A right royal honour for Hillsborough Castle security chief

Robert, who began work at the Historic Royal Palace in 1996 as a maintenance worker, has a passion for his job and was overwhelmed when he found out he had been awarded the BEM for his years of dedication at the Northern Ireland home of the Royal family.

"When I started working in Hillsborough Castle in October 1996 as a maintenance worker, I was taken along the Royal Corridor to look at what work I was going to have to carry out,” Robert explained.

"I was in complete awe of the building and the history behind it. From that point on, I have had a total love for Hillsborough Castle.

"This has helped make it a pleasure to work here and something I have been able to put my whole heart into.

"The staff, both present and previous, have all been a pleasure to work alongside and they are all part of the backbone to the Castle and make it a great place to work.

"Historic Royal Palaces took over the running of the Castle in 2014 and have opened it up to let the public see what I have been able to enjoy for almost 27 years.”

Robert is rightly proud of the work he does at Hillsborough Castle and over the years he has been involved in 29 garden parties, met 15 Secretaries of State, greeted members of the Royal family, and of course thousands of members of the public.

One of his most treasured memories is enjoying an audience with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 2016.

"All of these will be events and memories I will never forget,” he said.

When Robert found out he had been awarded a BEM he was shocked and delighted, as were his family and friends.

"When I first heard that I was to be named in the New Years Honours List I was totally overcome with emotion and was in shock.

"Once it had sunk in, I was filled with pride that I had been recognised for doing a job that I take great pride in doing every day.

“My family, friends and work colleagues are all extremely happy for me and said that it was well deserved for the hard work I have put in over the years to keep the security side of the castle running smoothly."

Thanking everyone for their support over the years, Robert added: “Firstly, I would like to thank my wife, son and daughter for all the support they have given me during my time at Hillsborough and for putting up with the early starts and late finishes all these years.

"I want to express my thanks to the Head of Hillsborough Castle, Operations Manager and the various other managers who have helped me succeed in my role and helped make the team at Hillsborough be a joy to be part of.

"My final thank you goes to the security team who I work with on a daily basis for making my job easy and continuing to do a great job every day.”