Patrick Stewart 'to be knighted'

Patrick Stewart will reportedly be made a knight in the New Year's Honours List.

The Star Trek legend will be honoured for his services to drama, in a film and television career which has spanned 50 years.

According to The Mirror, sources at Buckingham Palace claim that the Queen is an admirer of the 69-year-old star.

"He is a man at the very top of his trade who has mastered both popular TV and classic roles," a source said.

Stewart, who trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, is most widely known for his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films.