Some of Britain's most celebrated athletes and performers were invited along to Buckingham Palace this week for a special reception honouring the country's top achievers. And although many of them would have been forgiven for feeling a little nervous before coming face-to-face with the Queen, at least one of the guests was taking the encounter in her stride.
World Equestrian Champion and BBC Sports Personality of the Year Zara Phillips was among the famous faces being congratulated by the monarch, but she will have been rather more familiar with the Palace's Music Room than most of the other guests. The 25-year-old was accompanied to the reception by her rugby-playing beau Mike Tindall, who is interviewed in this week's edition of HELLO! magazine.
Silver screen beauty Thandie Newton, who picked up a Bafta award for her role in Crash, was also among the celebs rubbing shoulders at the exclusive event. The mum-of-one, who once plays yet another headstrong character in her latest flick The Pursuit Of Happyness, was demurely polite as she curtseyed politely when presented to the sovereign.
Little Britain star David Walliams, who raised £1 million for charity by swimming across the English Channel, meanwhile added a little humour to proceedings. "The Queen asked if I’d been covered in lard," he joked afterwards. "I told her I had."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
