Rhino Factoids: Clapton gets his CBE

12 years ago today, Eric Clapton was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, an honor generally abbreviated as CBE. So if you’ve ever wondered if the “C” stood for “Clapton,” now you know otherwise.

Clapton had already been honored by the British Empire on a previous occasion: a decade earlier, Queen Elizabeth II had made him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire – that one’s an OBE – in her 2004 New Year’s list of honors for those who’d made a significant contribution to British life.

In an interview with The Telegraph at the time he received his CBE, Clapton admitted that if he’d gotten such an award when he was younger, he might well have followed in the footsteps of the Beatles and given his CBE back due to his “rebellious streak.” As a more wizened rocker, however, he conceded that such an award made him feel as though he’d finally grown up.

Still no word on when the world will be graced with Sir Eric Clapton, but let’s all keep our fingers crossed that it’s soon, shall we?