The Queen resumed her duties after the summer break at Balmoral, participating in an investiture at Buckingham Palace Thursday.
Although this was her first public engagement after coming back from Scotland, Her Majesty held a Council the evening of 8th October shortly after returning to Buckingham Palace.
Amongst the 62 men and women honoured in Thursday’s ceremony was a familiar face to many: Edward Grylls, otherwise known as Bear Grylls. He received an OBE from The Queen “for his services to young people in his position as Chief Scout and for his charity and media work.”
Grylls shared his thoughts on receiving his OBE and how Scouting helped his mental health in a video on the Royal Family Twitter account. In the message, he said that being outdoors and taking on challenges had improved his own mental health and that he was “so grateful for Scouting friendships and Scouting adventures.”
Embed from Getty Images“And The Queen has always been a huge supporter of Scouting,” he added. “From when – you know – she was involved at a young age and we’re just so grateful for her support and care for young people. What an amazing lady.” Holding up his medal with pride, he said, “Scouts and volunteers in the country, this is for you.”
Another honouree at Thursday’s investiture was Christopher Jewell, who was presented with The Queen’s Gallantry Medal. He was part of the British diving crew involved with the highly-publicised Thai football team rescue mission in 2018. Jewell helped to rescue the 12 boys and their football coach who were trapped inside the Tham Luang cave complex in Thailand.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js?Watch Judith Harper receive her MBE from The Queen today.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 10, 2019
Judith has fostered nearly 100 children since becoming a carer in 1994, helping siblings who had been taken into care stay together as a family, and giving children with additional needs a loving home. pic.twitter.com/P4zEHxjAD3
Although many celebrities, members of the military, or business leaders are recognised at investitures, everyday heroes receive insignia from The Queen, too. Judith Harper of Gawcott, Buckinghamshire received her MBE Thursday for fostering nearly 100 children since 1994. Harper has helped many siblings stay together as a family in foster care and said, “There are so many foster carers out there … this is for all of us.”
Approximately 30 investitures are held throughout the year and awards are given out to “deserving and high-achieving people from every section of life.”
