Placido Domingo 'knighted'

Domingo was one of the three tenors

Opera star Placido Domingo has received an honorary knighthood at the British embassy in Washington for his contributions to music and his charity work.

The Spanish tenor, who has sung more operatic roles than any tenor in history, received the award from British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, in front of an audience including US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Domingo said he was "very happy, very honoured and very proud" to receive the knighthood.

British ambassador to the United States, Christopher Meyer, lauded Domingo's unique talents, saying: "Placido's own motto is, 'If I rest I rust.' I, for one, have yet to see any signs of metal fatigue."

Title role

Domingo has sung 119 different operatic roles, ranging from Mozart and Verdi to Berlioz and Puccini.

He is currently performing in the title role of Giordano's Andrea Chenier at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

As he is not a British citizen he cannot use the title "Sir" in front of his name but he can put the letters KBE after it, which stand for Knight Commander of the British Empire.

Americans who have received honorary knighthoods include former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Steven Spielberg and former presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan.