Simon Le Bon has received his MBE during a ceremony at Windsor Castle.
William, Prince of Wales, was on hand to salute the Duran Duran frontman as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), recognition of his services to music and charity.
The royal award, announced back in June, was “incredible and totally unexpected” Le Bon said at the time.
“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,” he explained. Outside of music, Le Bon, a keen sailor, is an ambassador for Air Ambulance Services, the Blue Marine Foundation and Tall Ships Youth Trust.
“On behalf of the band, and their management, we want to congratulate Simon on receiving his MBE this morning at Windsor Castle,” reads a social post from the British band.
On behalf of the band, and their management, we want to congratulate Simon on receiving his MBE this morning at Windsor Castle pic.twitter.com/DjQS3LOltd
— Duran Duran (@duranduran) November 12, 2024
After receiving his latest award, Le Bon told the Press Association he overcame stage fright early in his performing career: “It’s the most immediate and essential aspect of our job, getting up and singing a song or making some music in front of a crowd.”
He continued, “I used to be a very nervous performer. I was terrified, and slowly I’ve been able to overcome that fear and I don’t get it anymore. I just walk out there and it feels natural to me.”
Le Bon and his bandmates have had many opportunities to shake off the nerves.
As a member of Duran Duran, Le Bon has collected every conceivable award, including the Brit Awards’ Lifetime Achievement, two Ivor Novellos, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, two Grammy Awards, and, in 2022, long-overdue induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Ahead of induction into the Rock Hall at a ceremony in Los Angeles, DD headlined London’s Hyde Park, performed at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, closed the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on their home soil, and saw their 15th studio album, Future Past, debut at No. 3 in the U.K., their best chart performance since 2004. Last year, the band released the Halloween-themed collection Danse Macabre, which opened and peaked at No. 4 in the U.K.
For Halloween 2024, Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor performed a sold-out show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, released an expanded edition of Danse Macabre, and dropped a new live concert film, “Secret Oktober.”
Duran Duran’s international fame rose to near-hysteric heights in the early ‘80s thanks to the lads’ iconic style and a conveyor belt of hits and eye-catching music videos, from “Planet Earth” to “Girls On Film,” “Rio,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “The Reflex,” “Wild Boys,” “A View to a Kill,” and more, then, a new burst of popularity in the ‘90s with “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone.”
The late Diana, Princess of Wales, William’s mother, was an avowed Duranie.
