At a reception to celebrate the centenary of the British Cardiovascular Society, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal presented the Society's highest honour, the Mackenzie medal, to Professor Jane Somerville. Professor Somerville is emeritus professor of cardiology, Imperial College and one of Britain's most eminent physicians.

Her Royal Highness listed some of Jane's groundbreaking achievements which improved care for thousands of patients:

• She defined and developed the concept and subspecialty of grown-ups with congenital heart disease (GUCH)
• She worked alongside cardio-thoracic surgeon Donald Ross, who chose her to be the cardiologist for the first heart transplantation in the UK in 1968. They co-authored a number of innovative articles, including in 1966, the first report of the use of a homograft aortic valve to repair pulmonary atresia
• Her work led to the opening of the world's first dedicated ward for children and adolescents with congenital heart disease, the first World Congress of Paediatric Cardiology in London, and a GUCH charity which was later renamed "The Somerville Foundation" in her honour.
• Jane is the recipient of the Gold Medal of the European Society of Cardiology, the Guys Treasurers Gold Medal in clinical surgery and the Distinguished Service Award of the American College of Cardiology.
• In 2012, she was named as one of five legends in cardiology at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions and is the second woman, after Helen Taussig, to enter the Paediatric Cardiology Hall of Fame

The Mackenzie Medal is named after Sir James Mackenzie, a Scottish cardiologist who pioneered the study of cardiac arrhythmias, and is the Society's highest honour.

(Above is the press release issued for this occasion)

Professor Somerville is a dear friend of mine, a friend, we tell each other, acquired in our old age. We are constantly in touch on email and when she comes to Malta we meet for dinner and take pleasure in each other's company. She was 90 earlier this month, still as active as ever and certainly doesn't look anywhere near her age. We are both January babies. I hope, I too, will reach 90 one day and still be as active as she is.

This is how she came to be in Malta. "I was looking for a flat in the sunshine in 2004/5, having sold my flat in Alicante, Spain.  I wanted easy to maintain, two bedrooms  by sea or no more than 200 yds with an adequate lease over 50 years. It had to be modern, with easy reach of shops especially food shops. I also wanted a balcony where I could lie in the sun. Malta is so much warmer than the UK in winter.

Most important of all however, I wanted a place where people could speak English and made us feel welcome and were friendly.  Preferably I wanted somewhere with lots of flights from the UK and three hours maximum time to reach. Preferably less.

I thought it would be a change from Spain. I did like the south coast of Spain and loved the people. I liked the Italian coast best, and the people but language is a problem and there weren't many affordable flats where I loved most.  Then there was France. I did not think the French liked the English although there were plenty around. Moreover three of my friends were attacked in the south east and that rather put me off.

 Then one day my friend Marcelle d'Argysmith called me in July and invited me to stay with her in Sliema and look at flats.  "I've seen one on the front you would love," she added. That really made up my mind to pay her a visit.  I loved the ease of finding a plane. I saw six flats and I had a really helpful agent showing me round. I have to say however, that I was struck by the  rudeness of some Maltese owners  who ignored me and spoke only directly to the agent,  until I pointed out that I was the one with money and would they answer my questions in English and stop speaking Maltese.

Professor Somerville came back several times in the heat which she did not like but finally decided at a lovely party, celebrating the 100h anniversary of a vintage Ford, in Portomaso. "I did not want to liven any of those blocks and went on searching," she recalls. "I had fallen in love with Malta. I loved its quirkiness,  its people with whom I could speak English. I was welcomed and felt I could function on the island. The mad bus service,  the archaic rather beautiful towns, the civilised people and the hot, hot sunshine. Lovely!  In the end I  was convinced by the agent that I should buy in Portomaso.  It would be safe and easy to live with access to the Hilton pool and people and easy to run. I was unhappy as there was no balcony in the sun but made up for this by the poolside,  a great advantage in the hot summer I was to learn.

And so I came to Malta in 2005 for six months.  I always stayed at a charming hotel in St Julian's bay facing out to sea with lovely balconies.   I loved it.

I wondered if Malta would like help with congenital heart patients as for decades they had been sending its children to London's Great Ormand street for heart surgery. As this was the best unit for a long time I figured they must have a lot of survivors. I asked Prof Freddy Fenech who was examining with me in Dubai whether I could be useful to Malta. He arranged with Victor Grech, then possibly a newly appointed paediatric cardiolologist, who welcomed me with open arms.  Yes they had many patients and he did not want this responsibility.  Monthly we did outpatients together with Oscar Aquiline starting in old St Lukes,  a shambolic outpatients, with increasing numbers of patients and problems.

We established a good joint maternity service for 'at risk' patients and so on... so this is for how long I have been coming to Malta and I still love it."

What else can I say but congratulations Prof. Somerville. I have learnt so much from you. Such a shame that I did not meet you in my younger days. You are such an inspiration.  A million times Congratulations!

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