DEVELOPER George Wilson has been to Buckingham Palace to collect his MBE.

Mr Wilson, 65, of Clapham Hill joined a host of celebrities, Olympians and sports stars to receive his honour for his services to business in Kent on Friday.

Guests at the palace included fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett who was knighted, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton (MBE), Olympic gold medallist swimmer Rebecca Adlington (OBE) and 14-year-old Paralympic double gold medallist swimmer Eleanor Simmonds, who became the youngest ever recipient of an MBE.

Mr Wilson went with his wife Judy and cousins William and Doris Smith, who are from the village of Creetown in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland where he grew up.

He said: "We turned up at 10am and as there were about 80 awards being presented, we were sent through in batches of 10.

"Members of staff gave us a little bit of tuition on what we were supposed to do.

"I went in quite late on because it was alphabetical.

"My guests were led off to the ballroom when I arrived so it was a couple of hours before I saw them again."

Mr Wilson saw Olympic sailing gold medal winning trio Sarah Dempsey (nee Ayton), Sarah Gosling (nee Webb) and Pippa Wilson before his MBE was presented to him by HRH Prince Charles.

"I was extremely honoured to receive the award and it was a pleasure to meet Prince Charles, who I met once before in the early 1980s when he came down to open one of the units on the Joseph Wilson Industrial Estate.

"Needless to say, I don't think he remembered me."

Mr Wilson has developed more than three million square feet of land for business use and generated thousands of jobs in east Kent.

His first developments include the Joseph Wilson Industrial Estate behind Tesco supermarket in Millstrood Road and the John Wilson Business Park Way near Reeves Way, Chestfield.

His other projects include St. Augustine's Business Park, Tyler Way in Swalecliffe, Chaucer Business Park off the Thanet Way, Whitstable and Lakesview International Business Park in Hersden near Canterbury.

Mr Wilson has also donated land for Age Concern to build a new £3.5 million centre near Studds Farm in Whitstable Road, Herne Bay.

His next project is a small industrial park at the site of the old Eddington Lane Nursery in Herne Bay which could be built in the coming year.