|PIC1|The recent retired Church of Ireland Primate, Robin Eames has been awarded with one of the most prestigious awards by the Queen - the Order of Merit.

The Order of Merit is restricted in only being given to 24 living members. Lord Eames' award means he joins an elite group of people who have been awarded for outstanding contribution to the arts, learning, sciences among other topics.

Lord Eames, 69, receives the award by personal appointment from the Queen, who decides upon theis particular award without any ministerial advice.

The former Church of Ireland Primate, who retired in December, is known for leading the Church through one of the most difficult periods in its history.

Two others received the Order of Merit this time; Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web, as well as Lord Rees of Ludlow, President of the Royal Society.

Lord Eames joins an illustrious list of previous recipients of the award, which was founded in 1902 by Edward VII, and includes Florence Nightingale, Sir Winston Churchill, Bertrand Russell, Graham Greene, Dr Albert Schweitzer, Sir Edward Elgar, Mother Teresa and Baroness Thatcher.

The new receivers of the Order of Merit will be presented with their awards in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace at a later date.