Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa of Blackpink arrive for a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 21.Photo:Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty
Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty
British and music royalty collided at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
On Tuesday evening,King CharlesandQueen Camillahosted a glittering dinner at the palace in honor of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee’sstate visitto the United Kingdom. Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé of the superstar K-POP bandBLACKPINKwere among the roughly 170 guests in attendance — and even received a shoutout from the King, 76, during his speech.
King Charles began his address with a welcome in Korean, which was met with applause, and praised the relationship that South Korea and Great Britain share, further commending South Korea’s strides in sustainability — a longtime cause close to heart for sovereign — and BLACKPINK’s impact.
“It is especially inspiring to see Korea’s younger generation embrace the cause,” King Charles said. “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.”
King Charles speaks during the state banquet.Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty
Earlier in the address, the King touched on how Korea’s influence on pop culture rivals the reach of the United Kingdom.
“Korea has matched Danny Boyle with Bong Joon-ho, James Bond with Squid Game and the Beatles' ‘Let It Be’ with BTS’s ‘Dynamite,’ " he said. “Our cultures share a remarkable ability to captivate imaginations across the world, transforming a so-called soft power into a shared superpower.”
Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa of Blackpink arrive for a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 21.YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
BLACKPINK made history at BST Hyde Park in July and became the first Korean band to headline a major U.K. music festival, theBBCreported. The high followed a similar record smashed at Coachella in the U.S., where BLACKPINK became the first Asian and first all-female group to headline, according toThe Guardian.
Heeding the white-tie dress code that state banquets dictate, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé stylishly arrived at Buckingham Palace in glam gowns. The pop stars entered together before taking their seats at the diplomatic dinner, which closed the first day of President Yoon’s visit.
King Charles speaks at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty
Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamwere also at the evening event, and they conducted the important duty of greeting the presidential couple at their hotel in London on behalf of King Charles earlier on Tuesday.
They then traveled together to Horse Guards Parade, where they joined King Charles and Queen Camilla for the ceremonial welcome, which included two ceremonial gun salutes (at Green Park and the Tower of London) of 41 shots sounding across the city.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee during the state visit with Prince William and Kate Middleton.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images
The president and first lady later participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean War Memorial to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war before they partake in another traditional stop-off for any incoming state visit: a trip to Westminster Abbey, where tribute will be made in the form of a wreath laying at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
This is the second state visit that King Charles has hosted since he became monarch in September 2022. The first wasthe occasionwhen the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa came to London last November.
source: people.com
