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Queen honours entertainers
2008-06-15
LONDON (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II honoured famous Britons from the world of entertainment and arts on Saturday for their career achievements, as part of celebrations marking her 82nd birthday. The queen's birthday was on April 21, but it is only celebrated officially in June when the weather is warmer and allows for a traditional military parade -- Trooping the Colour -- to take place in central London. Monica Mason, director of the Royal Ballet, won a damehood -- the highest award in the Birthday Honours List to be bestowed upon a female. The male equivalent of a damehood is a knighthood. There was a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) -- the second-highest title -- for the prolific crime writer and screen writer Lynda La Plante, best known for the hit television series Prime Suspect, starring Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Des O'Connor, a leading light in the entertainment world since the 1950s as a singer, television host and comedian, was also awarded a CBE, as was Victoria Wood, the actress, sketch-writer and comedienne. There was an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) -- the third-highest award -- for Britain-born Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue magazine, for services to British journalism and British fashion in the United States. She was reportedly the inspiration for the character Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada" -- a hit novel and film about the cut-throat fashion industry. June Brown, who plays Dot Cotton in EastEnders -- one of Britain's longest-serving televisions soaps about a working-class community in east London -- was handed the fourth most prestigious honour of MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). The queen awards honours twice a year -- the other occasion being on January 1 -- and also uses them to recognise the achievements of sports stars, business leaders, academics and politicians in their careers and for charity work. Ordinary members of the public are also awarded for their services to the British community. An honour boosts an individual's profile and can greatly improve his or her earning potential.
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