Clue: Weeping mother returned popular award (5)
Answer: NIOBE
Explanation: Definition: Weeping mother
A charade of NI, a reversal ('returned') of IN ('popular') plus OBE (Order of the British Empire, 'award'). In Greek mythology, Niobe boasted of her fourteen children to Leto, who only had two; however, those two were Apollo and Artemis. Apollo killed her sons, and Artemis her daughters, leaving Niobe to weep over their loss.