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Arlene Foster receives damehood at Windsor Castle

PA Media Arlene Foster and her awardPA Media
Dame Foster received her award at a special ceremony at Windsor Castle

Former Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster has officially received her damehood at Windsor Castle.

It was announced the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader would receive the award in the Queen's Jubilee Birthday Honours list in June.

The politician was made a dame by the Princess Royal during an investiture ceremony on Tuesday.

Dame Arlene said she was thrilled to receive the award from "a wonderful role model for females in public life".

Dame Arlene represented the constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the Northern Ireland Assembly for 18 years.

She became DUP leader in December 2015 and, the following month, was appointed first minster, the first woman to hold the role.

She was forced to resign as DUP leader and first minister in April 2021 after an internal party revolt.

PA Media Dame Arlene and the Princess RoyalPA Media
Dame Arlene received her award from the Princess Royal

The former solicitor from County Fermanagh said her investiture fell on a "poignant" day on the 35th anniversary of the Enniskillen bombing and her thoughts were with the families of the victims.

In a tweet, she said: "Was thrilled that I received my damehood from the Princess Royal today - a wonderful role model for females in public life.

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"I was far from home but my thoughts were very much with the families of the Enniskillen bomb on this the 35th anniversary."

She said she hoped her status as the first woman to become first minister would inspire other women to become involved in politics.

Speaking after the ceremony, she said: "Like everything in politics you don't realise the importance of it at the time but when I stepped down from being first minister I received a lot of messages and correspondence from young women, not just Northern Ireland across the UK, about how important it was to have a female first minister.

"It's good to have role models and I hope I've encouraged other women to become involved in public life and if I've done that, that in of itself is an achievement."

In October, Dame Foster was also nominated for a peerage.

It means she will sit in the House of Lords as a non-affiliated member.