King shared 'lovely chat' with family of killed PC

The widow of a Merseyside Police officer who was killed in a one-punch attack during a night out said she had a "lovely chat" with King Charles while accepting a posthumous award.

PC Neil Doyle became one of the first recipients of the Elizabeth Emblem, a new award for emergency service workers who lose their lives in service, last month.

His widow Sarah Doyle travelled to Windsor Castle to accept the honour and said the King, noting her accent, told her "Scousers are renowned for their fighting spirit".

Mrs Doyle spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside ahead of the 10th anniversary of her husband's death on 19 December 2014.

PC Doyle, 36, had been on a Christmas night out with colleagues when they were attacked by a group of men in Liverpool city centre.

The officer was struck with what was described as a "piledriver punch", which caused catastrophic internal injuries.

Two men were jailed for manslaughter in September 2015.

Asked to describe her husband, Mrs Doyle said: "A very caring kind of person but really, really fun. He just made the best out of everything, any situation."

The couple had been together for 18 years but had finally tied the knot only six months before his death.

"You're planning for your whole life - children, all the holidays, we had our honeymoon booked for January - and then all of a sudden that just kind of completely taken from you, it turns your world upside down," Mrs Doyle continued.

Speaking about the anniversary and the Christmas period, she said: "For me it's the approach to it, the lead up, because people are starting to ask 'are you ok?'

"It builds up the tension and then the day comes, and it's genuinely not easy."

Mrs Doyle said she saw grief as a "sink or swim" experience, and has poured her energy into charity the Doyle Phillips Foundation.

The organisation, named after PC Doyle and fellow Merseyside PC Dave Phillips who was killed in 2015 trying to stop a stolen truck, offers support to the families of officers of civilian staff who die while serving.

Mrs Doyle said she saw the charity as a way to "give back".

"When Neil was killed the support I received from his friends and colleagues was second to none," she said.

"I probably wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for them picking me up all the time."

Speaking about meeting the King, she described receiving the award as "bitter-sweet" but said Charles "took the time to listen".

"He was so lovely, he stood and chatted to us for about five minutes - there was no rush," she said.

She said the King, who experienced the loss of both parents in recent years, told her: "Grief can take us all at different stages".

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