Prince William awarded boxer Carl Froch with an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The boxing superstar, who opened up about his daughter's brave fight for life in this week's HELLO! magazine, appeared delighted to be presented with the honour for his services to boxing.
Read the full interview in this week's HELLO! magazine, on sale now in all good newsagents and available to download on iPad, android, kindle fire and more formats. Or subscribe today to make sure you don't miss an issue!
Looking smart in a grey three-piece suit, the 38-year-old proudly showed off his MBE in a photo shared on the official Buckingham Palace twitter account. "Congratulations to the Cobra! @Carl_Froch received his #MBE from The Duke of Cambridge today," British Monarchy tweeted.
© Photo: PAPrince William awarded Carl Froch an MBE on Tuesday
After finding out he had been named in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June, Carl dedicated his MBE to his fans, telling the Nottingham Post: "I couldn't have achieved what I have without my fans in Nottingham, so I dedicate this to them. They were right behind me when I won my world title here and they have been such a huge force and inspiration in my career."
Meanwhile Jonny Wilkinson was also awarded with a CBE for his services to Rugby Union. The 36-year-old, who secured England's victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, was joined by his proud parents and wife Shelley Jenkins as he was honoured during the Investiture ceremony.
© Photo: PAJonny Wilkinson was named a CBE for his services to Rugby Union
Carl's honour comes as he opened up to HELLO! about his daughter Penelope's traumatic birth, which was complicated by a rare emergency known as shoulder dystocia, when the baby's head emerges but one of the shoulders becomes stuck behind the mother's pubic bone. When she was born, Penelope appeared lifeless due to being starved of oxygen.
"I was in shock. I couldn’t speak," Carl said. "Being a fighter, I tend to take the bull by the horns but I couldn’t do anything and that made me feel helpless. Her head came out at 5.59am and she was born at 6.02 – the same length as a boxing round; the longest, most traumatic round of my life. "When she made that first feeble cry, I burst into tears. It takes a lot to upset me but this was the most distressing thing I have ever experienced."
To read more of the interview with Carl and his wife Rachael, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! magazine.
