Sir Elton John honoured by Prince Charles
<p><em>Image: Aaron Chown</em></p>
<p>Sir Elton John has been seen publicly for the first time since his recent hip surgery.</p>
<p>Spotted with a walking stick, the 74-year-old singer met Prince Charles at Windsor Castle to be included into an exclusive club during an investiture held on Wednesday.</p>
<p>The Rockstar and charity patron was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour – one of the Queen’s highest awards, given to citizens in Britian and across the Commonwealth.</p>
<p>The 95-year-old monarch is also a member of the order, which can only have a maximum of 65 people, excluding the sovereign, at any one time.</p>
<p>Introduced in 1917, by her grandfather King George V, the award recognises people who have made a “major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time.”</p>
<p>Current members include British environmentalist David Attenborough, Canadian author Margaret Atwood and Sebastian Coe, one of Britain’s greatest-ever athletes.</p>
<p>In the past, the group has included British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill and scientist Stephen Hawking.</p>
<p>Elton John was first Knighted by the Queen in 1998, a year after the death of his friend Princess Diana.</p>
<p>He joined the Companions of Honour after being named in the Queen’s Honours list in late 2019 for his services to music and charity.</p>
<p>Following the ceremony, John posed with his husband David Furnish on the grounds of Windsor Castle.</p>
<p>“I’ve had an amazing life, music has been my life, and I got this for music and for work for charity,” he said, reflecting on his career and the honour.</p>
<p>"So this is just a reminder that there's more to do. More work to do for music, more work to do for charity and life is great — I'm so lucky."</p>
<p>The singer has been one of the few artists to release a hit single in every decade since the 1970s, including<span> </span><em>Your Song</em>,<span> </span><em>Rocketman</em><span> </span>and<span> </span><em>Candle in the Wind</em>.</p>
