BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH has been made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by the Queen at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

    The “Sherlock” star is being honored for his work as an actor and his charitable efforts.

    Speaking to the BBC, he said, “It’s fantastic, it’s quite nerve-wracking, there is nothing really that prepares you for it.

    “It’s a unique occasion and I feel very privileged to be here and flattered to be recognized in this way.”

    The actor was joined at the ceremony by his theater director wife Sophie Hunter.

    Cumberbatch, who is currently filming the eponymous role in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” recently completed a three-month run in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” at the Barbican.

    He said, “[Her Majesty] asked me what I was doing at the moment, and I told her I had finished a three-month run at the Barbican, which she knew of.

    “And I told her I had just got back last night from filming in Nepal, ‘Doctor Strange’ for Marvel, then I’ll be going straight into the fourth series of ‘Sherlock.’ She said, ‘Oh, it never stops does it?’” He added that the Queen “didn’t let on” if she was a “Sherlock” fan or not, but said, “ I know a lot of the household is.”

    Cumberbatch said the honor would not stop him from speaking out on issues about which he feels strongly. Last month, following a performance of “Hamlet,” he urged the audience to donate cash to the refugee crisis appeal.

    (SD-Agencies)