The 65-year-old singer, a coal miner's son from the Welsh town of Pontypridd, received the honor Wednesday at Buckingham Palace.

Jones, known for hits including "What's New Pussycat" and "It's Not Unusual," said he had met the British monarch "six or seven times, maybe more," starting with a royal charity performance in 1966.

"I love seeing the queen and I have always been a royalist," Jones said. "She is lovely and she still is lovely."

Jones, who was accompanied by his son, daughter and granddaughter, said receiving the knighthood was "just tremendous."

"When you first come into show business and you get a hit record, it is the start of something," he said. "As time goes on, it just gets better. This is the best thing that I have had. It is a wonderful feeling, a heady feeling.

"Sometimes you just can't believe it, you think you have been dreaming."