Prince makes original singer Boney M-BE

BONEY M star Liz Mitchell says she is proud to follow in her father’s footsteps after being made an MBE on Tuesday.

The original lead singer of the veteran pop group received her award from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle.

Mitchell, 72, received the Member of the Order of the British Empire in the King’s Birthday Honours list for her services to music and to charity.

Mitchell, who lives near Henley, said: “The castle was just such a wonderful place, it was very beautiful inside and it is absolutely humongous.

“The grounds are incredible and it was amazing to meet William. He is so gentle, respectful and kind. I have never met him before but he didn’t feel like he was a stranger because you see him in the press all the time.

“Windsor Castle was very nice. It was much grander than Buckingham Palace when I went with my dad. Here they had several rooms and you had a chance to go through all of them. People were put in different rooms according to their invitation and they were all absolutely beautiful.

“After I received my award there was a chance to take photographs and chat with one another. Then everybody headed off to their private parties that were pre-arranged.

“My party was pretty small. It was with my husband, children and niece and a dear friend of mine who helped me with the award. My children felt very impressed and honoured to see me receive my award. It was very special.”

Mitchell, who lost her father Norman earlier this year in May, said that having two people in the same family honoured is a real achievement. The singer said many people in the Windrush generation have felt neglected in the past and the award signifies how hard they have worked in the UK. She said: “I think that me and my father both receiving MBE makes it more achievable for the younger members of my family.

“My grandson said to me yesterday when he saw it ‘Oh does it mean if I work hard, I can get one?’ and I said ‘Yes, of course. If you do great charity work, you can achieve one’.

“It is not just members of my family feeling that they can achieve this award, this award goes across the community it shows all people within the community that they can achieve.

“To have two members of the family have an MBE shows that we, as the people from the Windrush generation, have tried really hard to work hard and be the best we can be in this country.

“I feel also proud for my parents. They came to this country, and you have heard about the Windrush story, and how many people from the West Indies have felt this neglected and have not received the acknowledgement they should have, this recognises them.” Mitchell’s father received his MBE in 2014, for services to the community. She said “He was the champion for senior citizens, he was older than some of them. He was also like a nurse. When the people were too old to move, my dad was one of those people who would go and help them.

“He was just that person who was the community man, who felt responsible for his community. He was very proud of his MBE, I think he wore his badge everywhere.”

Norman arrived in the UK in 1955 and founded the West Indian Senior Citizen Organisation in 1980 in a bid to help the elderly Windrush generation.

Born in Jamaica, Mitchell moved to London to be with her family at the age of 11. She later moved to Berlin to perform with the German cast of Hair before joining pop group the Les Humphries Singers where she stayed for several years. She moved back to the UK and joined Boney M in 1976.

Boney M was created by German record producer Frank Farian in the mid-Seventies and saw Mitchell star alongside fellow lead vocalist Marcia Barrett and dancers Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell.

Mitchell spoke about the success of Boney M and said she could never have imagined that 50 years on, young people would still be playing their music. She said: “It’s a good feeling, I mean it has been years, and we are heading into our 50th year of Boney M. It has been a long time, and I have enjoyed it, I still enjoy it as the young people are now listening.”

Mitchell also admitted that she thought the group might have received something earlier and spoke of how the band has often been overlooked by awards in the music industry.

She said: “It was recognised that Liz Mitchell is the lead singer of three of the best songs of all time. I think if you're not pushing for it, you can be easily forgotten.

“There are so many great musicians and everyone wants to be recognised.”