It's official: Ringo Starr is a knight. The Beatles' drummer was bestowed the honor of knighthood today for his services to music. He becomes the second member of the biggest band in the world to receive this high achievement, a full 21 years after Paul McCartney was knighted back in 1997.
The BBC covered the recent knighthood. Ringo Starr was given the honor by Prince William, a.k.a. the Duke of Cambridge, during a ceremony at the Buckingham Palace. The musician didn't take the achievement lightly either. As Ringo admitted to the presses later today, he was quite moved by it.
It means a lot actually. It means recognition for the things we've done. I was really pleased to accept this.
It is not the first time Ringo Starr has been honored by the royal family, however. Alongside his fellow Beatles bandmates, including Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison, Ringo was awarded a medal as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) back in 1965. This time, however, Ringo was obviously awarded solo, and the drummer admitted that he found himself lonely during his Buckingham Palace return.
I was a bit shaky today on my own.
Does this mean that we should refer to the musician as Sir Ringo Starr from now on? The living legend himself hasn't decided yet. When pressed about the matter, the drummer admitted that this whole process was still very new to him, and he didn't know how it worked exactly. It should be noted that his real name is obviously not Ringo Starr, but Richard Starkey. The stage name was given during his early days for the rings he wore and for his solos.
I don't know yet. It's new and I don't know how you use it properly.
As the oldest member of The Beatles and the last living member of The Beatles to receive the knighthood, this is a tremendous honor for Ringo Starr. The only reason George Harrison and John Lennon haven't been given the same treatment was because they sadly passed on before they could. Lennon was assassinated in 1980 at 40, while Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001 at 58. Today, Ringo Starr receives this grand ceremony at the age of 77.
Meanwhile, The Beatles might soon be seen on the small screen. As it was reported a week ago, Bravo acquired the rights to Vivek J. Tiwary's bestselling graphic novel The Fifth Beatle, which tells the life story of Brian Epstein, the band's manager and the one who brought the group together. The forthcoming limited series is currently in development, with no clear sign of when it's set to air on TV. But we'll keep you updated on the details.
Congratulations to Ringo Starr on his high accomplishment! Or should we call you Sir Ringo? Let us know when you decide.
