<![CDATA[There was an investiture ceremony at Buckingham
Palace on Thursday 9th October and it saw The Queen bestow a
knighthood on Sir Winston Churchill's grandson, Nicholas
Soames.
The Member of Parliament for Mid Sussex was honoured for his
political service during the ceremony and he couldn't have been
happier. Nicholas commented, "To be dubbed by my Sovereign is an
absolutely wonderful honour for me and my family."
Sir Nicholas Soames was first elected to Parliament way back in
1983 for the seat of Crawley and held that seat up until the 1997
General Election where he won his current constituency, which to
date he still holds. Under Prime Minister John Major, Nicholas was
Minister of State for the Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence
and Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food. Between 2003 and 2005, Nicholas Soames was also
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence.
What made the honour at Buckingham Palace even more special for Mr
Soames was the fact that he is a close friend of The Prince of
Wales and during the early 1970's he even served as The Prince's
equerry.
Speaking of the investiture, Nicholas Soames said, "The Queen was
very nice to me. I told her I'd been in Parliament 30 years and she
said 'It goes like a flash when you're really busy'."
Sir Nicholas Soames is now on the back benches, though he is
President of the Conservative Middle East Council and chairman of
the cross-party group on balanced migration.
It wasn't just Nicholas Soames who was honoured at Buckingham
Palace on Thursday – virtuoso pianist Stephen Hough was also
recognised. Mr Hough became a CBE and was overjoyed that his line
of work was being recognised in this way. "It is wonderful that the
arts, which in one sense is entertainment, are recognised in this
way. It is something you hope brings joy to people in ways you
can't quite put your finger on, because music just disappears in to
the air." he said.
There are around 25 investitures a year and the majority of them
take place in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace, though on some
occasions they do take place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in
Edinburgh, or in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle.
Featured Photo Credit: Birmingham News Room via
photopin cc]]>
