Award Ceremony - Butler Trust

2024 Annual Award Ceremony

[St James’s Palace, London | 19 March 2024]

The Butler Trust’s latest Annual Award Ceremony, hosted as on every previous occasion by our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, was held on 19th March, 2024 – and by gracious permission of His Majesty the King, we were once again back in the wonderful surroundings of St. James’s Palace in London.

Along with representatives from their places of work, we were joined in celebrating the achievements of this year’s Award Winners and Commendees by, among others: the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, The Right Hon. Alex Chalk KC MP; the heads of HMPPS, the Youth Justice Board, the Scottish and Northern Ireland Prison Services, and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland; the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice; His Majesty’s Chief Inspectors of Prisons and Probation; the Prison and Probation Ombudsman; and representatives from the POA, the PGA, and the contracted prison and probation providers.

Before presenting this year’s winners with their Awards and Commendations, Her Royal Highness praised the passion, skill, and professionalism of the workforce as a whole. Each year however, she noted, the Awards uncover a group of individuals who stand out even among their Hidden Hero colleagues, going beyond expectations on behalf of the public they serve and the people in their care; and this year’s winners, she observed, were no exception.

After presenting this year’s Award Winners and Commendees with their certificates in the Palace’s Picture Gallery, Her Royal Highness gave the 2024 Princess Royal’s Prize – as always a closely guarded secret until it’s announced – to Justin Laidler, from North Tyneside Youth Justice Service.

From there it was on to afternoon tea (complete with cucumber sandwiches, and scones with clotted cream) in the Palace’s Queen Anne and Entrée Rooms, and a chance for Her Royal Highness, and others, to speak to the winners in a slightly less formal (if no less grand) setting.