Queen Elizabeth Makes Margaret Atwood a "Companion of Honour" for Her Services to Literature

From Town & Country

Margaret Atwood has been taking a much-deserved victory lap as of late, what with the critical success of The Handmaid's Tale TV adaptation, and winning her second Booker Prize for The Testaments, the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. And now, she can add a royal honor, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth herself, to her list of accolades.

On Friday, the Canadian author was awarded an Order of the Companions of Honour for her services to literature. Atwood attended an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle to receive the honor from Queen Elizabeth. In a sweet photo shared by the royal family's Twitter account, the pair are shaking hands and smiling at one another—clearly, the admiration goes both ways.

After the ceremony, Atwood said that she felt "a bit emotional" about the whole thing, per the Daily Mail. "You're really looking at a lot of history and I'm old enough to remember a lot of that history," she said, of visiting the castle and meeting the Queen. "Short form, she was brilliant in the war."

She added, "when you see the Queen at her age and her schedule that she puts out, it’s an inspiration to everybody, you just keep going."

When asked about her enduring cultural relevance, Atwood quipped, "At my age, it's not the usual thing. Usually at my age you sort of fade away and that doesn't seem to be happening yet."

Atwood definitely isn't not fading away—much like Queen Elizabeth, as well as fellow Companions of Honour Dame Maggie Smith and Sir David Attenborough. (It's quite a prestigious club, this Order.)

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