A charity founder has found himself in the unusual position of receiving an MBE from both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles after the first medal was stolen.
Mike Davies founded the Yorkshire charity The Principle Trust Children’s Charity. Mr Davies established the organisation to provide respite breaks and assistance for disadvantaged youngsters, receiving his original honour from Queen Elizabeth II in 2018.
The theft occurred a fortnight ago when intruders made off with a 100kg safe from his property, taking the medal along with other valuables.
Police informed Mr Davies that recovering the original decoration was unlikely, but a replacement bearing King Charles III’s appointment has since arrived.
Mike Davies | Source: THE PRINCIPLE TRUST CHILDREN’S CHARITY
The burglary saw criminals break into Mr Davies’ home and remove the heavy safe containing not only his medal but also currency he had purchased ahead of a planned trip to Japan, including yen and dollars.
Car keys were also taken during the incident, alongside items of deep personal significance.
“A number of sentimental things from my parents and my brother were in there, and from my wife’s mum, along with some jewellery of my wife’s,” Mr Davies said.
Whilst he has managed to replace much of what was stored in the safe, the loss of family keepsakes has proved particularly painful for the charity founder.
The replacement medal reached Mr Davies via special delivery from Buckingham Palace merely 10 days after the break-in occurred.
“I received the box special delivery from Buckingham Palace,” he said. “There’s Charles’ royal stamp on it, which just goes to show they have to pay postage as well because it was £9.85.”
Buckingham Palace | Source: GETTY
Mr Davies was touched by the thoughtful gesture accompanying his new honour.
“It was all rather nice and there was a most lovely brief letter inside. They didn’t need to that,” he added.
The new presentation box bears the inscription “by appointment to His Majesty the King”, whereas his original read “by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen”.
Mr Davies established The Principle Trust in 2011, creating an organisation that has since offered holidays and support to thousands of children from disadvantaged, disabled, trauma-affected and low-income families across Yorkshire.
His MBE was conferred for services to business and to disadvantaged children in North Yorkshire, with the medal itself presented by the Prince of Wales, then holding the title Duke of Cambridge.
King Charles, Queen Elizabeth II | Source: GETTY
“It’s nice to have that back. Even though it wasn’t the original, it’s exactly the same medal,” Mr Davies concluded to the BBC.
Those who lose or damage their MBE can seek a replacement through the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood.
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