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Heather Small accepted her MBE today at the age of 59, and looked much like she did when she was singing with M People in the 1990s.
The Proud hitmaker chatted with Prince William at the event on November 12 at Windsor Castle.
Born in West London, Heather began her career in the group Hothouse as a teenager, before becoming the lead singer of the band M People alongside Mike Pickering, Shoveli, and Paul Heard.
They went on to record a string of hits including Moving On Up, One Night in Heaven and Search for the Hero, and sold millions of records in the early 1990s.
She went on to release three solo albums in the 2000s once the band dissolved, and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2008.
Heather is also an ambassador for children’s charity Banardo’s and works with Action Breaks Silence, which aims to stop violence against women and girls.
She was awarded the honour for her voluntary and charitable services.
The star was honoured alongside other famous faces, including Dame Imelda Staunton – who played the late Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown – former footballer Graeme Souness and singer Simon Le Bon.
Dame Imelda, 68, who was awarded for her services to drama and charity, earned a Bafta TV and Golden Globe nomination for her fictional portrayal of Charles’ mother in seasons five and six of the series.
Asked if it felt surreal to be recognised with her damehood by Charles in the King’s Birthday Honours having played his mother, Dame Imelda told the PA news agency: ‘They’re two very different worlds and you have to sort of get serious about that and go, “We were on the television and this is for real”.
‘[William and I] didn’t talk about that, but it was a huge privilege. That was two years of filming, and I absolutely adored it.
‘It was of course devastating when Her Majesty died – we were filming as well, it was tricky.’
She defended the series’ depiction of a fictionalised version of historical events, saying: ‘It’s a drama, not a documentary.’
‘They do it with such care. They’re not, they’re not out there to, you know, give a bad press,’ she said.
‘As a dramatist, you have to imagine what someone was saying behind those closed doors. I think it was a tremendous piece of work and a tremendous tribute to the royal family.’
She is also widely known for playing the evil Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films, with her other film credits also including Downton Abbey, Paddington and Nanny McPhee.
Dame Imelda’s charity work has included being an ambassador for national homelessness charity Crisis and supporting the international disaster relief charity ShelterBox.
Duran Duran frontman Le Bon will be made an MBE for his services to music and charity.
The musician dropped out of university to perform with the group, who became synonymous with the New Romantic scene, after a successful audition in the 1980s.
Duran Duran, whose hit songs include Rio and Hungry Like The Wolf, had a number one album in the UK charts with Seven And The Ragged Tiger in 1983 and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Le Bon said he was truly beyond thrilled and surprised’ in his initial reaction to the royal honour.
He said: ‘These last few years have been some of the most important in Duran Duran’s career, and this is a bright but humbling highlight as our journey continues.
‘It is fitting that the honour has been awarded not just for my role in music, but also for the work I’ve been fortunate to be involved with outside the band for some of the causes I believe in.’
Le Bon has worked as an ambassador for the Blue Marine Foundation, which works to provide awareness on ways people can come together to save the oceans, and for the Tall Ships Youth Trust which runs seafaring trips for disadvantaged young people across the UK.
Singer-songwriter Rebecca Ferguson, 38, who finished runner-up on The X Factor in 2010 behind winner Matt Cardle and ahead of One Direction, was also recognised at the investiture ceremony.
She was awarded the MBE for her services to the music industry having turned towards activism in recent years, including campaigning for the introduction of the new regulatory body for the sector that ensures artist welfare.
The performer had a meeting with then-culture secretary Oliver Dowden in 2021 to discuss discrimination in the music industry, and called on media watchdog Ofcom to conduct an investigation into reality TV shows last year.
Souness, both a player and manager at Rangers and Liverpool, was made CBE for his services to football and charity.
The Scot represented his country at three World Cups and won five league titles and three European Cups with the Reds before later spending time as a pundit.
He is the vice president of Debra UK which raises awareness of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a group of genetic skin conditions that cause the skin to blister and tear at the slightest touch.
Souness helped to raise £1.5 million for the charity when he joined a swimming challenge across the English Channel last year.
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