BBC journalist and broadcaster Martha Kearney said she was “surprisingly nervous” to be decorated by the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
Kearney, 68, who stepped down as a presenter of Radio 4’s Today programme last year after six years, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to journalism and broadcasting.
She said: “I was surprisingly nervous given all the things I’ve done, but it’s such an incredible place, Windsor Castle. You go through a series of State rooms before you finally meet the Princess Royal.
“And I suppose I was slightly overawed but my family were with me and they were very proud. In fact, one of my brothers burst into tears.
“I haven’t seen him like that since childhood.”
Kearney said Anne was interested in hearing about her work on Radio 4 programme This Natural Life, and asked “Isn’t it quite challenging talking about nature on the radio?” because the listener cannot see what she is describing.
The journalist said she was lucky to have “incredibly enthusiastic” guests on the programme, who are “very good at painting pictures with words”.
Kearney visited Dumfries House in Ayrshire in December for an interview with the King about his love of the natural world and the environment, which was broadcast at Christmas.
Asked about leaving the Today programme, Kearney told the Press Association she “had reached a point where I was happy to step away from doing news”.
“Of course I still devour Radio 4 all the time, but there’s something really lovely about doing programmes which have such a positive response from listeners,” she added.
Speaking about the BBC’s listeners, she said: “I think they find it a refreshing change and a sort of respite from sometimes rather bleak news in the world at the moment.”
Kearney said she was “glad” the investiture was at Windsor Castle as she had only been there for work.
She said she will celebrate the honour with her family, adding: “I’ve been doing Dry January but not today.”
Before she began her time on the Today programme, Kearney was the first female presenter on Radio 4’s The World At One lunchtime news show. This followed seven years as Newsnight’s political editor.
During her career, the Dublin-born journalist has interviewed prime ministers including Margaret Thatcher and Rishi Sunak, and covered several US elections.
She was a regular presenter of Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour from 1998 to 2007 and interviewed celebrities including Amy Winehouse, Hilary Mantel, Courtney Love and Jane Fonda.
Others were decorated at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, including Scottish broadcaster Jackie Bird, who said she was “honoured” to be made an MBE by the princess.
Jane Tranter, chief executive and co-founder of production company Bad Wolf – which produces Doctor Who with BBC Studios – was made a CBE for services to television.
