Eddie Redmayne has capped off a memorable year by becoming an OBE.
The A-list actor, 34, beamed with pride as he posed with his medal beside wife Hannah – with whom he welcomed daughter Iris May this summer – at Windsor castle on Friday.
He received the honour for services to drama, and it comes as his latest film Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find is proving a smash hit at the box office.
Eddie admitted that while being a parent was ‘wonderful’, he was feeling a little sleep deprived on his big day because of little Iris.
‘She does have the habit of knowing when you have a big day, like today’, he sighed.
‘And she was up until four in the morning, so both my wife and I came today with matchsticks under our eyes. Other than that she is on cracking form.’
He complemented the stylish three-piece suit with a cream pocket handkerchief and a pale blue tie.
The star linked arms with Hannah, who wore a classy knee-length black dress and heels. The publicist’s elaborate fascinator caught the eye, and from underneath her long tresses fell over her shoulders.
Of his latest honour, he said: ‘It was absolutely wonderful. Also being with such extraordinary people the whole experience is incredibly humbling and also getting to be in Windsor Castle is breathtaking, around Christmas as well with all the decorations.’
Pressed on what the Queen had said to him, the Danish Girl star said: ‘She was asking me whether I prefer film or theatre, and asked me if I enjoyed it.
‘I’m very lucky to do something I am passionate about – I’m very grateful to do something I love because it is a rare thing.’
Eddie said it was ‘an extraordinary thing’ to receive his OBE, adding: ‘It is something that I had never thought of and it was never in my wildest imagination.’
Inside the castle, Eddie was presented with his medal by the Queen, who wore a plain orange dress for the occasion.
Eddie smiled as he had his OBE pinned to his chest, before sharing a few words with the Queen in front of the full room.
One of Britain’s top heartthrobs, Eddie married long-term girlfriend Hannah in December 2014, and the couple have a baby daughter called Iris May.
The pair attended the launch of The Reindeer 2016 at Alexander McQueen’s charitable foundation Sarabande, London, on Thursday night.
They were sartorially in sync, with both wearing smart all-black ensembles at immersive Christmas dining experience by Bistrotheque, with support of Ketel One.
Conceived by Bistrotheque’s Head Chef Blaine Duffy, courses included a starter of smoked goat’s cheese, Jerusalem artichokes, Ketel One Vodka-cured salmon, beetroot and horseradish, followed by a main of roast pink beef, smoked short rib, pickled cabbage, apple and chestnuts, and a dessert of panna cotta, macerated Christmas fruit, and Pedro Ximenez.
The menu was paired with specially created Ketel One cocktails to each course.
Major Tim Peake, 44, was also made an OBE for services to space research and scientific education.
He was aboard the International Space Station (ISS) when he received the call informing him of his recommendation for Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.
Eight days before his return to Earth, he spoke of his delight, and dedicated the award to those who had made his mission possible.
Major Peake became the first British person to walk in space on January 15.
He said the walk had been the highlight of his six-month mission, which began on December 15 last year.
Major Peake landed back on Earth on the steppes of Kazakhstan on June 18.
During his mission, he conducted more than 100 scientific experiments, engaged with thousands of schoolchildren on Earth, and became the first person to run the London marathon in space.
