Beatles legend Paul McCartney was formally elevated into British aristocracy when he was knighted as Sir Paul McCartney by Queen Elizabeth II on March 11, 1997. The ceremony took place at London’s Buckingham Place and Paul was joined by his children Mary, Stella and James.McCartney’s wife Linda was not able to attend the ceremony because she had fallen increasingly ill with terminal breast cancer. According to Howard Sounes’ biography “Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney,” Linda gave the singer a gold watch to celebrate the occasion. It was inscribed with the words “To Paul: My knight in shining armour.”In the book, Mary recalls that her sister Stella burst into tears and that the ceremony had all the majesty that one might expect of the knighthood ceremony. “It was just like the end of a wonderful film with the Queen placing the sword on dad’s shoulders. I will never forget that moment,” she said.