Ice skating champions Dame Jayne Torvill and Sir Christopher Dean were among those honoured by King Charles at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, with the pair joking about their retirement during the ceremony.
Royal Recognition at Windsor Castle
The ice dance duo were among 68 recipients of honours from the King, alongside actor Sir Idris Elba and comedian Dame Meera Syal. Torvill and Dean made history with their Olympic gold medal performance to "Bolero" at the 1984 Winter Games and later became household names as judges on the celebrity competition show Dancing On Ice.
Dame Jayne shared details of her conversation with the King: "He asked if we were still skating and said he was 'so pleased' to recognise our achievements. He asked, 'Are you coaching or anything?' I said no, we've just retired now. We did our last tour last year, and the body was deciding that was our final tour, but we enjoyed it."
Sir Christopher added: "I had a similar conversation. I also said, 'We've retired, and I recommend it,' and he had a little laugh. It's a wonderful day, and to be here in this setting – it's amazing to be in Windsor Castle, with all the traditional elements."
Farewell Tour and Retirement
The honours arrived at the end of a year in which the pair retired from performing after their UK farewell tour, which culminated in their home city of Nottingham in July. Reflecting on stepping off the ice for the final time, Dame Jayne, 68, said: "It was a mixture of emotions, but we were so happy to have been able to do that tour. You always want to give a good performance, and we felt that show as a whole was one of the best performances."
Sir Christopher, 67, added: "We prepared ourselves for that. To put a tour like that together takes about a year and a half, so that preparation is always in the back of your mind that this is the final performance. A lot of people say, 'Won't you miss it?' but we feel like we've achieved what we've achieved, and we don't need to do any more. The body doesn't want to do any more. For us to be able to do that in a style we felt was fitting, it was great."
Awkward News of Honours
Dame Jayne discovered her damehood about three days before her dance partner, realising he had not yet received a letter when she phoned to celebrate. "It was a bit of an awkward situation for both of us," she said. Sir Christopher added: "I wanted to be, and was, happy for Jayne, but at the same time – and Jayne felt the same – you didn't know how to act, neither of us did."
After Dame Jayne investigated why her partner had not received a similar letter, it turned out it had been sent to the wrong address due to an incorrect postcode. "I got it about two weeks later," Sir Christopher said with a laugh.
Legacy of Dancing On Ice
Discussing the impact of Dancing On Ice, Dame Jayne said: "It's lovely for us because we've always been passionate about skating. Some of our celebrities, if we run into them, we ask, 'Are you still skating?' A lot say no, but some still do it and like it. Sam Aston, Chesney from Coronation Street, he still skates. We've had so many."
Other Honourees
Among those honoured on Tuesday were 93-year-old Betty Brown, believed to be the oldest surviving victim of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, and Paul Elliott, known as one half of the Chuckle Brothers comedy duo. The King's eye surgeon, Professor Philip Bloom, and Simon Eccles, a plastic surgeon to the King and Queen, were made Lieutenants of the Order of the Victoria Cross, an honour recognising distinguished service to the monarch and the royal family.
