Ted Kennedy to receive honorary knighthood

The US senator Ted Kennedy is to be given an honorary knighthood, Downing Street announced today.

The Queen will honour the 77-year-old brother of the former US president John F Kennedy for his services to the US-UK relationship and to Northern Ireland, officials said.

Gordon Brown will today formally announce the award during his address to both houses of Congress on the second full day of his visit to Washington.

Kennedy, who has been a senator for his home state, Massachusetts, for more than 46 years, is being treated for a brain tumour.

The most senior member of the famous Irish-American political dynasty, he was diagnosed with brain cancer last May. He has since had chemotherapy and radiation to treat the malignant glioma.

Kennedy suffered another seizure during Barack Obama's inaugural lunch in January, but was released from hospital a day later.

He is probably best known in the UK for his work on the Northern Ireland peace process, being intricately involved with province's politics during and beyond the Good Friday agreement.

He snubbed Adams during the latter's St Patrick's Day trip to the US in 2005 following the killing of Robert McCartney. The IRA was accused of involvement in the death.

Kennedy joins a select band of overseas nationals to be given an honorary knighthood.

The Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, the former president George Bush senior, the former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the film director Steven Spielberg have also received the honour.

www.guardian.co.uk