Tha's right nice on yer, m'ole bewty

Suited and booted for the most regal of occasions, Norfolk's king of squit Keith Skipper was on top form when he met the Queen to be made an MBE at Buckingham Palace yesterday.

And the topic of conversation? Squit, of course.

When asked about his work for the Eastern Daily Press and the Norfolk dialect the Queen said she had trouble reading the vernacular - Mr Skipper's specialty.

So he replied 'I write it very slowly so people can get over the difficulty' and she smiled, he said yesterday.

“I know she likes her Norfolk humour and dialect,” he said.

Mr Skipper, who has worked for the EDP, Radio Norfolk, headed the We Care Appeal and founded the Friends of Norfolk Dialect set up in 1999, was made an MBE for services to the community in Norfolk.

Norfolk born and bred, he ran the Aristosquits concerts at Wolterton Hall for the appeal and has written more than 30 books released many CDs and videos about Norfolk and is a popular after dinner speaker.

Yesterday he rubbed shoulders with, among others England footballer Steve Gerrard. “I told him not to stray off side and he smiled,” said Mr Skipper.

Not normally nervous he did admit that he got butterflies before the ceremony.

But thankfully there were people on hand with advice - saying “your Majesty” the first time you speak to the Queen, and “ma'am” from then on.

“It was a great ceremonial occasion and we had a long wait but it was wonderful,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed it, once my nerves had dissipated.

“And I did curb my inclination to talk to the Queen in a broad Norfolk accent and so did she, I'm delighted to say,” he said afterwards.

After his tour of the courtyard and the palace he said he was off into the city to go sight seeing and to see 'if I can find someone else from Norfolk to compare notes with'.

Previously toying with his new found nobility he said he reckoned it stood for Master of Bucolic Entertainment or maybe just My Bewtiful Embellishment.