Tessa Jowell, who was instrumental in securing and delivering London 2012, was left close to tears when she was made a Dame by the Prince of Wales. The former Olympics minister described last summer's spectacle of sport as a "reaffirmation of our self-confidence as a country" when she received the honour in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Dame Tessa refused to bow to Civil Service advice that Britain should not bid for the Olympics and also talked round a sceptical Cabinet when she was culture secretary in Tony Blair's government. The UK went on to win the bid and host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which were hailed as a success both for the sporting achievements of the nation's athletes and the legacy left for future generations. Speaking after the investiture hosted by Charles, the Labour MP highlighted how she had left frontline politics in September, relinquishing her post as shadow Olympics minister. Clearly moved and with her voice faltering, she said: "I stood down the day after the Olympic Parade - this is so overwhelming, it's a most extraordinary honour and I feel really humbled by it. "It was actually the most incredible team effort - a group of us which grew every year were just absolutely convinced by the vision of what an Olympic Games and Paralympic Games would do for our country and what it will continue to do in legacy. "Because, I think, quite apart from the tangible changes - the regeneration of east London - it's a reaffirmation of our self- confidence as a country and our belief in what is possible." | 
