The decision to give the Mayor a knighthood drew criticism from Tory politicians and 220,000 people signed a petition against it.

06:33, Wed, Jun 11, 2025 | UPDATED: 06:34, Wed, Jun 11, 2025

Sir Sadiq Khan

Sir Sadiq Khan was knighted by the King on Tuesday (Image: Getty)

Sir Sadiq Khan said the King apologised to him for "taking so long" to knight him. The Mayor of London received his knighthood for political and public service at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, despite a huge petition with 220,000 signatures against it and criticism from Conservative politicians.

Sir Sadiq said: “I have got the pleasure of working closely with the King. We were just comparing who’s a bigger workaholic. He was very chuffed that he managed to personally give me this honour and he actually apologised for it taking so long – which is not a problem at all.”

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