Historian David Starkey receives CBE

TV historian David Starkey has been made a CBE by the Queen.

The monarchy expert joked that she would be next on his list of documentary subjects when he picked up the award at Buckingham Palace.

Starkey was once described by a newspaper as "the rudest man in Britain", later saying the label increased his value as a broadcaster, writer and speaker "many times over".

He said he was "delighted" to receive the honour for services to history, commenting: "I feel faintly smug. It's like getting a prize at school. There's something very nice about it. We all like recognition. It was quite a curious exchange with the Queen.

"She asked 'Are you doing any more programmes?'. I said 'Yes Ma'am. On you'. She looked a bit blank, so I said 'It's quite complimentary'."

Starkey rose to fame in 1992 on the BBC Radio 4 show The Moral Maze, before turning to TV with popular documentaries on Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Henry VIII's six wives. He also chronicled the lives of English royalty in the series Monarchy, as well as fronting debate show Starkey's Last Word.

The 62-year-old attended the ceremony with his partner James Brown.