Prince Charles honours singer Kylie with OBE

KYLIE MINOGUE, the former soap actress who become one of the world’s most famous female recording artists, was honoured for her services to music yesterday.

A beaming Minogue, who recently overcame breast cancer, received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Prince Charles, who was standing in for Queen Elizabeth at the ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

“It is an incredible honour for me to receive this award. It makes me feel both humble and proud to be recognised for doing a job that I love so much,” she said.

Minogue became a household name in Britain in the 1980s after starring as Charlene in the Australian TV soap Neighbours.

She turned to music after leaving the popular show, releasing her first single Locomotion in 1987, and has continued to enjoy huge chart success with songs such as Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and Spinning Around.

In 2005 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but returned to performing after recovering from surgery and chemotherapy.

Earlier this year Minogue received one of France’s top cultural awards when she was made a Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et Lettres (Knight of Arts and Letters) for “the cultural pleasure she has given French people”.