Tess Daly given MBE by King at Windsor after announcing shock departure from Strictly
The 56-year-old and her Strictly Come Dancing co-host Claudia Winkleman were both made MBEs in the King’s Birthday Honours
TV presenter Tess Daly accepted an MBE from King Charles on Wednesday at Windsor Castle - after she announced her shock departure from Strictly Come Dancing.
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The 56-year-old host said it "was a real privilege to be in a room of people who have made a difference in their communities" and she found the day inspiring.
She said the MBE she received was "the greatest honour" of her long career.
Daly was joined at the investiture by her husband Vernon Kay and their daughter Phoebe.
Tess and her Strictly Come Dancing co-host Claudia Winkleman were both made MBEs in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.
Read more: King warmly embraces Second World War veteran, 105, during Windsor remembrance reception
The investiture follows Daly and Winkleman’s announcement last month that the two will leave the show after fronting it together for over a decade.
Their last appearance together on the show will be its Christmas special, which will air on December 25.
Former EastEnders star Anita Dobson also attended the Royal Berkshire residence on Wednesday as she was made an OBE for services to charitable fundraising and philanthropy.
The 76-year old London-born actress, best known for playing Queen Vic landlady Angie Watts on the BBC soap, is a patron of several charities including Thames Hospice and Focus Foundation, which provides support for grassroots charities and local organisations.
The actress is an ambassador for the Sick Children’s Trust and a former president of Phab, a charity that helps children and adults with and without disabilities to feel independent and confident.
Dobson recently reprised her role as Angie for EastEnders’ 40th anniversary, appearing in the Queen Vic as a ghost while her adopted daughter, Sharon Watts, played by Letitia Dean, was seen fighting for her life after an explosion in the pub.
The shock return won the show the scene of the year gong at the 2025 British Soap Awards.
Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly also received his knighthood during the same ceremony, which he was awarded in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list.
Also at Windsor, Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin, the Met Police chief who led the manhunt for the murderer of marketing executive Sarah Everard in 2021, received the King’s Police Medal.
Her investigation led to the conviction of Met police officer Wayne Couzens.