Anna Wintour vows to keep working as receives latest UK honour
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour revealed Tuesday she has no intention of retiring, as the fashion legend accepted her latest prestigious UK honour from King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.
Wintour, 75 -- already made a dame in 2017 -- was this time made a companion of honour, joining a select group never numbering more than 65 recognised for major contributions in their field.
Renowned British artist Tracey Emin was also at the palace Tuesday to formally receive her damehood, after both women were named in Charles' first birthday honours list in 2023.
"It's wonderful to be back at Buckingham Palace and I was completely surprised and overwhelmed to be given this great honour," said Wintour, who removed her trademark sunglasses to receive it.
British-born Wintour -- who has helmed American Vogue for more than three decades -- noted that when she was last honoured, by Queen Elizabeth II, "we both agreed that we had been doing our job a very long time".
"Then this morning His Majesty asked me if this meant I was going to stop working and I said firmly, no," she added, wearing an Alexander McQueen outfit.
"It makes me even more convinced that I have so much more to achieve."
The Order of the Companions of Honour, founded in 1917 by King George V, is limited to 65 members at any one time.
Those who have made a long-standing contribution to arts, science, medicine or government can be appointed, with Judi Dench, Elton John, David Hockney current honourees.
Wintour, who was raised in the UK to a British father and an American mother, has edited Vogue in the United States since 1988.
Over the ensuing decades she has earned a reputation as one of the most influential and formidable figures in fashion.
Emin, 61, one of Britain's best-known living artists, was made a dame for her services to art.
A leading figure in the provocative Young British Artists movement of the late 1980s and 1990s, she has battled cancer and has undergone major surgery in recent years. —AFP
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Teng Jiaxun (violin) & Yihao Zhang (piano accompaniment): 'German Dance' by Haydn 4. Xin Rui Peng: 'Polonaise' by Mozart 5. Ava Yavari (violin) & Xin RuiPeng (piano accompaniment): 'Allegretto' by Mozart 6. Joanna Dixie Shantham: 'Bourlesque' by W A Mozart; 'Musette' by Leopold Mozart 7. Omar Abouelenein (violin) & Yihao Zhang (piano accompaniment): 'Allegro' (First Movement from a Concerto) by Haydn 8. Ava Yavari: 'Minuet in C' by Alexander Reinagle 9. Yihao Zhang: Sonata in D Major, Second Movement by W A Mozart 10. Qinchen Li (violin) &Yuchen Li (piano accompaniment): 'Polonaise' by Mozart 11. Sophie Ceska: 'Morning Sunbeam' by Florence Price 12. Yihao Zhang: 'Liebestraum' by Franz Liszt 13. Lila Hathroubi: 'Angelfish' by Anne Crosby-Gaudet 14. Xin Rui Peng: 'Love Theme' by Kevin Olson Rollin 15. Joanna Dixie Shantham: 'Indigo Moon' by Elissa Milne 16. 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It requires open-minded support and favourable conditions. I sincerely hope that someone will take the initiative to help make this possible in the future, so that more young children's ensembles and performances can take part in these valuable musical experiences. This kind of investment in young talent will have a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of Oman. From this programme, you can see how many performers there were, I haven't even counted it yet, it should also be noted that the performers were only children, the children accompanied the concert completely on their own. We also tried to combine different forms of art, and the children who attended the concert had the opportunity to draw or paint whatever they liked or whatever inspired them from the performance. I believe that this kind of connection between music and visual art is also very important for the creative development of children.
