A widow shed tears of pride and grief as her late husband was awarded a medal by the Queen for halting a massacre on board a nuclear submarine.

Royal Navy officer Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux's widow Gillian collected the George Medal, one of the highest accolades for bravery, at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

Lt Cdr Molyneux, 36, right, was posthumously decorated for tackling Able Seaman Ryan Donovan as he ran amok on HMS Astute while it was docked in Southampton on April 8 last year.

The father-of-four from Wigan tried to disarm Donovan after hearing shots on board the submarine last April, but was shot in the head.

Emerging from the ceremony in tears, Mrs Molyneux said it had been a "very proud and very sad occasion".

"The Queen told me she was pleased that she was able to present the medal herself, and that meant a lot," she said. "She asked how long Ian had been in the service, what he got up to and what he enjoyed. She made it very personal."

Mrs Molyneux was joined by father-in-law James and sons Jamie and Arron, who wore their Marine Cadet uniforms.