CNN’s Christiane Amanpour was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire today…

For her services to journalism, Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent, was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) from Queen Elizabeth II today (Tuesday, October 23, 2007).

Amanpour was one of a select number of public and private British citizens to be honoured with this prestigious award in the Queen’s birthday honours list earlier this year - and is one of a very small number of journalists to have received the CBE. Her investiture by the Queen took place in Buckingham Palace, where Amanpour was accompanied by her parents, husband and son.

“I’m incredibly thrilled and very proud,” Amanpour told CNN after her investiture with the CBE. “I think that’s what’s important to recognize in the current climate is that, with so much lack of seriousness, so much weight put to sensationalism and tabloidism, I think this is - I say for myself personally - a really nice moment to recognize that actually serious journalism is being recognized.”.

“This is a wonderful honour for Christiane and a tribute to her outstanding dedication to the profession of journalism,” said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. “Everyone at CNN is extremely proud of the work she does and very excited for her on this important day.

Amanpour, born of British/Iranian parentage, has reported on most crises from the world’s many news hotspots, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda and the Balkans.

Her assignments have ranged from exclusive interviews with world leaders to reporting on the human consequences of natural disasters or covering events from the heart of war zones. She has received wide acclaim and numerous awards for her work, particularly for her extensive coverage of conflicts in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East.

Amanpour’s recent work has focused on a series of highly acclaimed long-form programmes including two award-winning documentaries: Where Have All The Parents Gone?, a powerful film examining the plight of the more than one million children orphaned to AIDS in Kenya, and In the Footsteps of Bin Laden, a two-hour exploration of the life of the world’s most-wanted terrorist.