Teams celebrate at Buckingham Palace

British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association athletes and staff were honoured to spend an afternoon in the company of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

The invitation followed an outstanding season for both our bobsleigh and skeleton programmes, with athletes winning 80 medals in international competition between November and March, including a record breaking 24 on the World Cup circuit and four more at the World Championships.

The Duchess of Edinburgh, who has been Patron of the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association throughout the last two Olympic cycles, met members of the organisation for tea and cake, congratulating the team on their achievements and learning more about what made them so successful this season.

Attendees included Matt Weston, who became Great Britain’s first men’s skeleton World Champion since 2008, and newly crowned European Champions Brad Hall, Arran Gulliver, Taylor Lawrence and Greg Cackett, who won the nation’s first 4-man bobsleigh World Championship medal for 84 years in St Moritz this season.

The Duchess watched videos of those standout successes and spoke of her pride in the achievements of the athletes and those who support them on and off the ice.

“It was an honour for members of our team to be invited to Buckingham Palace for an afternoon that will live long in the memory of all those in attendance,” said Marc Heywood, Director of Operations at the BBSA.

We are incredibly grateful to Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh for the invitation and for the genuine interest she continues to show in our sports.

“Her Royal Highness’ support means a great deal to all involved and we look forward to that continuing following the extension of her patronage.

“Our athletes work exceptionally hard to ensure they do themselves and the country proud and it is fantastic to see those efforts being rewarded at such an iconic venue and in the company of Royalty on Monday afternoon.

“Their achievements this season have been nothing short of sensational and we are incredibly proud of them all, as we are of the coaching and support staff who contribute to that success in so many different ways.”