British diver who rescued Thai soccer players, feuded with Elon Musk receives top royal honor

A diver from London who helped save a soccer team trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand last year and engaged in a feud with Tesla CEO Elon Musk was awarded an MBE from the British Royal Family, the Evening Standard reported.

{mosads}An MBE is one of five classes of appointments to the Order of the British Empire. It stands for Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, according to Metro.

Vernon Unsworth, the 64-year-old financial consultant from London who helped in the rescue, called his experience saving the boys and their coach from the Tham Luang cave network “very humbling and fascinating.” 

A team of British divers was called in by Thai authorities last year to join a search for the boys. They had to teach the group how to dive out of the caves through nearly a mile of flooded passages, according to the Evening Standard. 

During the rescue, Musk sent engineers from SpaceX and Boring Co., two of his companies, to try to assist the Thai government. He also sent a mini-submarine to help rescue efforts that was ultimately not helpful.

Unsworth sparked a battle with Musk after saying his technology had “no chance of working” and called it a “PR stunt.” Musk replied on Twitter calling him a “pedo guy,” and Unsworth is suing the businessman for libel, the Evening Standard reported. 

Musk also reportedly alleged Unsworth had traveled to Thailand over decades “for a child bride who was about 12 years old at the time” in emails to BuzzFeed. 

“I suggest that you call people you know in Thailand, find out what’s actually going on and stop defending child rapists, you f—ing asshole,” Musk wrote, according to BuzzFeed.

The diver told reporters that the fight “doesn’t detract from today. I’ve really got to think about other people and give them the enjoyment they deserve,” according to the Evening Standard. 

Prince William presented Unsworth with the award at Buckingham Palace in London.