Arise Sir Michael Eavis: Glastonbury founder to be knighted at Windsor Castle by the Princess Royal

Arise, Sir Michael Eavis: the 88-year-old founder of Glastonbury Festival, one of the world’s most renowned music festivals, is set to be knighted at Windsor Castle for his services to music and charity.

Sir Michael is still involved with the festival, but his daughter Emily and her husband are responsible for the lineup.

Alongside becoming a fixture for festival revellers around the world, Glastonbury has also raised funds for a number of charities throughout its lifespan: Greenpeace, Oxfam and WaterAid all receive donations from the festival and the event aims to raise around £2 million per year, which also helps hundreds of local causes.

In 2023, it donated more than £3.7 million to a range of charitable causes and campaigns including homelessness organisation Centrepoint, food redistributors Fareshare, several refugee charities and mental health charity Mind.

In an interview with the official Glastonbury website, Sir Michael said his daughter Emily, with whom he runs the festival, had brought him the official letter about his knighthood, adding: “I was really surprised to see it, actually. Why did they choose me, I wonder?

“What can I say, really? I’ve done quite a lot of stuff in my life and I’ve always been fairly sure that I was doing the right thing.”

British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa, country pop superstar Shania Twain, rock band Coldplay and American singer SZA are among the first major acts announced, while Lulu has been confirmed for the festival, indicating that her set this year might be her final live performance.

Glastonbury Festival 2024 runs from Wednesday 26 June to Sunday 30 June.