David Sedaris Was Invited For Tea At Buckingham Palace After Picking Up Litter

David Sedaris is a comedian, comic book author, and radio contributor who has sold over 11 million copies of his books. However, it wasn’t for this reason that 61-year-old Sedaris found himself sitting with the Queen having tea recently. According to People, Sedaris received recognition for being a good Samaritan. Sedaris often leaves the comfort of his rural Sussex home late at night to pick up litter along the highways, sometimes for nine hours at a time.

Sedaris appreciated the kind gesture by the Queen to invite him over for tea because of his good-doing. However, the humorist wasn’t exactly floored to be in the presence of her Majesty. “The Queen has these garden parties—this was do-gooder day, so there were 8,000 do-gooders there,” he said. “I got invited, but it was only for picking up rubbish. People ask me what I felt when I saw her, but I felt nothing.”

Why the indifference? Likely because Sedaris has met many famous and influential people over the years, one of which was Barack Obama. The comedian is bluntly honest about his thoughts and feelings, a quality that has helped him earn a large following. He is relatable in the sense that he says what everyone else is already thinking but are too reserved to say. England especially loves his style of comedy, which may be why he eventually decided to make a home for himself there and his boyfriend of 26 years, Hugh Hamrick.

Despite Sedaris’ passion for his career and the art of storytelling, he says that it can sometimes take a toll on him. He has used a comedic style to tackle many dark and difficult issues, some even within his own family. “If you’re writing about your life, and you’re getting older, there’s going to be more illness and death,” the author said of his book Calypso. The book discusses his mother’s struggle with alcohol, his father’s descent into old age, and his sister Tiffany’s suicide which took place in 2013. It was in grappling with all of these issues that he turned to an unusual form of therapy, picking up trash.

Sedaris picked up his habit back in 2010 when he spotted a man on the side of the road picking up litter. “I said, ‘Are you paid to do that?’ And he said, ‘No, I’m doing it because it drives me crazy.’ And I thought, ‘Gosh, I can do that too.’ He changed my life, really,” Sedaris said. The habit now helps him gain control of his obsessive tendencies and find peace of mind.