On the 10th December 2002 Martin Taylor was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at an investiture held at Buckingham Palace. He received this great honour personally from Her Majesty The Queen For 'Services to Jazz Music' and is the first jazz guitarist ever to receive an honour from the Queen.
"It was an amazing experience and a very proud day for me and my family." said Martin "Her Majesty spoke to me about my guitar playing and was also very interested to know what it was like working with Stephane Grappelli, as Stephane was a firm favourite of the Royal Family, especially The Queen Mother. She also asked me what I was currently doing, and was very interested to know about my solo work. She then congratulated me and gave me her best wishes for the future. I still haven't quite come down to earth!"