Adele to Receive MBE Honor from Queen Elizabeth II - East Idaho News
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Adele to Receive MBE Honor from Queen Elizabeth II

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138908221?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1371245571736Dan MacMedan/WireImage(LONDON) — Adele has won nearly every major music award out there — not to mention an Oscar and a Golden Globe — but now, she’s receiving an honor that’s truly representative of what she’s meant to her home country of Great Britain.

Queen Elizabeth II has named Adele an MBE — Member of the Order of the British Empire — as part of Her Majesty’s annual Birthday Honors List.  This award is given for “a significant achievement or outstanding service to the community.”  Given that Adele has pretty much single-handedly boosted the British record industry thanks to her monster-selling album 21, the award makes sense.

Adele’s certainly in good company.  The Beatles also were named MBEs, although John Lennon famously returned his medal in 1969, complaining of, among other things, Britain’s support of the U.S. in the Vietnam War.

Many other musicians have received similar honors from the Queen, but of a slightly higher ranking than an MBE; there are several other levels, including OBE and CBE. Honorees include Rod Stewart, Annie Lennox, Eric Clapton, Sting and the Bee Gees.  Of course, the highest honor is a knighthood, which has been given to the likes of Sir Elton John, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Paul McCartney and U2’s Bono, though his knighthood is honorary — because he’s Irish, he’s not allowed to be called “sir.”

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