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Being a foremost member of the royal family isn’t only about living a life of luxury for Prince William. His long list of royal duties keep him plenty busy: Representing the crown, traveling to countries in the British commonwealth, promoting conservation and mental health, and bestowing knighthood and damehood. That last one lets the presumptive future king mingle with plenty of stars, including these musicians Prince William knighted before he became first in line for the throne.

Prince William knighted Ringo Starr in 2018

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was one of the famous musicians Prince William knighted. The royal performed the ceremony in 2018, but England was a little late in honoring Starr’s artistic achievements. 

The French government gave Ringo a rare honor when it named him Commander of France’s Order of Arts and Letters in a 2013 ceremony in Monaco. Still, being recognized for his lifetime accomplishments in his home country trumped his honor in France. Moments after Ringo was knighted on his own (The Beatles received MBE honors in 1965), he promised to wear his medal at breakfast  (per the BBC).

The drummer followed in Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney’s footsteps with his honor. In 1997, Macca became one of the few musicians to be knighted by the queen.

The Duke of Cambridge made Rod Stewart a knight in 2016

Classic rock fans who know Rod Stewart only for the 1970s glam-rock come-on song “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and the gentle rocker “Maggie May” have some work to do. The singer put his voice to several standout songs over the years.

Sir Roderick fronted the first iteration of the Jeff Beck Group, lending his talents to such rock ‘n’ roll staples as “I Ain’t Superstitious” and “Plynth (Water Down the Drain).” Stewart sang for the Faces of “Ooh La La” fame before focusing on his solo career, which produced 16 Billboard top-10 songs, including “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (No. 1 in 1976) and the synth-forward “Young Turks” (No. 5 in 1981).

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Prince William congratulated Stewart on his long and fruitful career as he knighted the singer as part of the queen’s birthday honors in 2016, the BBC reported. The royal family honored Stewart for his contributions to music and charity, which has recently included housing Ukrainians displaced by the war with Russia, according to England’s Birmingham Mail.

There was nothing tainted about the prince knighting Soft Cell’s Marc Almond 

Prince William knighted two classic rock legends when he bestowed knighthood to Starr and Steward. He fast-forwarded a few years when he tapped King George VI’s sword on Marc Almond’s shoulders.

Most people know the Soft Cell founder for the hit cover of “Tainted Love,” but there was more to his career than that one song. “Where Did Our Love Go” sounded similar to “Tainted Love” but poppier thanks to sanding off some of the ominous edges. Almond earned his knighthood for services to arts and culture by helping Soft Cell churn out five straight top-5 singles in England between August 1981 and August 1982: “Tainted Love,” “Bedsitter,” “Say Hello Wave Goodbye,” “Torch,” and “What.”

Almond earned his knighthood at the same time as Ringo. Two musicians whose peaks were separated by decades earned one of Great Britain’s highest honors when Prince William knighted them in 2018.

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