Princess Anne has been described as "very charming" by an MBE recipient who spoke with the Princess Royal about throwing away his MBE award warrant, believing it to be a scam.
Michael Bailey, 68, who received the honour for what he described as "flying the British flag overseas" with his specialist printing company, admitted to GB News that he was completely surprised by the recognition.
He said: "When I got the warrant to say that I've been awarded the MBE, I didn't believe it. I thought this was a scam, a very clever scam."
"I thought they're not going to catch me out, so I threw it in the bin," he continued. "Two days later, I just happened to mention to my son that I'd had this very clever scam. And he said, 'Dad, what on earth have you done? That's real!'"
Michael Bailey received the honour for what he described as 'flying the British flag overseas'
Michael Bailey
Bailey was shocked and had to retrieve the crumpled, torn warrant from the bin, iron it flat, photocopy it and send it back to the palace.
At the ceremony, the 61-year-old described Princess Anne as "very, very charming" during their interaction, which lasted much longer than planned, the MBE winner told GB News.
Recalling his meeting with the Princess Royal, he told the People’s Channel: "She said to me, 'I understand you're a specialist in your field,’ I thought, I'm not going down that road, because she must say that to everybody."
Instead, he shared the story about throwing away the invitation, which she "really, really liked."
The palace made a special exception for Bailey's family and allowed his seven-year-old grandson to join on the day
Michael Bailey
Despite being told conversations were limited to two minutes, Bailey chatted with the princess for "five or six minutes" before she finally offered the handshake that signalled the end.
Bailey, whose company designs and makes a range of specialist collating systems, revealed it was his first time meeting any member of the Royal Family.
He was accompanied by his wife of almost 60 years, Gwen, and had initially planned to bring his daughter, who suggested her own daughter attend instead for the "once in a lifetime experience."
The palace made a special exception for Bailey's family and allowed his seven-year-old grandson to join on the day, despite the normal limit of three guests, according to Bailey.
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The palace made a special exception for Bailey's family and allowed his seven-year-old grandson to join on the day, despite the normal limit of three guests, according to Bailey.
Michael Bailey
He said: "We were allowed four people to support you. We were the only family that had four people.”
The Windsor Castle grounds, which will be used to host Donald Trump for his upcoming State Visit, left a strong impression on the British innovator, who described the "lovely pomp and ceremony" and "immaculate" lawns.
He praised the efficiency of the staff, noting how quickly they provided an electric buggy for his wife, who had difficulty walking.
"They took us through the various halls and dining halls and explained everything. We saw lots of the paintings," he said, adding that their attention to detail and organisation was impressive compared to many companies.
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