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Ringo Starr’s knighthood comes 21 years after Paul McCartney.
It’s better late than never for Ringo Starr. Hey, Quincy Jones says Starr is the worst drummer alive, but apparently Elizabeth thinks he can keep a beat.
Accordingly, Richard Starkey — best known as Ringo Starr — couldn’t contain his happiness when bestowed with the cherished Knighthood. The 77-year-old music legend was honored with the distinction for services to music in Queen Elizabeth’s New Year’s honors list.
Ye shall now address the drummer as Sir Ringo Starr.
Starr is originally from Liverpool, but is now based in Los Angeles. Ringo occasionally sang lead vocals in Beatles songs such as ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’.
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Ringo and his bandmates, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, visited the Buckingham Palace to receive their MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire) fifty years ago. He’s actually the second Beatle to receive this honor. Paul McCartney received his knighthood 21 years ago.
Although this knighthood is an honor unlike any other, Ringo was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Beatle in 1988. In 2015, he was again honored for his solo career after the group broke up.
Music writer Sir Tim Rice described it as the “most overdue knighthood of all time.”
Prince William knights Ringo Starr with a ceremonial sword
Prince William knighted Starr in an event called investiture. Ringo’s actress wife Barbara Bach accompanied him to the event. When the BBC asked him about his plans for donning the medal, Starr replied: “I’ll be wearing it at breakfast!”
Incidentally, Ringo met up with Paul McCartney days before the investiture. This is what he said about the meet up: “I had dinner with him last week and we were both actually laughing about where we came from,” Starr stated.
“And, how we’ve ended up in the palace and it’s now Sir Paul and Sir Richard.”
What about P. G. Wodehouse?
I find his knighthood somewhat more overdue.