Queen Elizabeth comes Calling

Extracted from the Book- Aberdeens Billionaire - Sir Ian Wood

Sir Ian may well have been given a knighthood, but it was upgraded significantly in 2018 at the personal request of Queen Elizabeth herself.

73. A Knight To Remember

By June 2018, Sir Ian found himself six years into retirement from Wood Group, and had sold all of his shares in the business. He still held deep affection for the company, but his romanticised attachment had faded, and he was now fully immersed in philanthropic endeavours, and receiving many invitations that accompanied his status as the most successful homegrown billionaire in Scotland. Ian had become a familiar presence at numerous civic and charitable events across the UK, and during the course of which had established a personal connection and relationship with the Royal Family, particularly the Queen and Prince Philip. Having received a CBE in 1982 and a knighthood in 1994, Sir Ian had seen many businesses he owned or co-owned, inaugurated by the Queen and other members of the royal family. 

Brief History Lesson

In 1697, during the reign of James VII of Scotland, a mysterious and exclusive order of Scottish Knights was established. Known as the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, this order of chivalry held a special place as an elite group of knights and trusted confidantes personally chosen by the king. It functioned as an inner circle through which anyone seeking an audience with the king had to pass. The origin of the Order of the Thistle has been the subject of much speculation and debate. One theory suggests that it was founded around 809 to commemorate an alliance between Achaius and Emperor Charlemagne, given the belief that Charlemagne employed Scottish bodyguards. Another more romanticised version attributes the institution of the order to Robert the Bruce after his triumph at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. For almost 300 years the order had all but disappeared, until James VII sought to revive and restore the Order of the Thistle “Knights” to their rightful place as protectors of the Monarch. While his original intention was to reward Scottish Catholics for their loyalty, it is believed that the initiative may have come from John, 1st Earl and 1st Jacobite Duke of Melfort, who served as Secretary of State for Scotland at the time.  

On the 10th of December 2017, a letter arrived at the residence of Sir Ian. While he had seen similar letters in the past, this time the contents remained a mystery and it baffled him as to why this correspondence had been sent. Seated together at the dinner table, Sir Ian and Lady Helen opened the letter to discover that Sir Ian was to see his knighthood elevated to the aforementioned "Order of the Thistle.", the Scottish equivalent of “Order of the Garter” and is the highest civilian honour which could be bestowed by the Royal family in Scotland. The uniqueness of the "Order of the Thistle'' lay in its exclusivity. The order allowed only 16 knights to be appointed at any given time. Induction into the order was solely and personally the choice of the Queen herself, not a government committee at Westminster or elsewhere. 

Sir Ian held immense respect and genuine affection for the Royal Family. Having personal connections, visiting Balmoral, and witnessing them outside the public eye deepening his admiration. Sir Ian travelled on numerous occasions to Edinburgh by train to partake in private meetings with the Queen. He viewed the late Queen as the greatest ambassador for Britain in the country's history. He considered her a remarkable figure who had made unparalleled contributions to British trade and commerce, all while retaining a direct link to the grand historical tapestry of Britain and its former glory. In Sir Ian's final discussion with the Queen, they shared personal insights into their lives, discussing topics such as family and the special significance of Balmoral to her. The Queen expressed her deep affection for Balmoral, describing it as her favourite place. Each visit evoking long distant memories of her childhood, recalling the happy and carefree holidays spent there with her father and mother as a child. Their conversation touched on the remarkable people the Queen had encountered throughout her life. As their discussion drew to a close,

EXTRACTED FROM THE BIOGRAPHY - SIR IAN WOOD ABERDEENS BILLIONAIRE

WHAT DO YOU GET THE ABERDONIAN MAN IN YOUR LIFE THIS CHRISTMAS?

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Billionaire industrialist Sir Ian Wood stands as the wealthiest homegrown founder of a company in Scotland. When he stepped down from the helm in 2013, his creation—Wood Group plc—had grown into a global powerhouse valued at $12 billion, operating in more than 60 countries, employing 60,000 people, and elevating his personal fortune to over £2 billion.

A figure both formidable and fiercely debated, Sir Ian Wood’s life unfolds as an extraordinary saga—one marked by relentless effort, unwavering determination, profound personal sacrifice, moments of tragedy, brushes with disaster, and the darker currents of betrayal, greed, immense wealth, and influence.

Beginning with his family’s modest fishing-boat repair business in 1967, he boldly steered the company into the emerging world of oil and gas just as the industry reached Britain’s shores in the 1970s. From there, he built a sprawling empire that touched shipping, energy, fishing, technology, travel, electronics, power generation, offshore drilling, and property development. His leadership oversaw the most dramatic industrial transformation Aberdeen had ever seen.

Now, for the first time, the story long hidden behind closed doors is revealed. This is an explosive, deeply revealing journey into the sometimes shadowy, often ruthless, yet undeniably electrifying world of the Aberdeen oil and gas sector—its power brokers, its high-stakes decisions, and the man whose influence shaped an era.

Sir Ian’s real-life ascent makes HBO’s Succession seem like little more than a gentle bedtime tale.

His achievements stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the greatest entrepreneurs in any industry, at any point in history.

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