Mary Berry Just Received This Prestigious Honor
Beloved television personality, author, and culinary expert Mary Berry has a new addition to her recognizable name: Dame. In a ceremony that took place on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, the Prince of Wales awarded the celebrated chef and baker with the title of Dame Commander, reports BBC. Berry, who attended the ceremony with her husband, Paul Hunnings, received the prestigious title in recognition of both her contributions to the culinary world and her charity work.
The 86-year-old veteran of the food industry got her start as a recipe writer and food editor of Ideal Home magazine, per her website. Over the course of her career, Berry has penned dozens of cookbooks and performed as a host and guest on numerous television shows. She was catapulted to international fame as a former judge on the popular BBC baking competition show, "The Great British Bake Off" — known as "The Great British Baking Show" in the U.S. — on which Berry was a mentor to a lineup of aspiring star bakers.
The official Twitter account of the Royal Family tweeted the news of the momentous occasion, writing: "Arise Dame Mary Berry! Congratulations to the food writer, TV presenter and former judge on 'British Bake Off' who received her Damehood for services to culinary arts from The Prince of Wales today."
The internet was abuzz with news of Berry's damehood
The official Instagram account of the Clarence House — the Royal residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall — also shared an Instagram video of the momentous occasion, writing that, "Dame Mary Berry was honoured for services to Broadcasting, to the Culinary Arts and to Charity." In the clip, the new Dame shows off her award, saying, "I'm very thrilled ... I can't tell you how exciting it was. I kept thinking 'I wish I could get home and ring my parents' but they're up there and they know."
The chef and cookbook author, who has authored more than 50 books over her career, added, "I hope I encourage people to bake, and to cook, because my recipes are fairly simple. I try to do recipes that the family will say, 'ooh haven't you done well!'"
Fans of Berry took to the comments on both posts to share their excitement for the culinary icon, including Instagram user @jasonparkerandrews, who wrote, "I think it's wonderful. I've been watching Mary Berry since I was a kid in the 70s and 'Auntie' Mary Berry's recipes have long featured in our family dinner times ... Not to mention the cakes. She may now be a Dame — but she's *every* inch a Lady."