LONDON — Queen’s lead guitarist is now a knight.
Brian May topped the list of music industry professionals recognized in the King’s 2023 New Year Honours List, Billboard reported. The list, announced Friday, is an annual tradition that celebrates the achievements and service of exceptional individuals from across the United Kingdom.
It was the first list released by King Charles III.
May, 75, will become Sir Brian, several months after he and his bandmates helped launch Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee concert in front of Buckingham Palace, according to the BBC.
May, who also holds a doctorate in astrophysics and is an animal welfare advocate, said during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press that he hopes his knighthood will give him “a little bit more clout.”
“Maybe a few more people will listen to me than would otherwise, you know, if it’s Sir Brian on the phone,” May told the AP.
The guitarist co-founded the British rock group Queen in 1970 and continues to tour and record with band, according to Billboard. He was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005, the music website reported.
May has campaigned against badger culling and fox hunting through Save Me, an animal welfare group he founded in 2010, the AP reported. The group is named after the 1980 song by Queen written by May.
“I’ve felt for a long time that we had this false idea that humans are the only important species on the planet, and I don’t think an alien visitor would view it that way,” May told the news organization. “I think every species and every individual has the right to a decent life and a decent death. That’s kind of where I come from.”
May received his doctorate from Imperial College London in 2007.
This year’s list included 1,107 people, according to Billboard. The awarding of honors is overseen by the United Kingdom’s Cabinet Office with nominations submitted by either government departments or members of the public. A selection committee produces a list of honorees, which is submitted to the British monarch for approval.