FRED Dibnah met The Queen to be awarded his MBE - and turned up minus his oily flat cap.

The Bolton steeplejack who became a TV personality is rarely seen without his famous cap, but swapped it for a top hat for his meeting with Her Majesty.

It was not too far away though, Fred revealed.

He said after collected his award: "It's actually in my bag across the road in the barracks. It's really part of me. It's like a wig."

He added: "I'm sure they would have asked me politely to remove it."

Fred, aged 66, was dressed for his royal date in a posh suit with a cream tie and waistcoat.

He said: "I was slightly nervous shaking hands with the Queen.

"She asked me if I was still climbing chimneys. It beats me how she keeps tabs on everybody."

As well as meeting The Queen, he joined Wimbledon quarter-finalist Tim Henman for a photocall in the Buckingham Palace quadrangle, sharing a joke with the 29-year-old tennis star who was awarded an OBE.

Fred, who received his MBE for services to heritage and broadcasting, took his green, black and gold eight-tonne traction engine down to London with him, parking it at the nearby barracks.

He said: "We're going to have a ride round outside the Palace.

"As soon as I've got rid of this penguin suit, I will be in my engine driver's attire."

He was accompanied by his third wife Sheila and sons Jack and Roger.

Fred, who is suffering from cancer, said of his health: "I'm not the man I used to be. My chimney climbing days are over.

"I've known for three years."

But he added: "People are always saying I don't look ill and I don't."

The father-of-six started work as a joiner but after completing his National Service he fulfilled his dream of becoming a steeplejack.

In 1978, he was featured on a local news bulletin and then became the subject of a one-hour film called Fred Dibnah - Steeplejack.

He was the subject of several documentaries during the 1990s and later presented programmes himself, including Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age, Age of Steam and The Building of Britain.