Highlights from Andy Murray's OBE ceremony (and yes, he let his dog wear his award)
Andy Murray, his parents and his girlfriend, Kim Sears, pose after he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). (Paul Rogers/Getty Images)
Andy Murray was inducted into the Order of the British Empire on Thursday, receiving his OBE pin from Prince William in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The day began with an impromptu drug test that had him running late to the ceremony. "In the middle of a drug test hahaha I'm goin to be late!!!" Murray tweeted Thursday morning.
"They came about twenty past eight this morning,” Murray explained after the ceremony. “I had a car booked for half past eight so I was just about to start getting ready and, yeah, they just turned up. So I was a bit worried I was going to be late but the taxi driver did a good job getting round London."
The ceremony went off without a hitch, despite royal sources earlier in the week worrying about all the ways Prince William's first induction ceremony could go wrong. In the end, Prince William didn't cut Murray's ear off or stick him with the pin, and their 30-second conversation went swimmingly. What is the topic of conversation when one receives one of the highest honors in the British Empire? Penmanship.
"He just asked me about my surgery and asked me how I had been since Wimbledon," said Murray, who added that he would be back training in four weeks.
Murray also revealed that Prince William's wife, Kate, wrote a letter to him after Wimbledon.
"I told him her handwriting is fantastic," Murray said.
On hand for the ceremony were Murray's proud parents, Judy and William, and girlfriend Kim Sears.
Not in attendance were his two beloved border terriers, Maggie and Rusty. I guess only corgis are allowed in Buckingham Palace. But it looks like Maggie got her honors later that afternoon:
https://twitter.com/maggiemay_hem/status/390845573475368961
I wonder how that ranks with the U.S. Open trophy, Olympic gold, and Wimbledon trophy? That's quite a bit of hardware. [Side note: How does one pin a dog?]
Here are some highlights from Murray's induction ceremony:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mpvnjIVWYE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofzESARK1QA
https://twitter.com/judmoo/status/390812545092579329
