Cyclist Thomas ‘humbled’ by royal honour
RECOGNITION: Clockwise from top, Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas said it was ‘surreal’ to receive his OBE from the Duke of Cambridge; Terry O’Neill is made a CBE; Sarah Waters with her OBE.
HE MAY be renowned for his endeavours on two wheels, but Geraint Thomas admitted it was “surreal” to meet the Duke of Cambridge and share parenting tales as he collected his OBE.
The 2018 Tour de France winner and double Olympic champion was recognised for his services to cycling at a Royal investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace yesterday.
Mr Thomas, who grew up on the outskirts of Cardiff, claimed it was “surreal” to receive the honour from William, after the Duke asked him about his baby boy who was born three weeks ago.
“He asked how the sleepless nights were going,” Mr Thomas said. “He said their first one took a while for his sleep to kick in.
“You don’t really know what to expect, but to chat to him about the rugby and my baby was surreal.”
The cyclist added that it was “humbling” to collect his OBE.
Others to collect honours yesterday included photographer Terence O’Neill, who has captured high-profile figures from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, Elvis, and Nicole Kidman. He collected his CBE for services to photography.
He said it “heightened” the honour to have received it from William, adding: “It surpasses anything I’ve had happen to me in my life.”
Author Sarah Waters also received an OBE from the Duke for her services to literature. Ms Waters, who has been short-listed three times for the Man Booker Prize, said William was a “very calm” presence.
Silverback Films cofounder Alastair Fothergill, who produced several series narrated by Sir David Attenborough including the Netflix show Our Planet and the BBC’s Planet Earth, also received his OBE for services to film.