LONDON — King Charles III has had his hands full this week bestowing honors on fashion and retail industry figures.
Shortly after handing Stella McCartney a CBE, or Commander of the Order of the British Empire, he received Marigay McKee at Windsor Castle, giving her an MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire.
McKee, who is British and lives in the U.S., was given the award for retail services overseas.
For the past decade, she has served as a trade ambassador for Great, a British government-backed international marketing campaign that encourages people to visit, do business, invest and study in the U.K.
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McKee said the award made her feel “very British and very patriotic as well as grateful for the support of so many friends and colleagues along the way. After a 30-year career in retail, you value the people, the players, and the talent around you so much. It’s always about the team.
“There’s still so much more to do and so much work to get done. I feel like I am still at the beginning, very passionate and nowhere near the end.”
For her meeting with the king on Tuesday, McKee wore a dress and coat specially made by Emilia Wickstead, Malone Souliers lace pumps and vintage Cartier pearls.
McKee is a partner at the venture firm Fernbrook Capital Management, and sits on the boards of Aston Martin, e-commerce tech company ESW and The Webster.
She started her career at Estée Lauder in Europe, and later joined Harrods as the head of its beauty department. She was promoted to chief merchant in 2010. In 2013, McKee was named president of Saks Fifth Avenue and relocated to New York.
In 2015, after leaving Saks, McKee formed the consultancy firm MM Luxe Consulting to deliver strategic retail advisory services to clients.
That same year she joined fellow industry figures Glenda Bailey, Tommy Hilfiger and Silas Chou in raising more than 100,000 pounds for Britain’s Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, which is overseen by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces.
The fundraiser took place at Kensington Palace with Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Britain’s former First Lady Samantha Cameron, in attendance.