WASHINGTON — The Kennedy Camelot mystique gained a new chapter Wednesday from Queen Elizabeth II. “I want to announce that Her Majesty the queen has awarded an honorary knighthood for Sir Edward Kennedy,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told a joint session of Congress to an eruption of cheers. Brown called the Massachusetts Democrat one of America’s “most distinguished senators, known in every continent and a great friend.”
Kennedy, 77, who is battling a brain tumor, wasn’t in the House to hear the announcement but issued a statement saying the honor “is moving and personal. . . . I accept this honor in the spirit in which it is given, with a continuing commitment to be a voice for the voiceless and for the shared ideals of freedom and fairness which are so fundamental to the character of our two countries.” McClatchy Newspapers
