King Charles has awarded the George Medal to Nathan Newby, who persuaded a would-be terrorist to abandon his plan to detonate a bomb in a maternity ward.
Mr Newby was received by the King at St James's Palace, engaging in conversation with the monarch during a special investiture ceremony.
His Majesty recognised exceptional individuals for acts of bravery, presenting five different types of honours.
Mr Newby, 35, from Leeds, was presented with Britain's second-highest honour of its kind in recognition of his lifesaving intervention in January 2023.
The King has awarded the George Medal to Nathan Newby | PAThe 35-year-old heroically spent two hours convincing "lone-wolf terrorist" Mohammad Farooq to abandon his plan at St James' Hospital in Leeds.
Farooq had entered the hospital carrying a homemade pressure cooker explosive device with the intention of killing as many nurses as possible.
He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 37 years.
During his trial, the court heard Farooq had become radicalised by Isis ideology and had also harboured a longstanding grudge against nursing staff from his time working at the hospital as a clinical support worker.
Nathan Newby was presented with Britain's second-highest honour of its kind in recognition of his lifesaving intervention
|PA
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Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, the sentencing judge, described Mr Newby as "an extraordinary, ordinary man whose decency and kindness on January 20, 2023, prevented an atrocity in a maternity wing of a major British hospital".
Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time, Mr Newby recounted how he had stepped outside for a vape and some fresh air when he noticed Farooq standing with his hands in his pockets.
The 35-year-old said: "I just went over to see if he was alright, to see if I could make him feel better.
"I said: 'How are you, pal? Are you alright?' and it just went from there really."
Nathan Newby opened up for the first time about his life-saving intervention
|PA
Roughly an hour into their conversation, Farooq revealed he was seeking revenge and admitted to carrying an explosive device.
Mr Newby recalled: "He was constantly watching (his bag), it was about seven feet away from us, and every nurse that walked past it, he was like, looking at them, looking at the bag.
"And then I asked him what was in it and then he just come out with it he ummed and aahed, didn't want to, but then I got out of him. He just said it's a bomb."
Despite feeling frightened, Mr Newby's priority was moving Farooq away from the building without causing panic.
Nathan Newby refuses to consider himself a hero, insisting he was 'just in the right place at the right time'
| PAMr Newby said: "I wasn't going to shout and things like that because it would have been nervous for others and just cause havoc, so I just thought, the best way is to keep quiet and just get him out of the way and be tactical about it."
After inquiring about the blast radius, he took Farooq to some nearby benches, calculating that a detonation there would only damage the entrance doors rather than destroy the entire building.
The two men conversed for several hours, with Farooq discussing his family and children.
Mr Newby said: "He asked for a cuddle a few times, and I said yeah, of course you can."
Eventually, Farooq called Mr Newby a "top guy" and instructed him to "phone the police before I change my mind".
Armed officers subsequently arrived and detained the would-be attacker.
Mr Newby said he still believes Farooq is "probably a nice guy" whose mind was simply in the wrong place.
He refuses to consider himself a hero, insisting he was "just in the right place at the right time".
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