Daniel Craig, Spice Girls’ Mel B and Bernie Taupin were among the artists and celebrities who received awards as part of the Queen’s annual New Year Honours.
Craig, notably, was awarded the same honor as his big screen counterpart James Bond —the Companion in The Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) — for his contribution to film, including portraying 007 five times, the BBC reports.
Elton John lyricist Taupin received a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for exceptional services to music; the honor comes two years after Sir Elton John was elevated to the honors system’s highest level, Companion of Honor, as part of the 2019 New Year Honours.
Spice Girls’ Mel B (Melanie Brown) was given an Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) not for music but for her services to Charitable Causes and Vulnerable Women, particularly her work with domestic abuse survivors and the charity Women’s Aid. “I feel I’m accepting this award on behalf of all women who have gone through – or going through – abuse in all its shapes and forms,” Mel B said in a statement (via CNN).
Filmmaker Paul Greengrass, actresses Vanessa Redgrave and Joanna Lumley, gold medal-winning Olympics diver and LGBTQ+ advocate Tom Daley and former prime minister Tony Blair were also among the more than 1,200 people who received New Year Honours; the list also included hundreds of doctors, medical workers, health experts and vaccine developers who were honored for their contributions and sacrifices during the Covid-19 pandemic.
