Sir Paul McCartney to play Glastonbury 2020

Sir Paul McCartney will perform at next year's Glastonbury Festival, organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed.

The former Beatle prompted speculation on Monday morning with a cryptic tweet.

McCartney posted a picture featuring American composer and pianist Philip Glass, Hollywood star Emma Stone and musician Chuck Berry.

Their surnames Glass, Stone and Berry, when said together, are similar to Glastonbury.

The public did not have long to wait for confirmation as Eavis announced that McCartney will headline the Pyramid stage on Saturday night as part of 50th anniversary celebrations.

"IT’S REAL!! So excited... Having @paulmccartney coming back to headline the Pyramid next year is an absolute dream come true. There really was no one that we wanted more for the 50th anniversary," Eavis posted on Instagram.

Talking about the possibility of taking to the stage at the world-renowned music event, he told Zoe Ball on her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show in September: "People are saying that it will be good if I did it, so I'm starting to think about whether I can or whether it would be a good thing.

"My kids are saying 'Dad, we've got to talk about Glastonbury', and I think I know what they mean."

He last played the festival's Pyramid Stage in 2004, delivering a set spanning his career from his time in the Fab Four to Wings and his solo material.

Last month, Diana Ross was the first artist to be confirmed for Glastonbury 2020.

The Motown star will play in the coveted Legends slot at the festival, which takes place from June 24-28.

Tickets for Glastonbury Festival's 50th anniversary sold out in just over half an hour when they went on sale in October.

All 135,000 tickets for the 2020 event were bought within 34 minutes, according to organisers.