Guitarist Brian May, of the legendary rock band Queen, was awarded Friday the title of “Knight” for his contribution to music, according to the list of honors bestowed by King Carlos III at the end of the year.
And the musician admitted today that he feels a renewed responsibility “to act in the best interest of the country and the rest of the population” after receiving the knighthood.
The 75-year-old May, along with the late Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, achieved great fame during the band’s heyday in the late 1980s.
The musician, astrophysicist and animal advocate, admitted to the media that he was “delighted” and “pleasantly surprised” by the honorary title.
In addition to international recognition for her music, May earned her PhD in Astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007 and has campaigned for animal rights.
In this sense, he is a co-founder of the Save Me Trust, which campaigns for the rights of foxes, while he is Vice-President of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA, for its English acronym).
At the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002, marking the fifty years of Elizabeth II’s reign, May played England’s national anthem “God Save the Queen” from the roof of Buckingham Palace.
More recently, this past June, he also provided vocals at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations – the 70th anniversary of Elizabeth II’s reign – by beginning to play “We will rock you” at the end of a video in which the sovereign herself was having tea with Paddington Bear.
With information from Efe
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