Sting is not interested in receiving a knighthood

Asked if he wants a knighthood, Sting - whose real name is Gordon Sumner - told The Sun newspaper: "I’m already a Commander (of the British Empire), which is the same rank as James Bond so I’m OK with that. Sir Sting doesn’t have a ring to it.”

The 'Every Breath You Take' hitmaker shot to fame as frontman of The Police but he admitted being in the band was "limiting" and he was keen to "explore new worlds".

He said: “We achieved everything we could within a very short space of time, a hundred-fold beyond our expectations.

“But being in The Police was limiting. I could see that it would become a diminishing experience in terms of satisfaction. There were three colours in the palette, which made that shade, but I wanted a broader palette.

"I wanted more musicians, a brass section, backing singers. I was curious to explore new worlds.

“I’m ever-respectful of AC/DC, a fantastic band, but they do not go left or right, they go straight ahead. That’s not me.”

Sting has just released new album 'The Bridge' and he embraced the "opportunity" of the coronavirus lockdown to get creative.

He said: "It’s like being cloistered anyway. So I treated it as an opportunity, not an imposition. I was lucky I didn’t get the terrible lurgy but I was feeling for all the people who don’t have my privilege like those stuck in a high-rise with three kids and a goldfish.

"I have a garden the size of Regent’s Park to wander round and my own place to work, so I was grateful.”