Warm congratulations to Kate today! At a special investiture ceremony in Windsor Castle she received her CBE from the Queen.
Kate chose not to speak to the press after the ceremony but issued a short statement:
“I feel incredibly thrilled to receive this honour which I share with my family, friends and fellow musicians and everyone who has been such an important part of it all. Now I’ve got something really special to put on top of the Christmas tree.”
Kate has now added to the statement on her official site:
“The ‘everyone’ in the quote above of course includes all of you. Thank you so very much for all your fantastic support and encouragement. I feel extremely privileged to still have an audience. It’s you that have made my work, which would otherwise have just been creative projects, into a success.
Many, many thanks to the best fans ever,
Kate xPS I hate the term ‘fans’ but couldn’t think of how else to word it.”
We hope that you are enjoying your special day, Kate – richly deserved for the years of sheer talent, joy, inspiration and excitement you have poured into this world. Have a blast!
Peter, Krys, Dave and Seán x
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Yvette Honey
This is thrilling news. Thank you Kate for bringing your essence and energy into this world via your amazing voice, musical spheres and atmosphere. I have all of your albums. My dream is to one day meet you, have a cup of tea a few blocks of chocolate and some banter. But that remains a dream and a wish. Congratulations Kate, well deserved. Love and light to you. xoxo
Trevor
A terrific honor for one of the greatest songwriters of all time!
Mark
I hope more pictures are found…
Rubberbandme
Kate you look so gorgeous and refreshed! Congratulations. Your music remains inspirational, and as an artist you continue to evolve. Have a great day!
AngieZ.
What happened to the pictures of Kate meeting the Queen? I wanted to save those! Can you email them to me?
AngieZ.
🙁
Peter
Normal service has been resumed 🙂
Marga
Wow!!!!!
Mark
She looks so lovely! Kate, you need to grace us with your presence more!
Mark
We are the best fans ever, aren’t we?
Cindy Jones
Soooo proud of you, Kate! I’ve loved you since the 70s. You’re wonderful!
Patty Marvel
WHOA!!!! I had NO idea she was even in line for this!!!!!! WHOA!!!! I’m so excited!!! I wouldn’t have know if my buddy in Devon hadn’t e-mailed me (I’m in Cleveland, Ohio)!!!! DANG!!!! I have GOT to play a ton of her music on my next show!!!!
ARoseGrowingOld
What a lovely, lovely gesture. Humble, sensitive and totally wrong.
Kate, you did this alone. You certainly didn’t need the likes of me to do it!
All I’ve seen for 35 years is other people misjudging you, mocking you, trying to turn you into what you weren’t. You have consistently followed your own path at the risk of losing everything and triumphed more times than I can count.
Yet again I raise my glass to you Ms Bush, it’s a pleasure to share a planet with you
Nanette
ALL you’ve seen is people misjudging and mocking? Rose, you’ve been hanging out with the wrong people 😉
Sky
Lovely sentiment but what Kate says is true – if she did not have her fans she may well not have sold the number of albums she did, and would not have continued to have such a successful career. If you don’t sell records you vanish. The testament to her music is that we are all still here, many of us since the beginning, and more along the way. So her thanks to us is lovely, touching – and the truth. Accept it gracefully because she clearly means it.
ARoseGrowingOld
Oh, I’m just being awkward, I know and I do appreciate the gesture. I just don’t rate being a ‘fan’ as any great achievement. Especially not compared with 35 years of pure genius (with the odd well-deserved breather or two).
Sky
Well, you are clearly delighted, as are we all, and that’s great reason to celebrate today and The Commander’s award. I’d love to see her Xmas tree!
Elizabeth Bracy
It’s so easy to fall head over heels in love with Kate. I couldn’t be more happy for her, she’s given us so much. We belong to the most fantastic club in the world!
Annie
well said this woman has inspired me my whole performing life. and her voice and music lift my soul and spirit
Brandon
Haha Mark, we are indeed the best fans. Kate looks beautiful and fresh, and such pretty hair, as always. This made my whole day seeing those photos! I had to listen to one of her interviews on my way to work today, the one she did at the end of 2011 with Lauren Laverne, on BBC. She asked Kate what she does when she is done working on an album and Kate said she was looking forward to cleaning the house and things that had been piling up while she was making two albums :D. And Kate Bush watching the movie Source Code much to Lauren’s surprise. “I watch movies with explosions in them” haha too cute. I wonder if Kate watches Game of Thrones.
Mark
I’m glad she let her hair down.
Gabriella Patterson
iam glad too let your hair flow lovely ,.. Kate loook sooooo stunning ,.. i love her smile and looks,.. she just glowing with gleeness,.. 🙂
Blackbird Braille
Congratulations Kate!!! And thank you for the gracious note. The word fan suits me just fine. But from the list of synonyms below I could also go for advocate, enthusiast, sweetheart OR my favorite combination, hound-junkie!
Synonyms: adherent, advocate, aficionado, backer, believer, booster, buff, bug*, cat*, card-carrying member, devotee, disciple, enthusiast, fan, fancier, fiend*, follower, freak*, groupie, hanger-on, hound, junkie, lover, nut*, partisan, patron, rooter, suitor, supporter, swain, sweetheart, wooer, worshiper
Si O'Donovan
Very many congratulations Kate. It’s been a real honour and delight to have been one of your devoted ‘fans’ over 5 decades.
