Wootton Bassett, we so admire you, says Prince William (From This Is Wiltshire)

Wootton Bassett, we so admire you, says Prince William

2:15pm Thursday 17th December 2009 in

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Prince William spoke of the respect he and his brother Harry have for the people of Wootton Bassett as he presented an award in recognition of the town’s solemn silent tributes to soldiers killed overseas.

The prince, a trainee RAF pilot, presented the Millie Award for Support to the Armed Forces to the town at a ceremony in London on Tuesday after it was nominated by readers of The Sun.

The award was accepted by Mayor Steve Bucknell, Royal British Legion treasurer Anne Bevis and Kirsty Lambert of the Cross Keys Pub, where bereaved families have time to gather their thoughts in private after the repatriations.

The prince said he and his soldier brother Harry found it remarkable that the townspeople are so modest and refuse to accept any praise.

Coun Bucknell said: “Prince William was lovely and very down to earth. He spoke to us for quite some time and said he would love to come to Wootton Bassett.

“He said both he and Harry have often commented on how wonderful they think the town is.

“It was all very humbling.”

Coun Bucknell said although there were people in the town who felt it was wrong to accept an award for such a spontaneous act of remembrance, he ultimately felt they had no choice but to accept the Millie Award because it attracted so many nominations from readers.

Mrs Bevis said the Wootton Bassett party were awestruck to find they were sitting on the same table as Prince William and at the table next to Prince Harry, but said the brothers soon put them at ease.

“It was like talking to an ordinary person, you didn’t feel out of place at all,” she said. “They were both so easy to talk to.

“They said they thought we were doing a fantastic job and the whole nation is behind us.

“It is very nice to know that it is appreciated by all sorts of people, and I explained that it’s not just people in and around Wootton Bassett but people all over the country who want to pay tribute in their own way.”

Mrs Lambert said it had been an exciting evening. She said: “It is very nice that we have been nominated. I think we should be proud.”