A Liverpool father made a memorable impression on King Charles last month when he received an OBE for his charitable work, admitting he deliberately stretched royal protocol to spend a few extra seconds speaking to the monarch.
Mark King, 63, was recognised for founding the Oliver King Foundation, which campaigns to improve access to defibrillators following the tragic death of his son Oliver. The 12-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest during a swimming lesson at King David High School in Wavertree in 2011 and was later diagnosed with sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS).
Reflecting on his encounter with the King at Windsor Castle, Mark said he had been briefed on how the audience would proceed but chose to linger. “I’ve not finished,” he thought, managing to exchange a laugh with the monarch while talking about his son.
Since Oliver’s death, Mark and the foundation have distributed more than 7,000 defibrillators across schools, sports venues, and workplaces in England, with over 80 lives reportedly saved. The campaign also prompted government guidance ensuring every state school has access to the life-saving devices.
Accompanied at the ceremony by his wife Joanne and son Ben, Mark described his delight at the recognition.
Speaking to Birkenhead News, Mark said: “I’ve always said we’re not about awards, we just go under the radar and do what we need to do,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “But when the letter came through the door… She said read it, it is for you.”
A self-professed royalist, Mark said the Windsor visit was “just right up my street.” During the brief audience, he recalled joking with King Charles, saying, “‘As one King to another,’ and to be fair, he knew a lot about the foundation and he said, tell me about Oliver… he was interested. You know when someone’s interested, and he was.”
Since establishing the foundation in 2012, Mark has personally delivered defibrillators from Stornoway in Scotland to Portsmouth in the south of England. The foundation also provides training in their use and has received support from former Liverpool footballer Jamie Carragher.
Mark admitted he deliberately broke the usual etiquette of the royal investiture. “They said to me… you get two or three minutes with him and then he’ll put his hand out. You’ll shake his hand, you’ll bow, step back, and you’ll go. So, I thought, ‘I haven’t finished talking to you,’ and he put his hand out, so I put mine on top for a few seconds more. He knew what I was at and burst out laughing.”
While Mark welcomed the personal accolade, he emphasised that the recognition belonged to more than just himself. “This isn’t for me. This is for our Ol. Mostly, it’s for the city. It’s for my city. The support I’ve had is second to none and you wouldn’t get that anywhere else,” he said.
Mark now hopes to persuade Liverpool Council to support his vision for the UK’s first cardiac testing and prevention centre in the city, continuing the work that has made the Oliver King Foundation a life-saving force across the country.
