Pop princess Kylie receives royal award

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pop princess Kylie Minogue mingled with true royalty when she went to Buckingham Palace to receive an award from Prince Charles.

The 40-year-old singer, wearing a white dress with multi-colored sequined stars, smiled as the prince gave her an OBE, or Order of the British Empire, Thursday for her services to music.

Queen Elizabeth had announced the award in December.

Minogue is Australian but can receive the full award because the country is a member of the British Commonwealth.

Though little known in the U.S., Minogue is an international superstar widely recognized around the world. She has sold more than 60 million records worldwide in a music career spanning 20 years.

She released her first single, "Locomotion," in 1987 and has since released nine studio albums and 43 singles. She holds the record for the most-played female artist on UK radio in the past 20 years, according to her Web site.

She joined Bob Geldof, Bananarama and other artists to sing on Band Aid II's 1989 re-recording of "Do They Know it's Christmas" to raise money for Ethiopia.

Minogue started her career as an actress, making her name in the hit Australian soap opera "Neighbours." She has since appeared in several films.

Her dance record "Spinning Around," released in 2000, debuted at No. 1 in both Britain and Australia and made Minogue one of only two artists -- the other being Madonna -- to have a No. 1 song in the 80s, 90s, and 00s, according to her Web site.

Minogue was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2005 and took more than a year off from touring to make a successful recovery.