Queen presents honours to Philip’s loyal aides at special private investitures

The monarch received staff who devoted years of service to her beloved husband the day after she gathered in Westminster Abbey in remembrance.

The Duke of Edinburgh (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Archive)

The Queen has presented honours to the Duke of Edinburgh’s most loyal and trusted aides – the day after Philip’s moving memorial service.

The monarch carried out the special private investitures face to face at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

She invested the duke’s long-serving private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell with the insignia of a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO).

Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell (third from left) in the funeral procession (Hannah McKay/PA) (PA Wire)

Brig Miller-Bakewell, who was also Philip’s treasurer, was the duke’s right-hand man for 11 years, taking on the role in 2010.

He along with other devoted staff were named last June as recipients of the honours in recognition of their service to the duke as part of a special set of Demise awards, announced on what would have been Philip’s 100th birthday.

Nine months on, the Queen granted them an increasingly rare face-to-face investiture, where she is likely to have personally thanked them for their support in Philip’s day-to-day life.

Others received by the Queen included the duke’s correspondence secretary Suzy Lethbridge, his assistant private secretary Rachel Loryman and his archivist and librarian Alexandra McCreery, who were all made Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO), the Court Circular showed.

The Queen at the Abbey on Tuesday (Richard Pohle/The Times/PA) (PA Wire)

Philip’s valet David Berwick, who worked for the Queen’s consort for 46 years – joining his staff in 1975, received his insignia of a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO).

Another trusted valet Stephen Niedojadlo was also received and made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order.

Brig Miller-Bakewell attended the duke’s service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday, and the others are likely to have been invited.

He and Mr Berwick processed behind Philip’s coffin as it was ferried through the grounds of Windsor Castle on a Land Rover hearse at his funeral almost a year ago.

Philip’s page William Henderson, who also joined the funeral procession, was invested with his LVO insignia last July.

Honours in the Royal Victorian Order are in the Queen’s gift.

The official engagement came after what was the monarch’s first public duty outside of a royal residence for nearly six months.

In the abbey, the Queen, now just three weeks away from her 96th birthday, moved gingerly, holding onto the Duke of York’s elbow for support and using her stick as she arrived to join the congregation of 1,800.