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Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis joked that he could “carry some bills” in his pocket if the Prince of Wales performed the investiture rite while receiving New Year’s honours.
The 88-year-old dairy farmer, who first introduced Pilton Pop, Blues
In an interview with Glastonbury’s official website, Sir Michael said his daughter Emily, with whom he runs the Glastonbury music festival, brought him the official letter relating to his knighthood, adding: “I was actually surprised to see it. Why did they do it?
He added: “What can I really say? I’ve done a lot of things in my life and I’m pretty sure I’m doing the right thing. “
Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis, whose father was a Methodist preacher, was born in Pilton, Somerset, in 1935, and educated at Wells Cathedral School.
He then went to Thames Nautical Training College and first joined the Union-Castle Line, British Merchant Navy, as a trainee midshipman.
In 1954, he inherited his parents’ 150-acre farm and 60 cows and races.
Speaking about his knighthood, he told the Glastonbury website: “When I got the CBE in 2007, I went and told my mother, who was 95 at the time. And she just said, ‘Oh that’s a pity, I thought you would have got a K’!”
He first came up with the idea of hosting a musical event at Worthy Farm in 1970 after a Led Zeppelin concert.
Entry costs £1, which includes camping and bulk milk.
They enjoyed performances by Tyrannosaurus Rex (later T. Rex) by Marc Bolan, who managed in position for the Kinks who would headline the event.
The following year it became Glastonbury Fayre, a small occasion attracting about 1,500 people, and the date was replaced to coincide with the summer solstice.
It is now the largest greenfield festival in the world and is attended by around 200,000 people each year, drawing the biggest musical headliners and a raft of celebrity guests.
Sir Michael said the farm “has been a fantastic part of my life too”, adding: “We’re actually finalists for the Gold Cup again this year, which is the UK’s premier dairy herds competition.
“The judges were here earlier this month and we’re going to find out if we win in February. So that’s a big deal, too. Well, it is for me anyway!
The festival’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2020 were cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, when Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and Sir Paul McCartney were due to headline.
They are back with a vengeance in 2022 with Sir Paul, Lamar and Billie Eilish as headliners.
Greenpeace, Oxfam and WaterAid receive donations from the festival and the event aims to raise around £2 million a year, which will also go to many local causes.
Sir Michael remains active in the organization of the festival, his daughter Emily and her husband take full responsibility for the programming.
During the festival, he chooses to wander among the punters instead of browsing the site’s countless rat races, and is seen taking selfies with fans.
In 2023, he greeted with enthusiastic applause while conducting on the venue’s Park Stage before the music officially began.
Thousands of people chanted “Michael” as he sat in an office chair to perform a series of classics while recovering from leg surgery.
Sir Michael has been politically active and ran unsuccessfully as a Labour Party candidate in 1997.
In 2004, he advised electorates disappointed with Tony Blair to join the Green Party in protest against the war in Iraq.
However, he returned to Labour in 2010 and was an advocate for Jeremy Corbyn’s anti-nuclear and anti-austerity policies, calling him “the hero of the hour” and inviting him to the festival in 2017.
Sir Michael has also voiced his support for fox hunting, trophy hunting and badger slaughter, drawing the ire of animal rights activists, adding Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, who has claimed he will never play the festival in protest.
He appointed CBE to the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2007.
Asked about the knighthood ceremony and if he had met the King before, Sir Michael told the Glastonbury website: “I have, actually. Last time I met him, I got a suit especially.
“And he said, ‘Why aren’t you wearing your shorts?’! But I think William might do the ceremony. He’s made a few mentions of wanting to come to the Festival. So I’ll probably take a couple of tickets in my pocket!”
Sir Michael has also helped to build a number of rented social homes near to the festival site in a project which was this year visited by former footballer Gary Lineker.
He spoke of the importance of the houses: “Well, obviously, I’ve been in the village all my life and I’ve noticed that all the social houses were sold, so there were no more houses to rent for the workers. And rent can be a nightmare.
“I think it’s very important to have a permanent inventory of homes to rent at an affordable price. So that was the most important thing I could do in this town.
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