Cleaner tells of King encounter after award win

A member of Derby City Council’s street cleansing team has spoken of meeting the King after being recognised with an award for his work.

Richard Knapton was recently recognised for his hard work with a ‘Here for Derby’ award from his employer.

To celebrate his achievement, he met King Charles and Queen Camilla at St James’s Palace.

The special reception was to recognise local and regional government employees, and each local authority was asked to nominate representatives.

Speaking about his visit to St James’s Place, Richard said: “Now that place was clean. I had a good look at the palace, and it was spotless!

“It was so fantastic and I loved meeting King Charles. It was a day I will never forget, and I felt really proud to do the job I do and be recognised for it.

“King Charles asked me about Derby, and we chatted about why the city is a great place to live.”