Michael Eavis honoured with CBE

Glastonbury boss talks mud with The Queen

14 November 2007

The Glastonbury founder visited Buckingham Palace earlier today (Wednesday) and was quizzed about the state of mud at the legendary festival by her majesty.

Eavis said after the ceremony: "Thirty-seven years of sticking it out, the mud. It's a long time. I'm thrilled.

"The Queen asked 'Are you the fella that started it all?' and asked how I fitted in the farming around the festival.

"She mentioned the mud and wanted to know what the farm was looking like afterwards.

"I said it's a very lovely farm and was looking splendid now. She said 'Good'."

Asked about how he felt to receive the honour, the dairy farmer replied: "It's quite moving actually, especially walking down the Mall. The Queen was good, very chatty and everything."

There have long been calls for Eavis is be honoured and it was thought for many years that the Palace was deliberately shunning the 72-year-old's festival due to its subversive and alternative nature.

But with Glastonbury becoming more mainstream, and a mainstay of the live music calendar, the festival has finally been recognised for its cultural and charitable impact.

The festival has evolved from 1500 hippies in a field watching T-Rex and drinking free milk in 1970, to hosting some of the biggest names in the world to a global audience and 180,000 festival goers.

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