EXPLORER David Hempleman-Adams stopped by Buckingham Palace this morning where he was bestowed with the honour of a knighthood.

The 60-year-old, who grew up in Swindon, only found out days before Christmas that he would become a Knight Commander of the Victorian Order in recognition of his services to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme - a rare personal gift from the Queen.

Sir David, the High Sheriff of Wiltshire, was knighted by the Duke of Cambridge at the ceremony and said it was an absolute honour to be given the accolade.

Speaking in London, Sir David said: “I have always said that notwithstanding climbing the north face of Everest, or skiing to the North and South Poles that the hardest thing I have ever done was my Duke of Edinburgh’s bronze award because it was the first time I had left home and shared a tent with anybody.

“It is a wonderful honour especially because it is in the gift of the Queen. The [Duke of Edinburgh] awards gave me my first steps in adventure and from that I have travelled the world.”

Sir David recently stepped down after 10 years as a trustee of the youth achievement programme after first becoming involved when he took his bronze award as a 14-year-old.

That initial trip to the Brecon Beacons was a “light bulb moment”, igniting a lifelong passion that led him to become the first person to complete the adventurers’ grand slam of climbing each continent’s highest mountain and reaching both the North and South Poles in 1998.

Sir David stumbled across the letter, informing him of his title, when sorting through his Christmas cards.

“I didn’t think anything of it and carried on reading the paper,” he said on the day the New Year’s Honours List was announced.

“After that I opened the Christmas cards and the royal card was last. To my astonishment it was a letter saying I would be given the KCVO.

“It’s an extraordinary honour, and I will be forever in the Duke of Edinburgh’s debt. He has been incredibly kind to myself and my family over the years and this is simply the icing on the cake.

“The award is extremely rare and, being a Swindon boy, I’m very proud. My family had no background in adventure and the DofE Award shows what an amazing country we have in that it gives young people the opportunity to do something different.”

Originally from Moredon, Sir David has led more than 30 expeditions to the Arctic, became the first man to fly in solo in a hot-air balloon flight to the North Pole in 2000 - of which the Duke of Edinburgh was a patron - and set 42 FAI world flying records.

An industrialist by profession but an adventurer by preference, Sir David, who now lives in Box, has three daughters, Alicia, Amelia and Camilla, who accompanied him to the ceremony in London.

The DofE scheme celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and David’s latest accolade adds to the OBE and MBE he already holds as well as being Freeman of Swindon.