Who frontman Roger Daltrey received officially knighted in his U.K. homeland by William, the Prince of Wales, at a ceremony held Wednesday, December 10, at Windsor Castle, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.
The 81-year-old singer was honored for his services to charity, as well as to music. Daltrey’s knighthood was announced in June 2025 as part of King Charles III’s Birthday Honours list.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: The Who’s Pete Townshend Confirms Whether We’ve Truly Seen the Last of Them]
Besides his work with his lauded rock band, Roger is a longtime patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust organization. The charity helps teenagers and young adults with cancer by providing support to them and their families, and funding recreational spaces for them at health facilities around the U.K. Daltrey launched the annual Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concert series in 2000, and curated the event until 2025. The series has raised more than 32 million pounds (about $42.7 million) to date.
The Daily Mail posted photos from the knighthood ceremony, and interviewed the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer afterward.
“It is an honor,” Daltrey told a journalist from the newspaper. “It’s a great honor for me, but also it’s an incredible honor for the Teenage Cancer Trust.” He added, “I accept this honor for all those people who have helped me build that charity for what it is today, without whom … it never would have happened. And they will possibly never get a medal, so I’m sharing it with them.”
Daltrey Also Reflected on His Music Career
Also during the interview, Daltrey was asked how he felt about being honored partly for his successful music career.
“I don’t think about the career,” he said. “I mean, it’s just what I’ve done. I’ve always been the kind of guy that just rolls with whatever comes through the letter box. And we got incredibly lucky. You know, you’ve got to have a certain amount of talent, but you also need an awful lot of luck, and you’ve got to be in the right places at the right time. And … everything seemed to click into place. But most of all, you’ve got to really love what you do, otherwise it fails.”
In addition, the interviewer asked Roger how he thought the original Who members would’ve reacted to Daltrey being knighted had they been able to see into the future when they were starting out.
“They’d be blowing raspberries,” Roger answered, laughing.
Daltrey Also Discussed Issues Treating Young People with Cancer
Daltrey also talked with the Daily Mail interviewer about the importance of early detection for young people stricken with cancer.
“I’ve got to tell you that teenagers don’t like to go to the doctor,” he maintained. “If they go to a GP more than once and he recommends [a treatment] that they should try before they come back for the second time, and they come back a second time because it hasn’t worked, then there’s something seriously wrong and they should be taken up a ladder of finding out what’s going on. And that hasn’t been happening. I’ve been on about it now for 35 years, and there’s been no movement.”
Daltrey added, “Last year, I must have seen at least five or six 19-, 18-, 20-year-olds who have died because there was a late diagnosis. They’ve been pushed away. … And they’re the ones we need to save. You don’t need to save me at 82. You know, I’ve had a life. They haven’t. And we need them for the future.”
Recent Who News
The Who wrapped up a North American farewell tour dubbed The Song Is Over trek in early October. The band hasn’t announced any more shows, although founding guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend hinted in a recent interview that more dates might be added to the tour.
(Photo by Andrew Matthews – Pool/Getty Images)