Michael Eavis to receive knighthood as New Year's Honours List 2024 is announced

30 December 2023, 12:57 | Updated: 30 December 2023, 13:40

The Glastonbury founder is among the names to be recognised in the The King’s New Year’s Honours List for 2024.

Michael Eavis is set to become a Sir.

The Glastonbury Festival founder has been named in The King’s New Year’s Honours List List alongside the likes of Lionness Mary Earps, Soccer FM legend Jeff Stelling, The Great British Bake Off's Paul Hollywood and actress Emilia Clarke (who will receive MBEs).

The 88-year-old, whose full name is Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis and who already has a CBE, will be knighted for services to charity and music.

Speaking in an interview published on the official Glastonbury website, he said his late mother would finally be happy, recalling: "When I got the CBE in 2007, I went and told my mother, who was 95 at the time. And she just said, 'Oh that’s a pity, I thought you would have got a K!'"

On how he found out about the news, he said his daughter and co-organiser Emily Eavis delivered him an official letter, which he had to reply to in order to accept the honour.

"Emily came up with the official letter," revealed the Octogenarian. "I was really surprised to see it, actually. Why did they choose me I wonder?"

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Asked if he's excited about the ceremony and if he's met King Charles III before, he said: "I have, actually. Last time I met him, I got a suit especially. And he said, 'Why aren’t you wearing your shorts?!' But I think [Prince] William might do the ceremony. He’s made a few mentions of wanting to come to the Festival. So I’ll probably take a couple of tickets in my pocket!"

Quizzed about how he's feeling about the prospect of being called Sir Michael, he replied: "Well, when I was a boy, I did rather like all the King Arthur stories. With Sir Lancelot and everyone. That was always very fun to me!"

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Earps, who earlier this month won the Sports' Personality Of The Year trophy, becomes an MBE for services to football after playing in goal for England's World Cup campaign, where they finished runners-up. Her teammates Millie Bright and Lauren Hemp will also receive an OBE and MBE respectively.

Emilia Clarke, alongside her mother Jenny, will be awarded with MBE after they set up charity SameYou, which works to help people recover from brain injuries after the actress survived two brain haemorrhages.

The Great British Bake Off star Paul Hollywood also earns an MBE for his work in baking and broadcasting.

Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin will be knighted while cricketer Stuart Broad gets a CBE following his retirement.

X-Factor winner Leona Lewis becomes an OBE while former Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling is also recognised with an MBE for his work with a prostate cancer charity.

Rugby league icons Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield will both become CBEs for their services to motor neurone disease. Burrow played the sport internationally and won eight Super League titles before being diagnosed with MNS himself at the age of 37, while former teammate Sinfield ran seven ultramarathons in December to raise more than £1m for those affected by the condition.

Elsewhere, among the highest honours, film director Sir Ridley Scott - who has made films such as Alien and Gladiator - is made a Knight Grand Cross, which upgrades his previous knighthood, while Dame Shirley Bassey becomes the 64th living member of the order of Companion of Honour - which can only have 65 living members at one time.

See the full 2024 New Year's Honours list here.