Sir Paul McCartney at 70: Rock Royalty Loves REAL Royalty [VIDEO]

"The Queen is fabulous and I've got a lot of time for her."

More on that statement in a minute.

But first, happy birthday to Sir Paul!

Macca turns 70 today.

He was born on June 18, 1942 in (where else?) Liverpool, England.

Living legend, rocker that still puts on an incredible show, animal advocate extraordinaire, and all around good guy by all accounts (his ex-wife Heather's opinion doesn't count), he has taken part in projects to help international charities, been an advocate for animal rights, vegetarianism and music education, campaigned against landmines and seal hunting, and supported efforts such as Make Poverty History.

In addition to being a true mensch, McCartney will always be rock royalty.

And speaking of royalty, about that statement on the Queen.

Paul really does think Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl.

So much so that he headlined the Queen's Diamond Jubilee earlier this month and says, "To kids of our generation, she was a very attractive young woman, taking on this huge responsibility.  We all felt really proud of her."

Hopefully, the Queen returns the admiration.

I was lucky enough to see Paul in concert twice now, once in the summer of 1990 in Philly and again in 2005, also in Philadelphia.

He didn't disappoint.

His performance was magic, his ease on stage obvious, his warmth showing through as he chatted with us between songs.

You truly felt you were in his living room and were a long-awaited friend who had popped in for a little tea and a few tunes.

Sir Paul will close the London 2012 opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 27.

Have you seen Paul in concert?