Oldest Solo Atlantic Rower Gets OBE, Asks Prince William for Royal Party in 'Deprived' Hometown

Most people accept their OBE with a handshake and a thank you. Frank Rothwell pulled out a letter.

The 74-year-old philanthropist and football club owner had barely finished receiving his medal from Prince William at Windsor Castle on Wednesday when he pitched two audacious requests at the OBE ceremony.

First: a royal garden party in his hometown of Oldham. Second: he told the future king about his plans for a 20-metre statue.

Rothwell, wearing a leather cap and blue suit, handed Prince William a note referencing the last time royalty visited his town. 'In July 1992 Oldham enjoyed a royal garden party in our beautiful Alexandra Park, which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and over one thousand guests,' it read, according to PA Media.

He asked if William might recreate the event for the NHS's 80th anniversary and Louise Joy Brown's birthday. Brown became the world's first IVF baby when she was born at Oldham General Hospital on 25 July 1978.

Rothwell earned his OBE through considerably more gruelling work. He rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean twice in his 70s, collecting more than £1.4 million ($1.8 million) for Alzheimer's Research UK along the way. He set the Guinness World Record as the oldest person to complete the 3,000-mile crossing in 2021, then topped his own mark in 2024.

'I Want Everyone to Know They're in Oldham'

The statue Rothwell described to Prince William sounds like a serious undertaking. He wants to build what he calls a 'dirty, great, big statue' to rival the Angel of the North, placed on the side of the M60 motorway.

Gesturing at the ceiling inside one of the Windsor Castle rooms, he explained the scale. 'It's going to be 20 metres in diameter, it's going to be twice as high as this, three times as high as this roof,' he said. 'It's going to be lit. People are going to be going past "what the heck? What does that mean?"'

The embryo-shaped sculpture will honour Oldham's place in medical history as the birthplace of IVF. Local grammar school children are helping with the design.

Oldham ranks among the most deprived areas in the UK. That's exactly why Rothwell is doing this.

'Forty million vehicles a year go through Oldham on the M60, and there's no sign to say "Oldham welcomes careful drivers," and I'm going to change that,' he said.

Saving Oldham Athletic From Collapse

Rothwell and his wife Judith have poured more than £1 million ($1.3 million) into Oldham causes over the past decade. A hydrotherapy pool at Kingfisher School. Children's dance groups across the borough. And then there was the football club.

He bought Oldham Athletic in July 2022 when the club was reportedly days from liquidation. Under his ownership, the Latics won promotion back into the Football League in June.

'An award was not my motivation,' Rothwell told The Oldham Times. 'I was more concerned with my survival and raising as much money and awareness as I possibly could for Alzheimer's Research UK.'

Hilary Evans-Newton, the charity's chief executive, said Rothwell has 'played a crucial role in raising awareness of dementia and the urgent need for progress'.

Prince William seemed keen to discuss the Atlantic crossings. Rothwell had other ideas.

'He wanted to know about the rowing,' Rothwell said. 'First of all, he wanted to talk about that, but I didn't want to talk about that. I wanted to talk to him about Oldham.'