Seventy-one-year-old musician Rod Stewart was officially knighted Tuesday in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, becoming Sir Roderick David Stewart.
Stewart wore tartan trousers in keeping with his Scottish heritage and a military blazer as Prince William performed the traditional knighting ceremony. Stewart was accompanied by his wife, Penny Lancaster, and his two youngest sons Alastair and Aiden.
The singer has become legendary for hits such “Maggie May,” “Forever Young,” and of course, “You Wear It Well.”
When Prince William congratulated Stewart for his long career, he told the prince how happy the award made him. “I just wish my mum and dad had been there to see it,” Stewart said, according to BBC News.
When Prince William remarked on Stewart’s longevity and how great it is that he’s still going, the newly knighted musician said, “I have to — I’ve got eight children!” the BBC reported.
Stewart will meet the queen Tuesday evening at a Royal Academy of Arts Reception.
Actor David Oyelowo (“The Queen of Katwe,” “Selma”) and Vanessa Kingori, the first black female publisher of British GQ, were also honored at the ceremony, part of the Queen’s birthday honors. The list of honorees was the most diverse since the Order of the British Empire’s founding in 1917. Forty-seven percent of the honorees were women and 8 percent were from black or minority backgrounds. Seventy percent of those on the list were honored for volunteer or career service to their communities, the BBC reported.
When the list was announced in June, Stewart thanked Queen Elizabeth for the honor and promised to “wear it well.”