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Bono a Sir thing
Posted on Sunday, December 24 @ 13:22:21 CET by Macphisto
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(New York Daily News) -- Irish rocker and humanitarian Bono is to become an honorary knight of the British empire - but we're not supposed to call him "Sir."
Yeah, right.
Officially, only British nationals can get the "Sir" when they're knighted. But we've defied the Brits before.
Sir Bono, 46, is "very flattered to be honored, particularly if the honor ... opens doors for his longstanding campaigning work against extreme poverty in Africa," a statement on the U2 Internet site said.
"Her Majesty The Queen has appointed Bono to be an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work," the British embassy in Dublin said in a statement yesterday.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was delighted Bono had chosen to accept the award.
"I'll leave it to others far more knowledgeable than me to talk about U2's music," he said in the letter. "All I'll say is that, along with millions of others right across the world, I am a huge fan."
The British embassy said the Irish government approved granting Bono the title.
The issue is diplomatically sensitive, because Irish officials are legally barred from receiving royal honors and other Irish nationals have refused nominations on political grounds. Ireland withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1949.
Previous non-British nationals who have received knighthoods include Bono's fellow Dubliner and rocker-turned-humanitarian Bob Geldof, Bill Gates, Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo, Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and Steven Spielberg.
The knighthood is the latest award for Bono, whose real name is is Paul Hewson.
In 2003, he was given the Legion D'Honneur by President Jacques Chirac on behalf of the French government. And Bono was named the Time Person of the Year 2005, along with Bill and Melinda Gates, for his work promoting justice and equality.
Bono will receive the award from the British ambassador to Ireland in a ceremony in Dublin shortly after New Year's Day.
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