CECIL Duckworth had been presented with his CBE for services to charity and the community.

Mr Duckworth was awarded the honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June and received his award in a ceremony at Windsor Castle from the Princess Royal.

“On this occasion it was wonderful to receive my CBE from the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle where only a few presentations are made,” he said.

“I was absolutely delighted when the Princess Royal immediately recognised me and commented that the honour was well-deserved.

“She is very involved in rugby and Wooden Spoon and visited Sixways, Worcester, in November 2009, so it was fantastic to see her once again.

“The CBE came totally out of the blue, but I am obviously delighted to be awarded this rare honour.”

The self-made millionaire moved to the county during the 1950s and established the successful Worcester Heat Systems business, which was bought by Bosch in 1992.

Mr Duckworth then turned his attention to Worcester Warriors.

He is now the executive chairman of the rugby union team and was previously awarded an OBE for his services to rugby and the community. In 2008 he was made a freeman of the city.

He is one the original benefactors of the city’s Acorns Children Hospice and is the founder of the Duckworth Worcestershire Trust which is dedicated to the protection and conservation of the natural and built environments for the people of Worcestershire.