Robert Plant becomes Led Zeppelin's second member honored by queen

Queen Elizabeth II has named Robert Plant for an honorary title, according to reports. Led Zeppelin's former singer was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in a list of honors released today.

He becomes the second member of Led Zeppelin to be named by the queen for a rank in the Order of the British Empire. In 2005, she bestowed a lesser honor upon Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in 2005, naming him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE.

So, Plant has made it onto a list of honorees. The queen names those who are to be given these titles, and there's an actual ceremony held later when the honorees hobnob with the royals. You can just picture this occasion in your mind.

Rarely have people ever refused royal honors. Might Robert Plant become one of them?

Plant has snubbed awards ceremonies in the past, but not showing up to the Grammys when he's been nominated or even guaranteed a Lifetime Achievement Award is one thing. A royal honor is another, and he knows this: He did show up alongside Page and John Paul Jones in Sweden in May 2006 to pick up the Polar Music Award honoring Led Zeppelin. That award comes from the Swedish royals.

Will it be any different when the Queen wants to meet up with Plant and congratulate him firsthand? Plant's not exactly a fan of the Royal Family, and he's made jokes about them in the past. But this may just be the time to swallow hard for a few minutes and go bask in an honor that not everybody gets in a lifetime.

Update, Jan. 7, 2009: Kevyn Gammond, who played guitar in the Band of Joy with Plant and John Bonham in 1966-1968 and then for Priory of Brion with Plant in 1999-2000, says Plant's honor is "very deserved" and "great news." Gammond, who is now a lecturer at Kidderminster College in England and founder of Mighty Atom Smasher (MAS) Records, told hometown paper The Shuttle that Plant "has done a great deal for many charities and organizations."

Update, Jan. 30, 2009: Plant reveals in a new interview why, after sufficient internal debate, he has opted to accept the title bestowed upon him by the queen.