By Andrew Atkinson Exclusive
The Queen’s New year’s honours presentations scheduled on May 17 at Buckingham Palace were cancelled, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“I should have been at Buckingham Palace receiving my award on May 17,” Spain’s Stevie Spit, awarded the BEM, exclusively told The Leader.
Brian Thomas McLeod, an entertainer who performs under the name of Stevie Spit, was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to charity in the New Year Honours List, published on Friday 27 December 2019.
When not working in Spain as one of the Costa Blanca’s top female impersonators, under his stage name of Stevie Spit, Brian dedicates much of his time to fundraising and has personally assisted scores of charities.
The Queen wore long white gloves as she carried out an investiture at Buckingham Palace in May, prior to the coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown.
At the time the palace declined to confirm whether the 94-year-old monarch was taking the precaution because of the coronavirus outbreak.
At the time the number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the UK had risen to 51, and the head of the World Health Organisation had advised people over the age of 60 to avoid crowded areas.
A Palace spokesman said at the time: “It is not unusual for the Queen to wear gloves on a public engagement.”
The Queen had not been pictured wearing gloves at a ballroom investiture in the last decade.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said prior to lockdown: “The Queen doesn’t wear gloves at investitures, but it’s a sensible precaution.
The Queen was just weeks away from her 94th birthday and at an age susceptible to coronovirus.
Their was an alternative to have cancelled the investiture but it was deemed the Queen is a ‘business-as-usual-monarch’.
A royal source said the Queen would be following any advice from the Government.
The Queen usually hands out the honours without gloves, as she carries out fastening the awards to a hook on the recipients’ lapels.
The oversized gloves, which stretched past the Queen’s wrist, appeared much longer than the ones she usually wears when out and about meeting the public on official engagements.
Each investiture is held in the palace ballroom where recipients receive a range of accolades, including MBEs, knighthoods, damehoods, along with BEMs. Recipients are allowed guests.
The Queen greets each recipient in turn on the low red dais and shakes their hand.
Stevie Spit, who visited worn-torn Afghanistan in recent years in aid of his charity work, said: “My visit to Afghan entailed great memories, with Dr Gran Kim Kimberly, Khadija Wolenski and Jen Chalmers, with the V6 sitting outside with the engine running.
“There’s not many drag artistes who have done a show in Kabul – under the threat of the Taliban. “But I would go back in a heartbeat. I totally fell in love with Afghanistan – and most definitely the Afghan people – who just want to live a normal, quiet life.”
Stevie added: “I am awaiting to hear from Buckingham Palace about the new date for the Queen’s honours ceremony.”
