Prince Harry "jumped the fence" at Glastonbury, says Sir Michael Eavis

26 April 2024, 12:00

Prince Harry with Glastonbury founder Sir Michael Eavis inset
Prince Harry with Glastonbury founder Sir Michael Eavis inset. Picture: DON MACKINNON/AFP via Getty Images, Anna Barclay/Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

The Glastonbury founder made the comments when he was knighted by Princess Anne during a ceremony at Windsor Castle this week.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Michael Eavis said that King Charles III once attended Glastonbury and joked Prince Harry "jumped the fence".

The founder of the world famous festival was made Knight Bachelor by Princess Anne during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle this Tuesday (23rd April) and he made the startling comment while he was speaking with the royal.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the 88-year-old said at the ceremony: "The King came once, Prince Charles. And Harry - I think he jumped the fence I should think."

"I've got spies everywhere," he chuckled, when asked how he knew. "No, I've got security all over the place actually."

"He enjoyed it," he went on: "Prince Charles enjoyed it as well actually."

The 88-year-old, whose full name is Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis, has been recognised for his services to charity and music.

His Knighthood is now added to his CBE, which he received back in 2007.

Sir Michael Eavis is knighted at Windsor Castle
Sir Michael Eavis is knighted at Windsor Castle by Princess Anne. Picture: Andrew Matthews/Pool via AP, PA Images / Alamy

Previously speaking in an interview published on the official Glastonbury website , Eavis remarked that his late mother would finally be happy with the upgrade, recalling: "When I got the CBE in 2007, I went and told my mother, who was 95 at the time. And she just said, 'Oh that’s a pity, I thought you would have got a K!'"

Quizzed on how he was feeling about the prospect of being called Sir Michael, he replied: "Well, when I was a boy, I did rather like all the King Arthur stories. With Sir Lancelot and everyone. That was always very fun to me!"

This year's Glastonbury Festival takes place from 26th - 30th June with Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA set to headline the Friday, Saturday and Sunday night respectively.

Shania Twain will play the coveted Sunday Legend's slot, with the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Little Simz, Burna Boy, PJ Harvey and Michael Kiwanuka also set for performances on the Pyramid Stage.

IDLES, Disclosure and The National will headline The Other Stage, with The Streets, Avril Lavigne, Two Door Cinema Club and more among those confirmed.

The festival is now officially sold out after the April resales took place last week, with both coach and general admission tickets selling out in under 20 minutes.

Glastonbury festival tickets sell out in less than an hour