Kate Bush – the singer and songwriter who penned the hits ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Running Up The Hill’ – has been awarded a CBE. Bush is a notoriously reclusive musician and rarely gives interviews. Indeed, after experiencing huge global success in the late 1970s and 1980s and releasing just one album in the 1990s her return in 2005 with Aerial was a welcome one, though it would be another 6 years before any further releases – with two albums, Director’s Cut and 50 Words For Snow.

Bush’s legacy as an artist is vast; you can hear her influence in the likes of Florence and the Machine, PJ Harvey and Bjork. Now, her body of work has been recognised with a CBE, which she collected at a ceremony at Windsor Castle, the BBC report. The 54 year old reportedly joked that the award would be taking pride of place atop her Christmas tree. Although she characteristically declined to speak directly to any journalists present at the ceremony, she did release a statement, which said “I feel incredibly thrilled to receive this honour which I share with my family, friends and fellow musicians and everybody who has been such an important part of it all.”

The CBE will join the Ivor Novello and Brit awards that she already owns. In the past, Kate has recorded collaborations with some of the most influential artists in modern rock and pop music, such as Prince, Elton John and Peter Gabriel.