Belfast-born singer-songwriter Van Morrison has officially been knighted for his unique contribution to music over the past half century.
Morrison, full name George Ivan Morrison, whose best-known hits include Brown Eyed Girl and Have I Told You Lately That I Love You was introduced as Sir Ivan Morrison as he received the special title by the Prince of Wales in Buckingham Palace's ballroom on Thursday.
"It's amazing, it's very exhilarating, the whole thing.
"For 53 years I've been in the business - that's not bad for a blue-eyed soul singer from east Belfast," Morrison said following the ceremony.
The 70-year-old performer, who was joined by his daughter Shana Morrison at the special event, said he doesn't mind if people still call him 'Van the Man' and said fans can "take their pick" as to how they want to refer to him.
Sir Van Morrison at Buckingham Palace, London, with daughter Shana Morrison
Morrison previously said that he is not a fan of the celebrity lifestyle as he feels it can hinder the creative process.
"Being famous is not great for the creative process. Not for me, anyway," he admitted, in an interview with Fintan O'Toole in The Irish Times.
"But the thing about being famous, the problem is, you become objectified, and when you’re writing, if you’re talking about the creative process and being able to stand back, that’s no good, because you need to freely look at what’s going on and observe people: what they’re doing, what they’re saying.
"And it’s very difficult to do that when people are focusing on you. You don’t have the anonymity which is important for creativity. This is the part that’s never mentioned, because the propaganda doesn't mention this, you know. It mentions that being famous is great, but it’s not for the creative process. Not for me, anyway."
The 70-year-old singer/songwriter has enjoyed a lengthy career and is probably best known for Astral Weeks, the 1968 album that was voted the best Irish album of all time in 2009.
And although it's associated with the Hippy era of the 1960s, Morrison insists: "I never considered myself a hippy. In fact I hated it, actually. I was actually anti-hippy.
"I was sort of in the wrong place in the wrong time. I was in California when these people, hippies, were around - and, you know, it was difficult to get away from."
