I wondered yesterday in my post about the South Korean state visit to the UK whether or not Prince William and Kate would drop some K-pop knowledge at the state dinner. Still not sure if the Waleses know between BTS and Got7 but K-pop was represented last night at Buckingham Palace because Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé were there. In other words, the British royals got Blinked last night in the presence of … BLACKPINK!

 

And they were shouted out by King Charles himself during his remarks. Not just by the band name but individually, in order. 

Doesn’t look like they were expecting it judging from their adorable reactions. If you missed it the first time, here’s a fancam of the four of them, their surprise when they heard the king refer to them, and then, as any of us would do with our girlfriends, immediately seeking each other out by eye contact in silent solidarity. 

 

They are so f-cking cute!

 

Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé also had a moment with King Charles during the reception.

 

I love these little snapshots of how they move around in these situations, because you can read into how their friend dynamics work and compare it with your own friend groups. For example, as a member of a four and fivesome myself as a talk show co-host on The Social, we often found ourselves in social networking sessions and it almost always played out the same way. Melissa Grelo is a natural networker, she can talk to anyone about anything. So she takes lead on the small talk. Jess Allen is pretty enthusiastic too, and will jump in alongside Mel. Cynthia and I, however, are awkward AF in situations like that so we hang back and let the other two do the work. 

I wonder if it’s like this with BLACKPINK, with Rosé, who’s probably the most proficient at English, engaging with the king and Jisoo next to her with the assist, as Jennie and Lisa chilling off to the side a little bit. I mean, this clip isn’t long enough to really get a sense of whether or not this is the right read, but it’s a fun game to play with these young women on a night of big honours. 

 

Because they were also awarded Honorary MBEs. 

 

And then, on top of that, the royal orchestra played “Ddu-du Ddu-du”! 

Not the British royal family thirsty for those Blink likes!

But yes, that’s exactly what this is. This is the power of BLACKPINK and the overall global cultural influence of Korean artists. BLACKPINK in the royal area!