41st Annual Awards
[Holyroodhouse Palace, Edinburgh | 25 March 2026]
The Butler Trust held its 41st Annual Awards Ceremony on 25th March 2026, for the first time in many years in the wonderful surroundings of Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh.
As on every previous occasion since the Trust’s launch in 1985, the Ceremony was presided over by our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
We were also joined in celebrating this year’s Winners, by members of their family, representatives from their places of work, and senior figures from the across the sector, including (among others): the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs in Scotland; the Director for Justice in the Scottish Government; the Permanent Secretary for Justice in the Ministry of Justice; the Chief Executives of HMPPS and the Scottish Prison Service; the Director for Prisons in Northern Ireland; and the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Youth Justice Agency.
Before presenting the Awards, Her Royal Highness paid tribute to this year’s Winners, and their colleagues in prisons, probation, youth justice and immigration detention up and down the country, for all that they do on behalf of the people in their care and society as a whole.
After the Winners had all been presented with their Awards and Commendations, Her Royal Highness gave the 2026 Princess Royal’s Prize – as always a closely guarded secret until it’s announced – to Probation Services Officer, Claire Stevenson, from Wigan Probation.
After the Ceremony, it was time for drinks and canapes, and a chance for Her Royal Highness, and others, to speak to the winners in a slightly less formal (if no less grand) setting.
For high res images from the event click on the links below:
Arrivals
Awards presentations
Commendation presentations
Speakers from last year
Evening Reception
For details of all this year’s Winners, and images of them receiving their certificates, see Our Winners.