Butler Trust Award Ceremony 2023

36th Award Ceremony

[St James’s Palace, London | 27 March 2023]

The Butler Trust’s 36th Award Ceremony, hosted as on every previous occasion by HRH The Princess Royal, was held on 27th March, 2023. By gracious permission of His Majesty the King, we were once again back in the wonderful surroundings of St. James’s Palace in London, the senior Palace of the Sovereign – the first time (because of Covid) we had been able to hold the event there since 2019.

Along with representatives from their places of work, we were joined in celebrating the achievements of this year’s Award Winners and Commendees by, among others: the Minister of State for Prisons and Probation, The Right Hon. Damian Hinds MP; the Chair of the House of Commons Justice Select Committee, Sir Bob Neill; the heads of HMPPS, the Youth Justice Board, and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Prison Services; the Permanent and Second Permanent Secretaries at the Ministry of Justice; the Prison and Probation Ombudsman; and representatives from the POA and PGA, the national prison and probation inspectorates, and the private sector prison and probation providers.

HRH The Princess Royal

Before the presentations, The Princess highlighted the passion, resilience, skill, and professionalism of the workforce as a whole, and praised in particular the way managers and staff at all levels had responded to the challenges of Covid-19. Each year however, she noted, the Awards uncover a group of outstanding individuals who go beyond expectations on behalf of the public they serve and the people in their care, and this year’s winners, she observed, were no exception.

After presenting this year’s Award Winners and Commendees with their certificates in the Picture Gallery, Her Royal Highness gave the 2023 Princess Royal’s Prize – a closely held secret until its announcement at the event – to Tracey Sargeant, from HMP/YOI Drake Hall (pictured above, bottom right).

From there it was on to afternoon tea (complete with cucumber sandwiches, and scones with clotted cream) in the Palace’s Queen Anne and Entrée Rooms, 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 a full list of all the #HiddenHeroes celebrated at our 2023 event and pictures of them receiving their Awards and Commendations, see Our Winners page.

Additional images from the event can be found here.