A Royal Valentine's Day

I was surprised to receive a rather special Valentine’s card this year - an invitation to meet The Queen! I was invited to Buckingham Palace on 14th February in recognition of my significant contribution to UK business.

The reception for Women in Business took place in the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace where champagne and canapes were served to 200 guests. All of the male members of the royal household were banished for the day and the female members of the family were all there to recognise the achievements of the country’s top businesswomen who have made it to the top by their own efforts. The royal line-up was composed of The Queen, The Princess Royal, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Countess of Wessex and The Duchess of Gloucester.

It was an incredible honour to be invited to meet The Queen and other members of the Royal Family and to receive royal recognition for my work. I also met the designer Cath Kidston who has been an inspiration to me as she also started her business with no design experience and I enjoyed talking to Sharon Osbourne as well. Other guests included Jacqueline Gold, founder of Ann Summers, Debbie Moore of Pineapple Dance Studios and Emma Harrison, formerly on Dragon’s Den. We were all so delighted that our hard work had been recognised at the highest level and there was an incredible sense of camaraderie amongst all of the guests.

It is certainly a Valentine’s Day which I shall remember for the rest of my life!