Singer Sir Rod Stewart has received his knighthood at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

The 71-year-old, accompanied by his wife, Penny Lancaster, and their two sons, Alastair, 10, and five-year-old Aiden, was given the honour in recognition of his services to music and charity.

He said he was "on cloud nine" after receiving the award from the Duke of Cambridge on Tuesday.

Wearing tartan trousers, Sir Rod said of meeting the duke: "We talked about music and he said 'it's great that you're still going' and I said 'I have to - I've got eight children'.

"He congratulated me on my long career and I said how happy this made me. I just wish my mum and dad had been here to see it."

The singer, famous for songs such as Maggie May and Sailing, was born in London to an English mother and a Scottish father.

He is a long-time fan of Celtic FC and the Scotland national team, singing Ole Ola with the squad for the World Cup in Argentina in 1978.

Sir Rod is meeting the Queen later at a reception at the Royal Academy of Arts as part of the ceremony.

On receiving news of his knighthood earlier this year, the rocker promised he would "wear it well".