Queen: Have had a number one hit with 5ive

The song was originally a number two hit for Queen in 1977.

The Mirror newspaper quoted a Queen spokesman as saying: "Queen thought of Robbie as one of the few performers who could do their songs justice."

They have previously recorded with boy band 5ive since their lead singer, Freddie Mercury, died in 1991.

No single plans

That collaboration - of Queen's We Will Rock You - reached number one in the British charts.

But a Williams spokesman said of the latest collaboration: "There are no plans to release it as a single here or in the US. It's for a film so it will just be part of a soundtrack."

A Knight's Tale will have the slogan, He Will Rock You, and stars Australian actor Heath Ledger as a medieval peasant who takes over a knight's identity and takes up jousting.

Williams will hope that his involvement will help raise his profile in the US, where the film is scheduled to be released on 11 May. It will come out during the summer in Britain.

Queen have sold over 100 million records worldwide and were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which honours artists who have made a significant contribution to the genre over the last 25 years.

They are also working with comedian Ben Elton on a stage show featuring their hits.