The Princess Royal chats to Amy Williams after presenting the MBE

Britain's Winter Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams has been awarded her MBE by the Princess Royal in London.

The 28-year-old, who is returning to competitive skeleton early in 2011, won Britain's first individual winter gold for 30 years in Vancouver this year.

After the presentation at Buckingham Palace she said: "I was really proud. It's a lovely medal, really pretty, and it will go alongside my gold medal."

In June she was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Bath.

Having won GB's only medal at the Vancouver Games in February Williams elected to take time out, but plans a return early in the new year.

Her Vancouver 2010 medal was only the ninth gold medal Britain has won at an Olympic Winter Games.

The previous gold was won by the women's curling team in Salt Lake City in 2002 and the last individual gold was won by figure skater Robin Cousins at Lake Placid in 1980.

It was also the first individual gold by a British woman since Jeannette Altwegg, won figure skating gold in Oslo in 1952.

Williams, a former University of Bath student, had the honour of carrying the Union Flag at the closing ceremony to the Games and thousands of people turned out to welcome her back to her home city when she took an open top bus tour on her return.

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