Simon Le Bon Honored with MBE
Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on November 12. Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to music and charity. pic.twitter.com/UIK3TSYmmq
Le Bon received the honor for his contributions to music and charity work over the years. He was awarded the MBE by William, Prince of Wales, which can be seen
Le Bon said in a statement back in June of his then-pending MBE, “It is fitting that the honor 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. To name but two of them, I hope this moment helps to raise awareness for the Blue Marine Foundation and the importance of their conservation work, and for Centrepoint.”
The Blue Marine Foundation works to prevent overfishing in our oceans, and Centrepoint is the U.K.’s largest organization fighting youth homelessness.
Per the U.K.’s official Honours System website, the following are the five title distinctions in order of importance the British Monarchy can bestow upon individuals for their non-combative contributions to the U.K.:
–Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): “Achievement or service in and to the community which is outstanding in its field and has delivered sustained and real impact which stands out as an example to others.”
–Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE): “Distinguished regional or county-wide role in any field, through achievement or service to the community including notable practitioners known nationally.”
–Commander of the British Empire (CBE): “A prominent national role of a lesser degree, a conspicuous leading role in regional affairs through achievement or service to the community, or a highly distinguished, innovative contribution in his or her area of activity.”
–Damehood/Knighthood (DBE/KBE): “A pre-eminent contribution in any field of activity (usually, but not exclusively, at national level), or in a capacity which will be recognized by peer groups as inspirational and significant nationally and demonstrates sustained commitment.”
–Dame/Knight Grand Cross (GBE): “Grand Cross is the highest class in many of the Orders.”
Duran Duran ‘Rio’ Cover Model’s Identity Finally Revealed
Duran Duran released their album, Rio, on May 10, 1982. Since its release, its cover has been both iconic and a bit of a mystery. After all, who was the woman who inspired the bold cover art drawn by artist Patrick Nagel? In 2024, the woman’s identity has finally been revealed over 40 years after the release of Rio.
Monica Moynihan, an art seller and historian, took to Instagram to share various photos that inspired the Rio cover. These photos were taken by Angelo Tarlazzi for the February 1981 edition of Vogue Paris.
Moynihan notes, “My friend @nagel_angel has spent $$$ and countless hours to hunt this down! He deserves all the credit on this discovery and also did the AI layout to prove it!”
So, who is this mystery model? Moynihan wrote, “Model is Marcie Hunt @marciehunt1 & Thank you @ser.sarah.bastos for helping identify her.”
Hunt, who is now a vintner and co-owns Dos Lagos Vineyards, took to Instagram to comment on being identified as the Rio model. She wrote, “It’s so exciting to know that I am also ‘Rio’ on the cover of Duran Duran. One of my all-time favorite groups. And that the smile brought so much luck to these multi-talented musicians. Thanks to Patrick Nagel, the illustrator, who is no longer with us, @nagel_angel, who did so much research, and #patricknagelarts . Also Lyndsey Parker’s great article at musictimes.com on June 10th.”
