Brian May Knighted By King Charles III
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 30: Brian May attends "Bohemian Rhapsody" New York premiere at The Paris Theatre on October 30, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/WireImage)
Brian May, one of the most renowned guitarists of all time, has been knighted by King Charles III of Britain.
May was knighted and given the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire as part of King Charles III’s first formal list of appointments for the New Year Honors in 2023. May, a founding member of Queen, was knighted and given the title of Sir Brian during an investiture ceremony held at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
For his contributions to music and philanthropy, the singer was knighted and given the title of Knight Bachelor. His wife, Anita Dobson, a former star of the British serial opera EastEnders, was also in attendance.
The newly-knighted musician told BBC about the news: “This is a kind of license, a kind of commission to carry on doing what I’m doing, and it gives me a bit more power to my elbow. I’m very happy about that.”
May is also an astrophysicist and has been performing with Queen since the 1970s. He took a sabbatical from school in the ‘70s to focus on the band, but eventually, he got his Doctorate in astrophysics from Imperial College London. He’s also an outspoken critic of hunting and a staunch advocate for animal rights. In 2010, he established the Save Me Trust to fight against fox hunting and badger culling in the UK.
