She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's New Year's Honours List for her services to Folk music. She is married to fellow folk musician, Martin Carthy MBE (1998) and they have two grown daughters, Eliza and Lucy.
Eliza Carthy has joined their group,
Waterson Carthy, while Lucy's husband is also in the band.