I was recently in London for the Royal Investiture at Buckingham Palace! I accompanied Lindsay Ziehl of Yokhuselo Haven for Abused Women in South Africa, who received an MBE for her work in Domestic Violence.

Order of the British Empire

Click here for more information on Royal awards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_British_Empire

Knight Commander or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE or DBE) Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)

The Day of The Investiture

I wore a dress designed for me by Ferial Dawood of FCM in Cape Town.

It was so exciting entering Buckingham Palace, where so much history has taken place! We felt like royalty and the weather was on our side. The ceremony began promptly at 11am after an hour of guests arriving + being seated. It was over by lunch. I had a great seat close to the front, next to the isle. I got to see each + every recipient walk up to Princess Anne, the Princess Royal. One by one, recipients received their award + had a short chat with her. From the chandeliers to the red velvet carpet to the golden armour of the guards in the room, we felt very blessed to be there.

Afterwards there were photo opps in the courtyard. I was in awe to witness influential people from all over the world being honoured for great causes, and mingling with them afterwards was amazing. One highlight for me (other than seeing Lindsay receive her award) was witnessing actor James Corden receive his: http://time.com/3937170/james-corden-obe-late-late-show/.

Here is a video I produced for Lindsay’s organization for its 25th anniversary:

Here is the video I produced of the day:

There was a festive mood in the palace as people from all walks of life gathered to be recognized in a royal environment. Lindsay received a hat made for her by Philip Treacy himself, which matched her fuchsia pink outfit beautifully. They took our phones away in the palace. I did manage to capture as much as possible from this story for you, and I’m currently working on a video of behind-the-scenes showcasing the day. Here is more on Yokhuselo Haven below. If you would like to know more about Domestic Violence in South Africa, I wrote an article on it here.

More About Yokhuselo Haven

+ Yokhuselo Haven is the Umbrella name for two shelters dedicated to women and their children affected by domestic violence.

+ It was established in 1988 in Port Elizabeth by a group of concerned people who recognised that a safe house was needed in response to the appalling statistics of domestic/family abuse in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Types of Abuse

Physical and sexual abuse

• Slapping, punching, kicking or hitting. These injuries may result in hospitalisation or death.
• Your partner rapes you or forces you to have sex with others.

Psychological abuse

• Your partner is jealous and possessive. He often accuses you of being unfaithful.
• He tries to isolate you from family and friends.

Verbal abuse

• You are often told that you are stupid and worthless. Nothing you do is right.
• He frequently shouts and swears at you.
• Living with your partner is terrifying. You never know when he is going to explode.

Financial and material abuse

• He takes your money. Perhaps also steals your clothes and possessions and sells them.
• He spends most of the money on himself and gives you a small amount of support for the family.
• He expects you to account for every cent spent and to do more with the money than you can.
• Your partner refuses to give you any information about your joint financial situation.