LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — Sir Paul McCartney was honored in a special ceremony in London on Friday, where he was made a Companion of Honour for services to music.
The Order of the Companions of Honour was founded in 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements and is “conferred upon a limited number of persons for whom this special distinction seems to be the most appropriate form of recognition, constituting an honour disassociated either from the acceptance of title or the classification of merit.”
McCartney, 75, was joined by wife Nancy Shevell at Buckingham Palace as Queen Elizabeth II conferred the honor upon the former Beatle.
Ringo Starr, the only other living Beatle, received a knighthood earlier this year.
In a written statement to the Press Association, Sir Paul said: “I see this as a huge honour for me and my family and I think of how proud my Liverpool mum and dad would have been to see this.”
According to the Press Association, other honorees included Retired ballerina and Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell, who was named a Dame for her services to Dance. Former English cricketer Clare Connor was also on hand to be awarded a CBE, former alpine skier Sarah Lewis, an OBE, and Holocaust survivor Dr Martin Stern, an MBE.
The Companions of Honor is restricted to just the Queen and 65 other members. When one dies, a new candidate can be selected. At present, there are three vacancies.
