Toon legend Alan Shearer is to become an official representative of the Queen.
The ex- England captain has been appointed deputy lieutenant of Northumberland by the county's lord lieutenant, the Duchess of Northumberland.
Shearer, 39, will stand in for the Duchess on occasions when she is unable to fulfil her role as the Queen's representative in the region.
Shearer: "I look forward to assisting the Duchess of Northumberland in her official duties."