Hat-trick honour for Mary

Mary Peters: Olympic heroine

Northern Ireland's sporting heroine of the 1972 Olympic Games, Mary Peters, received another honour when she went to Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

She has become a Dame Commander - the third time she had been named in the Queen's honours list.

She also holds the CBE and the MBE.

Mary with actress Dame Dorothy Tutin

It was in 1972 that she won gold in the women's pentathlon at the Munich Olympics, setting a world record

More recently, she has dedicated much of her time in Northern Ireland to help people from both sides of the community to use sport as means of building friendships.

Mary Peters has won many sporting awards including the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the British Athletic Writers' and the the British Sports Writers' number one.

Among the other celebrities at the palace was actor Michael Caine who was knighted by the Queen as Sir Maurice Micklewhite.

The 67-year-old actor used his real name during the ceremony with the Queen, but will be known professionally as Sir Michael Caine.

The double Oscar-winning star has already been awarded a CBE for his services to the British screen.

He still uses his real name, he revealed, as a tribute to his father.

"I was named after my father and I was knighted in his name because I love my father," he said .

Sir Michael Caine and wife Shakira

"I always kept my real name - I'm a very private and family-orientated person."

He added: "When I go home, I leave Michael Caine the film star with the costumes, the wigs and the props in the studio."

Shakespearean actress Dorothy Tutin, was also made a Dame Commander, and ex-England rugby international Jeremy Guscott, received an MBE.