An academic who grew up in Dornoch and studied in Aberdeen has been made a CBE for his services to economics and public policy.
Professor David Bell, who was born in Inverness, went to Dornoch Academy and studied at Aberdeen University and has been Professor of Economics at the Stirling University since 1990.
Over the course of his career, the 66-year-old has advised the Scottish, Irish and Westminster governments on a variety of economic issues.
He has appeared numerous times in Scottish Parliament as a witness for the economy committee.
In 2015 he served as specialist adviser to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Mr Bell said: “I’m very honoured and quite surprised, the news came completely out of the blue.
“This is a different league of award, and I couldn’t be more delighted. I can’t wait to see the reaction of my colleagues at work.
“A lot of my work is to do with different issues that are coming up and the big challenges that are faced by the Scottish and UK economy.
“One of the most important topics I have been dealing with recently is the implications of an ageing economy – finding out how we’re going to deal with all the services that we need as the population of elderly people in the country grows.
“And I’m also heavily involved with the Royal Society of Edinburgh – we’re currently looking at challenges faced in Scotland including slow productivity growth.”
