Jonathan Ive, Apple's senior vice president of industrial design, was made a Knight Commander, Order of the British Empire (KBE) in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Ive, aged 45, was born in London but now lives in San Francisco. He is now entitled to call himself "Sir", told the sources in a rare interview that the knighthood was "incredibly humbling".

The products that Jonathan Ive has designed not only transformed Apple's fortunes but also rocked the music and entertainment industries as well. He has been described as the most influential Briton living in the US.

So it is almost unnerving to hear him reveal that, despite having already set the bar so high, his most important work is yet to be revealed to the world.

"What we are working on now feels like the most important and the best work we have done... which of course I can’t tell you about," he said in an interview.