Watch: BLACKPINK awarded honorary MBES by King Charles

The K-pop royalty: All four members of the K-pop group — Jennie (whose full name is Jennie Kim), Jisoo (Kim Ji-soo), Rosé (Roseanne Park) and Lisa (Lalisa Manobal) — were in attendance at the state banquet held in Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday evening.

King Charles III’s speech: King Charles III welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee in Korean.

He later acknowledged hallyu, or the Korean wave, in his address by drawing parallels between British icons and South Korean sensations, such as likening Danny Boyle to “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho, “James Bond” with “Squid Game” and The Beatles’ song “Let It Be” to BTS’ “Dynamite.”

A royal shoutout: The king then applauded BLACKPINK for their work on raising awareness about climate change and environmental sustainability.

“I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé, better known collectively as BLACKPINK, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as Ambassadors for the U.K.’s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.

A humorous observation: “It’s amazing you’re still talking to each other after all these years,” King Charles told the group in jest during the ceremony. “I hope I shall be able to see you perform live at some point.”

Receiving awards: Besides being honored and receiving acknowledgment at the banquet, BLACKPINK was also given the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire or MBE, the third-highest ranking of all three of the Order of the British Empire awards after Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) and Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).

The award is given to those who have made outstanding achievements or long-lasting and significant service to the community.

How fans reacted: Several BLACKPINK fans, affectionately known as blinks, celebrated the group’s latest achievement on X, with many fans telling the members they were “so proud” of them.