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Mel B with her order: "It's not just for me, it's for all these other women"
Photo: Dominic Lipinski / dpa
British pop singer Mel B has received a royal honor for her work against domestic violence.
Queen's grandson Prince William presented Melanie Brown, as the member of the girl band Spice Girls is called, with the order "Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" (MBE) in Buckingham Palace.
This is one of the lower ranks in the British Orders of Merit system.
It was great to receive the honor, said the singer known as "Scary Spice": "But it's not just for me, it's for all these other women," she said.
Brown has been a patron of the Women's Aid charity since 2018.
"Especially because of the pandemic, there's been such an epidemic of domestic violence that's escalated tremendously and I've got an army of women behind me who need help and need to be heard," the 46-year-old said.
She sees herself as the voice of these women, "because we've all been through the same thing."
In May 2021, Mel B spoke publicly in an interview with the British »Guardian« that she had experienced domestic violence in her marriage to film producer Stephen Belafonte.
In 2017, after ten years of marriage, she divorced and sued Belafonte for abuse.
However, there was no verdict: the proceedings were discontinued due to an out-of-court settlement.
return to the palace
The award that has now been given to Mel B was the first royal award ceremony at Buckingham Palace since the start of the corona pandemic more than two years ago.
Queen Elizabeth II's London residence has been renovated for a total of £369 million (€437 million) for years.
Work has been suspended due to the forthcoming celebrations of the Queen's 70th jubilee.
The Queen herself resides almost continuously at Windsor Castle west of London.
The honor for Mel B had already been announced at the turn of the year in the "New Year Honours", in which hundreds of people are traditionally given medals and awards.
On Wednesday, former England national soccer coach Roy Hodgson also received an honor for his services – the 74-year-old may henceforth call himself "Commander of the Order of the British Empire" (CBE).
This is the third highest level in the order system.
ptz/dpa
