THE ED OF STATE
ED Sheeran was awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace today for his services to music and charity.
The 26-year-old pop star, who this year topped the charts with his third album Divide, was presented with the honour by Prince Charles.
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The Shape of You singer was all smiles as he shook HRH's hand whilst collecting his MBE (short for Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).
Famed for his very casual appearance, the red-headed star cut a sharp figure as she attended the ceremony in morning dress; including a smart tails coat.
As he picked up his honour, Ed said he would be happy to play the first song at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding reception.
After receiving his gong, the Yorkshire-born singer-songwriter revealed he'd not been asked by the Prince and his fiancee, but that he'd be more than happy to perform on their big day in May.
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When quizzed if he would like to do it, he replied with a grin: "Yeah, why not!"
The singer-songwriter, who first smashed into the charts in 2011, has enjoyed phenomenal worldwide success, spoke about his grandfather Bill Sheeran after the ceremony.
He said: "Do you know what I love, my grandfather was a massive royalist, he had all the commemorative plates and stuff, and he died on this day four years ago, so it's actually quite a nice full circle thing, I guess he'd be pretty proud."
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Speaking about his honour, Ed remained humble, saying he put it all down to "persistence".
He said: "I think it's persistence. I don't have a vast amount of talent compared to other people.
"I think talent is like 30% of it and persistence, drive and self belief are the other ones, which I guess are all the same thing."
Asked about his chat with the Prince of Wales, the singer said: "He was asking me if I was still selling lots of records and I told him I've got a concert in New York tomorrow, and he was quite surprised I was flying after this."
Ed has had a roller coaster of a year, which saw his third album smash charts across the globe.
The album and its singles have helped him to become one of the most streamed artists on the planet, as well as raking in a staggering collection of number one hits.
More recently Ed hit headlines after he was knocked off his bike in London, something which caused him to postpone some of his gigs.
However, he seems to have fully recovered from the accident. He was well-enough to perform and play his guitar over the weekend during the X Factor's 2017 final.
Ed Sheeran performs Perfect on The X Factor
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