Spice Girls member Melanie “Mel B” Brown has officially been honored by the Royal Family for her ongoing work with domestic violence survivors.

On Wednesday (May 4), the entertainer received her MBE, or The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, due to her contributions toward various charitable causes and fellow survivors. Prince William was present to give the Spice Girl, known as Scary Spice, her honors.

“I never thought I would be here getting this MBE for the work I’ve been doing,” said Mel B. “It’s amazing to have but it’s not just for me – it’s for all those other women.”

After leaving an abusive relationship in 2018, the entertainer became the patron of the charity Women’s Aid. She also explained how COVID-19 has caused an increase in domestic violence cases.

“Especially because of Covid, there’s been such an epidemic of domestic violence, that’s been completely on the rise, and you know I’ve got an army of women behind me that need help and need to be heard,” she continued. “So I’m their voice because we’ve all been through exactly the same story, so I don’t take it as my award because it’s our award because we’ve survived.”

The moment with Prince William was full circle for the both of them as Mel B noted what the conversation was like when he presented her with the award.

“He commended me on all my work that I’ve been doing and he goes, ‘I’m so sorry you went through such a horrible time,'” said the “Say You’ll Be There” songstress. He did say, ‘I can’t believe I’m giving you one of these – I’m delighted,’ and I said, ‘Aw, thank you,’ and we had a giggle.”

This isn’t the first time that Mel B and Prince William have crossed paths. In 1997, he attended the premiere of the iconic girl group’s movie Spice World alongside his brother, Prince Harry, and their father, Prince Charles.