Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay has described Prince William as "lovely" after he presented her with an MBE, sharing details of their conversation during the ceremony.
An MBE for Sally Lindsay
The MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire, is the third-highest-ranking honour, sitting behind the OBE and CBE but above the BEM. Lindsay, who appeared on the ITV soap between 2001 and 2006, was told by letter at the end of 2025 that she was being made an MBE before being presented with it by the Prince of Wales.
Speaking to Woman magazine, Lindsay 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."
A Surprising Letter
When the letter about the honour first arrived, Lindsay thought it was related to a parking fine she had been disputing. She explained: "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 forth 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.' They've dropped the parking fine now because we had the evidence. But that is what my first thought was!"
Dedicating the Award
Reflecting on hearing the news, Lindsay added: "I was in shock. This was out of my comfort zone, and I thought, 'What have I done?' But then you think, 'Oh well, I've been doing it for 30 years,' and so I think I've got it."
Lindsay also recalled meeting staff at Windsor Castle, saying she had "got" her "tribe" upon learning they were working class. In a statement at the time, she said: "Throughout my career I have met incredible people, made life-long friends and worked on many memorable projects. I would like to dedicate this award to the rest of the 8% of working class people who make up my industry and hope in the future there will be many more of us."
