A 102-year-old magician, whose interest began when he found a magic book in a pile of rubbish in London's Hackney as a youngster, has been awarded an MBE.
Henry Lewis, the honorary vice president of the Magic Circle, was given the royal honour by the Duke of Cambridge at Windsor Castle for his services to fundraising and charitable causes.
The centenarian, who resides at an assisted living facility in north London, stood up from his wheelchair to collect the medal at the recent ceremony. Afterwards, Mr Lewis was visibly touched as he said: “It’s all very nice and I’m very pleased about it. I’m very surprised I ever got it”.
Explaining how magic has allowed him to fundraise throughout his life, he said: “Magic was a hobby of mine. It’s never been my profession, but it’s raised a lot of money all over the world. I performed in Canada. I performed in Denmark; Israel; in Massachusetts in two very large theatres. So I’ve had a very, very good life compared to most and I’ve done a lot in it.”
Asked if he still did magic, Mr Lewis said he recently put on a show at the assisted living facility where he lives.
He joked: “They complained about it. It was too short."