British Curling’s Angie Malone received an MBE for her services to wheelchair curling from Prince William who carried out the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Friday.
The Sochi bronze medallist who was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire during the Queen’s Birthday Honours this summer, was surrounded by her family as she received the award in recognition of the Paralympian’s contribution to wheelchair curling and as an ambassador for the sport.
The double world champion and mentor with the Winning Scotland Foundation, inspiring youngsters into the game, revealed after the ceremony that she was quite over-awed by the whole experience despite Malone being no stranger to the big occasions, but she loved every minute of it.
Malone said: “it was an amazing experience at Buckingham Palace especially having my family with me for such a special occasion. The inside of the Palace is stunning and I felt there was a great warmth about it. We were treated like royalty and the palace staff were fantastic and they made us feel very special and my daughters Ashley and Lara said they felt like princesses.
“It was really great to meet other people who were receiving their awards and we all chatted about feeling a little nervous and it was also very inspirational hearing why they were receiving their awards,” she added.
Malone was part of the quintet who battled back from having been relegated from the world’s top flight and went on to win bronze at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships earlier this year and in doing so qualified Team GB a spot for the Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018. Both on and off the ice Malone has revealed that it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride after her long term partner John was diagnosed with throat cancer and has just finished his treatment. However his prognosis is good and with her family’s support, Malone played her part in helping her Paralympic squad mates pick up silver at the Stirling International last month and she hopes to be selected and on the Team GB plane bound for South Korea next year.
“It has been a difficult few months for the family but there are lots of positives to focus on now and is probably why it was so amazing for all of us to be able to celebrate this award. There were so many touches to the day that I will always remember. The Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra played throughout the investiture and when I received my MBE they played ‘Nobody does it better,’ followed by ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as I was leaving.
“The Duke of Cambridge was extremely knowledgeable and interested in the Paralympics and curling and was very chatty and laughed a lot, which helped put everyone at ease.
“I feel immensely privileged and proud and want to thank my family and friends and all of the sporting organisations and governing bodies that have given me support over the years which has enabled me to achieve what I have in the game,” said an elated Malone.
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