Prince William made a six-word confession while presenting Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay with her MBE. The senior royal joked about feeling old during the ceremony at Windsor Castle.
A memorable meeting with royalty
Sally Lindsay, 53, appeared on the ITV soap between 2001 and 2006. She has also starred in The Madame Blanc Mysteries and the BBC sitcom Still Open All Hours.
Speaking to Woman magazine earlier this year, Lindsay recalled the moment she received her honour. She said: "The Prince of Wales was lovely. He knew exactly who I was and what I'd done. He asked me when I left Coronation Street. I said, '21 years ago', and he replied, 'Oh God, I feel so old.' I joked, 'You feel old?!' It was a special day."
An unexpected letter
Lindsay admitted she initially did not believe she was being granted an MBE. She thought the official letter was about something else entirely.
She said: "It was just before last Christmas that I got the letter telling me about my MBE. Before it arrived, I'd been going back and forward about a parking fine. I'd paid for my parking (but they thought I hadn't), and it was all about the principle. So when the letter arrived, it was dead official, with a stamp on the front. And my first thought was, 'Oh God, they are taking me to court.'"
Fortunately, that was not the case. She explained: "They've dropped the parking fine now because we had the evidence. But that is what my first thought was!"
Dedication to working-class actors
Lindsay praised the staff at Windsor Castle, where she received the award. Upon learning they were working class, she said she had "got" her "tribe", before dedicating her MBE to working-class actors in her industry.
