SINGER Sir Rod Stewart has said he wished his parents were there to see him receive a knighthood, as the Duke of Cambridge congratulated him at Buckingham Palace.
The 71-year-old, accompanied by his wife, Penny Lancaster, and their two sons, Alastair, 10, and five-year-old Aiden, was given the honour in recognition of his services to music and charity.
He said he was “on cloud nine” after receiving the award from William on Tuesday.
Wearing tartan trousers, Sir Rod said of meeting the Duke: “We talked about music and he said ‘It’s great that you’re still going’ and I said: ‘I have to – I’ve got eight children!’.
“He congratulated me on my long career – and I said how happy this made me. I just wish my mum and dad had been here to see it.”
Fans could expect a “fantastic night” from his upcoming UK tour, the Maggie May singer said.
He joked that there were seven women in his new band – “more than there are in the White House”.
Speaking about his previous struggle with writer’s block, he advised budding songsters to ride out the dry spell.
He said: “You’ve just got to be patient, if there’s a song you believe in. Don’t write anything second-hand – if you’re not satisfied with it, don’t sing it. The lyrics do come eventually, you’ve just got to wait.”
Sir Rod will meet the Queen later at a reception at the Royal Academy of Arts – her first public engagement in London since returning to Buckingham Palace after spending the summer at her Scottish residence.
The singer disagreed with comments from Liverpool’s first black footballer, Howard Gayle, that the word “Empire” should be removed from honours titles, saying: “The Empire’s not quite as big as it used to be, but it’s still there, so I’m all for keeping the Empire”.
The 58-year-old player, who was born in Toxteth, turned down an MBE, posting on Facebook that accepting it would be a “betrayal to all of the Africans who have lost their lives, or who have suffered as a result of Empire”.
Meanwhile, British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo was given an OBE for his services to drama.
The Queen Of Katwe star said he was proud of the acknowledgement and “proud to be British” after receiving the accolade.
Some 86 recipients attended the ceremony at Buckingham Palace, proudly watched by 265 guests including family and friends.
Songs including Imagine by John Lennon and Abba’s Mama Mia were played by the background orchestra to accompany the service.
Others honoured include Vanessa Kingori, first black female publisher of British GQ, who was given an MBE for services to the media industry, and Professor Nick Webborn, who received an OBE for services to paralympic sports medicine and the British Paralympic Association.
Irene and Michael Cullen, a couple from Lynemouth in Northumberland, who have fostered more than 100 children, were also recognised.
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