see Korea’s younger generation embrace the cause. I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé, better known collectively as BLACKPINK, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as Ambassadors for the UK's Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.”

In an Instagram video posted by the Royal Family with the caption, “On Wednesdays, we play Blackpink,” the group's song “DDU-DU DDU-D" was played by the military band of the 1st Battalion of Welsh Guards during the changing of the guards.