I’m so glad you thought of putting your CBE atop of your Christmas tree because the truth is unwrapping one of your albums is like opening the best Christmas present ever. And they just keep on coming.
I’m so very pleased to see you looking happy and healthy and as beautiful as ever.
I look forward to your next successful creative processes with much anticipation.
Love from your Welsh stalwarts x
Rob Brown
Thank you the internet, how wonderful it is to have new photos of Kate so quickly. Well done Kate, its a thoroughly well deserved award.
Stephanie
Many, many congratulations to Kate. This honour is absolutely well-deserved. It is so easy to be a fan of someone so creative, real and beautiful! A true hero – fantastic! x
karen
Congratulations, Kate, so happy for you and you look fab. Well deserved.xx
martin Purser
Well done and congratulations dear Kate, im so pleased for you.
lots of love
xx
Kiki
Congratulations, Kate! It’s so wonderful to see current pictures of her, she always looks so beautiful and happy. One-of-a-kind, there will never be another like our Kate!
Rod
It’s a beautiful message, from a beautiful soul. There’s never a bad day to be a Kate Bush CBE fan, but this has been an especially good one.
Nanette
Awww…she looks so thrilled! That’s what being out of the limelight does to a person–she doesn’t get jaded.
Gabriella Patterson
…….is fantastic NEWS!!!
HUGE CONGRATULATION KATE !!!!
Dearest Kate,…
iam so proud of you you make me cry with pure joy!!! you are and always be part my world ,.. in music ,.. and support,… you are a very special artist and human being ,… you ar the most sweetest and kindness sprint,.. may you always be happy and loved ….
iam so happy for you and hugs love and hugs ,… happy days for you .,… much love your fancy fishesy Gabi****:)
davie
Kate, I am so proud to call myself a “devotee” of yours. Well done on the CBE. You seemed to be looking right into her majesty’s face as she pinned on your medal (? is it called that). I hope you had a wonderful time at the palace. As ever, thanks for all the moments of pleasure…. D x
Keith
It’s not quite right to say that I’m proud of Kate, but I’m just so glad that I’ve been, most decidedly, a fan since 1978 when I first saw one of her videos broadcast here in the U.S. Little did I know then that, becoming a Lionheart, I’d one day see the Lionheart Commander honored in such a way! Joanni lives in Kate!
Remarkable to see two real Lionhearts meeting at Windsor. I’m just so happy and…proud? 🙂
Decimus
I was late to the party, somewhat, having been a fan since 1985. But, she should have become a Dame (knighted). What are the chances of that happening? Does anyone have any idea?
Mark Florin
First heard her songwriting and voice in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 1978, on an old radio in the jungle, she is still the same amazing singer. Good luck forever Ms. Commander.
Michael
I’m sure I speak for many other American and Canadian fans when I say that we congratulate Kate and hope that she knows our love for her and her amazing music is strong in North America. Kate, we just adore you and your talent. We will always be there for you.
Mark
I agree Michael! Despite what is said, she has an audience in America.
Patty Marvel
@Mark -She does indeed have an American audience! I just ended my radio show this morning with the long version of “Big Sky.” Have a listen: http://wruw-stream.wruw.org/archives/56/49.mp3
Keith DeWeese
Patty, good show, but you played Kate’s Organon Remix of “Cloudbusting.” Glad you did because I happen to like it more than the extended version of “The Big Sky.” Keep up the great broadcasts.
Patty Marvel
WHOOPS! I assure you, I know the difference between the two songs, I just typed in the wrong title. That’ll teach me to type without coffee…
Michael
Definitely! Kate is the kind of artist that once you become involved in her music you are basically a fan for life, no matter where you are living. This is why I get the feeling that Kate has made solid, devoted fans everywhere in this world. I’d like to think there are Kate fires burning everywhere. We were there for The Kick Inside all the way up to 50 Words For Snow. And we will continue to support her creative muse for as long as we’re alive and she is making music. With the music that Kate makes it is the least we can do to support such an inspiring talent.
andy murray
Well deserved kate what an honour for her-well done!!!!!
andy murray
Hi kate bush fans on a different note does anybody know when the homeground book is coming out ,do we have anymore news ?
Peter
We’re hoping for proofs in the next week or so, and now definitely aiming to have it ready for the HomeGround MidSummer Party June 21st.
fredo
Am I really the only one who does not care about an award like that? It’s all empty ceremony! Like if Kate, her persona, music, creativity need a so called official approval. I really don’t get it! Why on earth would you accept an award like that?
I dig Kate and her art since day one and well, think these kind of royal attention is really bulshit. Maybe she thinks so too, putting the award in a X-mas tree:)
H.R. Hudson
Kate, I consider myself very blessed and lucky to be a fan/admirer/defender of you and your music for 35 of my 52 years!! Just saw the photos of you receiving your CBE from Queen Elizabeth II. I just feel a lump in my throat knowing that you survived in this business for 35 years. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your continued creativity, beauty and inspiration that is your music and various forms of media. I wish you and your family and friends nothing but the best!!
H. R. Hudson.
McKnight
Hughie?
Hughie!!!
Ian
A well deserved honour but Kate’s the real Queen!!
corostellamaris.it
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The text in your content seem to be running off the screen in Opera.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to
do with web browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to
let you know. The design and style look great though! Hope you get the problem fixed soon.
Cheers
Seán
Hi there,
Good to know, we’ll look into it.
Seán