Stewart's new wife Penny Lancaster accompanied him to the ceremony

Stewart wore a skull and crossbones tie, white trousers and a stripy shirt instead of the conventional morning suit chosen by most investiture guests.

The singer, whose hits include Maggie May and Sailing, was honoured for services to music.

"It's a marvellous occasion. We're the only country in the world to honour the common man," the 62-year-old said.

Stewart recently married his third wife Penny Lancaster, 36, with whom he has a young son. He also has six other children.

"We married two weeks ago, so what an amazing two weeks it's been," he said outside Buckingham Palace, where the ceremony took place.

Stewart was one of the star acts at the Concert for Diana earlier this month as he was a personal favourite of the Princess.

A box set of his last four albums, The Complete Great American Songbook, went into the top 20 of the UK album chart on Sunday.