Sir Elton John spotted with walking stick in public for first time as he’s handed royal award
Sir Elton John has been spotted with a walking stick in public for the first time, as he collected an investiture from Prince Charles in Windsor.
The Crocodile Rock singer has been formally given the Order of the Companions of Honour by the Prince of Wales, in recognition of his campaigning work on Aids, as well as his decades-long illustrious music career.
Sir Elton’s appearance with a walking stick comes after he had to delay the European section of his farewell tour after injuring his hip in a fall over the summer, which he said left him in “considerable pain”.
Sir Elton was receiving the Order of the Companions of Honour
The 74-year-old will instead start his tour next year in the US.
Sir Elton’s appearance with the walking aid comes after the Queen was spotted using one for the first time during an event at a Royal British Legion service last month.
Speaking after the ceremony, Sir Elton said that he was “raring to go”, despite not looking “100% fit”.
He said that he was “quite taken aback” when he was told he would get the award, adding it made him “very proud to be British”.
He said: “I think that there’s more to do, more work to do in music, more work to do in charity and life is great. I’m so lucky.”
Sir Elton also said that he still wants to try and end Aids by 2030, saying it’s “doable” with his charitable foundation.
Sir Elton John, with his partner David Furnish, after his ceremony
“We have the medicines, we have the wherewithal – we just need to get people to get tested,” he said.
“We need to stop the stigma, and so when I stop touring in 2023, I will hopefully be able to devote more time to this than I can at the moment.
“We’re doing great work. We’ve raised $535m (£396m), that’s over half a billion dollars since 1991.
“I think that’s pretty good for a small organisation, but we’re not resting on our laurels, this is something that I desperately want to finish off.”
Sir Elton joins the likes of Dame Judi Dench and Sir Paul McCartney in the order
The Order of the Companions of Honour was established by George V in 1917, with only 65 people being able to hold it at anyone time.
Sir Elton joins the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Judi Dench and Sir David Attenborough in the order, which is headed up by the Queen.
Entertainment
Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it’s ‘an underdog just like me’
Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.
Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.
However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.
It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.
Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.
The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).
Kneecap’s Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June. Pic: PA
Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.
They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.
Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.
The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”
“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.
The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.
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One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.
Entertainment
Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
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