'I thought royal garden party invitation was joke'

A headache specialist who has dedicated his career to supporting people in Hull thought his royal garden party invitation was a hoax.

Prof Fayyaz Ahmed, a consultant neurologist based at Hull Royal Infirmary, attended the traditional celebration at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.

He shook hands with the Prince of Wales, who was hosting the gathering on behalf of his father, the King.

"I was utterly astonished and wondered what I had done to deserve such an honour from the King," Prof Ahmed said.

Prof Ahmed said he did not believe his daughter when she told him he had received a letter from Buckingham Palace.

"I thought she was joking until she placed the envelope in front of me, stamped with the official seal of the palace," he said.

"The first thought that crossed my mind was that maybe I had made a mistake or one of my patients, who has royal connections, had lodged a complaint against me and the order was to revoke my British citizenship."

Also an honorary advisor with the British Association for the Study of Headache and a senior lecturer with Hull York Medical School, Prof Ahmed has spent decades advancing headache and migraine research and treatment.

Dedicating his career to championing Hull in the medical sector, he has organised and hosted the national meeting on headache in the city since 2005.

Prof Ahmed described attending the ceremony as a "major honour" and said there was an "impressive sense of order, respect and discipline" at the event.

"After becoming a professor in 2020, I had already fulfilled all the aspirations of my professional life, so receiving this invitation was beyond anything I had ever imagined," he said.

"The palace staff were extremely polite, sincere, and friendly. They treated every guest with great respect and courtesy."

About 8,000 guests enjoyed sandwiches, cream cakes and pastries in the sunshine, enjoying two hours of entertainment, music and food before the national anthem marked the end to the ceremony.

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