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PROUDEST MOMENT: Louis Smith proudly holds his Member of the British Empire (MBE) medaL, after it was presented to him by Queen Elizabeth II at the Investiture Ceremony at Buckingham Palace, in central London today

OLYMPIC GYMNAST Louis Smith was today (Feb 13) honoured at Buckingham Palace by the Queen.

The Cambridgeshire-born athlete, who scooped silver on the pommel horse and bronze in the men's team competition, described being awarded the MBE as "quite surreal" and said it was "the proudest moment of my life"

He said: "As athletes, we have a big responsibility to keep the legacy going. I'm starting to take a step back from the entertainment side and move into charity and school work.

"People might misconstrue that because we are doing a bit of entertainment that we're losing our way, but it's about boosting knowledge and so that we can promote other things that we're doing."

Smith, who has just completed the Strictly Come Dancing tour, risked being turned away when he showed up having forgot his invitation.

He tweeted: "Hahaha not the greatest start. @gabstone9 forgot our invites to Buckingham palace. Not quite as easy getting in as a school disco #oops"

After he was awarded his MBE, he revealed the Queen told him: "Here's another one to add to your collection."