Bermuda Masterworks Museum founder Tom Butterfield has been made a Member of the British Empire by the Queen.Mr Butterfield travelled to England earlier this month to accept his award from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace.“I received it for services to the arts in Bermuda,” he said. “Anyone who watched what the British can do during the [Queen’s] Jubilee — one million people along the river and thousands of boats on the Thames — marshalling 96 people through Buckingham Palace was a no-brainer. It was beautifully organised.”He said from the moment he went through the gates to the moment he left, he felt like he was in the hands of people who knew how to handle people.“We were allowed three guests,” he said. “When you get there your guests go off into one room and you go into another awaiting your call up.“You go through a line. Each time you pass through a room, you are passed on to another person. There is no way you can possibly make a mistake and go into the wrong room.“When you get into the room you hear the strains of music being played. It was baroque music and a wonderful atmosphere.”He took his time in line to admire the Buckingham Palace art, naturally.On the walls were works by Vermeers, Canolettos and Brueghels. To Mr Butterfield, they were even more awe-inspiring than Princess Anne.“I jokingly said, ‘These look like fakes’, to the guy next to me, and he laughed. They are all original. There are only some 40 Vermeers in the world, so seeing one staring you in the face was pretty amazing.”Princess Anne pinned Mr Butterfield’s MBE medal on his lapel. He was under strict instructions to keep his lapel clear of debris, which he obeyed, although he is given to frequently using his lapel for “pieces of flair”.“It went so smoothly,” he said. “Although she does her homework. When my turn came up she looked at me and said, ‘Oh yes, Mr Butterfield, we met in Bermuda last year. I know you have a busy museum and lot of projects on and coming up’.“Whether she was referring to the stamp exhibition we held, or the John Lennon statue project coming up, one doesn’t know. I just said ‘We have the Lennon project’.“She asked if tourism was making a bit of a comeback in Bermuda. She was genuinely interested.”Princess Anne is known to take a bit longer with each award recipient than Prince Charles or the Queen it took her about two-and-a-half hours to get through 96 people.Mr Butterfield said he felt very honoured and pleased to receive the medal, and also to be included in a room full of people who had made contributions to their community big and small.Dr Eva Hodgson was also recently made an Officer of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace.See our interview with her in next Tuesday’s Lifestyle.