Busy monarch bends ear of Dame Jenni at the Palace

DAME Jenni Murray, host of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, shows off her award after being made a dame commander for services to radio broadcasting yesterday.

The presenter said the Queen is a fan of the show, but finds it difficult to listen due to her duties.

Dame Jenni said: “I know that she doesn’t listen anymore. She used to but she came to open the refurbished Broadcasting House a few years ago and asked that famous question ‘why did Woman’s Hour have to move to the morning?’ ”

The popular magazine programme moved from an afternoon slot to the mornings in the early 1990s.

The broadcaster added: “She rarely manages to catch it because of state business.”

Dame Jenni became a regular presenter of Woman’s Hour in 1987 and has anchored the show over the years.

Her interview with Sharon Shoesmith, the director of Haringey’s children’s services at the time of the Baby Peter tragedy, earned her a Sony Award last year.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Peter Keogh, from 1st Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment, was presented with a Military Cross, along with two colleagues from his regiment.

David Sparkes, the chief executive of British Swimming, was given an OBE for overseeing a transformation of his sport.