Less than three months after Ringo Starr was knighted, a Beatle was back at England's Buckingham Palace. Over 20 years after being knighted by Queen Elizabeth, on Friday (May 4th), Her Majesty awarded Paul McCartney the prestigious Order of the Companions of Honour for his services to music. The Independent reported: "The Order of the Companions of Honour was founded in 1917 and consists of the Queen and a maximum 65 other members. When one member dies another candidate can be selected." Other recipients of Queen's Honors included former English cricketer Clare Connor, who collected a CBE, former alpine skier Sarah Lewis, OBE, and Holocaust survivor Dr. Martin Stern, MBE.
The 75-year-old McCartney, was joined by wife Nancy Shevell, and issued a statement saying: "I see this as a huge honor for me and my family and I think of how proud my Liverpool mum and dad would have been to see this." Daughter Stella McCartney posted a message on Instagram, stating: "Dad, a proud daughter on every level. What you have achieved as a creative soul on this earth has inspired so many millions and touches your baby girls (sic) heart with love and hope. Love is all you need and you got it from all your family today as you receive this incredible honour. I raise a glass to you and your parents for bringing you into this world and making it a better place... I love you so much. Thanks for wearing your favourite designer too! A bit of bespoke @StellaMenswear never fails at the palace! x Stella"
The McCartney's are no strangers to the British order of chivalry, with "Macca" and the rest of the "Fab Four" receiving their MBE's (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 1965, McCartney being knighted in 1997, and Stella receiving the OBE (Order of the British Empire) award in 2013. Paul McCartney admitted he doesn't really look at the honors as being about class or affluence: "You hear so much about people who turn it down, and they're sort of, 'No! I don't believe in the Monarchy!' And they're taking a stance. Someone said there's a certain cache to turning it down -- so, I was aware of all of that. But, in thinking about it, I thought, 'Y'know what? It's a huge honor.' It's like at school and you get the art prize, or something. It's a huge honor."