“It’s a huge honour. They wrote a letter to me a while ago, so it’s ironic it’s come out now when we’re at Bramham, it’s bound to all go wrong this weekend now as that’s how life goes!” says William to Horse&Hound.
“I feel proud to be on a par with the likes of Mary King and Ginny Elliot. I guess if you hang in there and get to my age and stage, something comes off."
He also adds that it's strange to get it now, when he hasn't really done anything for a while. William has been out of the sport for a while after a serious head injury in 2015.
In his 30-year long career Fox-Pitt has been part of his country's team for the Olympics five times, as well as, four times for world chamionchips and nine times for European championships.
The citation in which his MBE was announced stated that William’s achievements “make him one of the most successful British event riders of all time.”