The Prince of Wales and the prince of the long-distance athletics track Mo Farah today shared a joke about how the latter must surely be sick of winning medals by now.
The Somali-born double gold medalist – who triumphed in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at last year’s London Games – laughed when Prince Charles made the wisecrack as he presented the Olympic star with his CBE at Buckingham Palace.
Farah, 30, who grew up in Hounslow, west London, won hearts all over the world in 2012 when he celebrated every win with the trademark ‘Mobot’ move.
And he was at the palace today for to collect his honour for services to athletics after becoming one of the faces of Britain’s golden summer of sport.
Speaking after receiving the award, he said: ‘I never in my life imagined coming to Buckingham Palace.
‘I remember running past it in the mini-marathon as a kid when I was 13 and thinking it was so beautiful and taking pictures of the lion, so coming inside and receiving this award is great.
‘Prince Charles said, “You must be getting sick of so many medals”, and to hear someone like the Prince of Wales knows who you are is just brilliant.
‘I’m not tired of it at all, I just want to make my country proud and collect as many medals in my career as I can.’
Farah, whose three daughters were not able to attend today because they are at his home in America, played down recent suggestions that he had broken Wimbledon rules by filming play from the Royal Box and posting footage on social media.
‘I was filming but I took the film down from Twitter,’ he said.
He also gave Andy Murray his backing to become the first British man to win the title at the All England Club for 77 years, saying: ‘I believe this year he can win it.’
Actor Ewan McGregor was also at the Investiture ceremony to collect the OBE he was awarded in the New Year Honours list for services to drama and charity.
The 42-year-old stopped to chat to Farah afterwards and congratulated him for being an inspiration to so many people, before the pair posed for photographers.
Wearing a kilt, the Scot said it had never been in doubt that he would come to the Palace in traditional garb.
He said: ‘I didn’t have to think about it, that was always what I was going to wear.
‘If you don’t wear your kilt here, I don’t know where you are going to wear it.’
He also spoke about the possibility of returning to the role of Mark ‘Rent Boy’ Renton, whom he played in director Danny Boyle’s 1996 classic Trainspotting.
I have not been approached officially, but I would be up for it and there has been talk about it happening in 2016, 20 years after we did Trainspotting.
‘The sequel is called Porno, so I have to be careful about saying I am doing Porno in 2016.’
But he ruled himself out of returning to the part of young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the new Star Wars sequel trilogy because the films he took part in were prequels.
And after doing work on films called Son Of A Gun and Jane Got A Gun, he joked: ‘I’m only doing films with guns in the title at the moment.’
In attendance with two of his four daughters and wife, McGregor also praised the volunteers at Unicef and Go Campaign, the children’s charities he supports.
‘The volunteers live and work in really difficult places – they are the people who should be awarded,’ he said.
Source: Daily Mail
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