Brentwood resident and royal photographer Arthur Edwards had a special picture assignment last week-by appointment of the Queen.

And this time the flashlights were focused on Arthur as he collected his MBE from Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace.

Arfur, as he affectionately known has travelled the world for almost 27 years photographing the royal family for the Sun newspaper and received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire - for services to the newspaper industry.

Proud Arthur, who lives in Hanging Hill Lane, Hutton, stuck to a strict diet and exercise regime in order to look his best in top hat and tails for the investiture ceremony last Thursday.

His wife Ann, 63, son John, 39, who lives in Thurrock and is the Sun's picture editor, son Paul, 37, a Sun photographer from Billericay, and daughter Annmarie Worthington, 32, also of Billericay, looked on as a slimline Arthur collected his award and shared a joke with the Queen.

Afterwards Arthur's three grandchildren, Lucy, five, Ciara, two and Katie, three, plus other close family members joined him outside for a photo-call.

Arthur, 62, said: "The Queen was bursting with laughter when she saw me. She quipped 'I can't think why I am giving you this'. Then she asked how many years had I been photographing her and then she said 'Now we are having our picture taken together'."

Published Friday, May 16, 2003

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