Kate Winslet and Gary Barlow receive Britain's highest award from Queen

The Oscar-winning beauty, who was awarded a CBE for services to drama, said she and the monarch had discussed the joys of motherhood when she collected her honour, Sky News reported.

Kate Winslet. Pic/Santa Banta

The 37-year-old star said Her Majesty had congratulated her and asked how much she enjoyed acting. "I said yes I liked it but not as much as being a mother. She said: ‘It is the best job'," Winslet said.

When her honour was announced in June, Winslet, who won a Best Actress Oscar in 2009 for her role in ‘The Reader,' said: "I feel deeply proud to receive this, as a part of an ever-expanding community of British actors and film-makers who are fortunate enough to be able to contribute to an international industry.

"This makes me very proud to be a Brit," she said. u00a0Take That star Barlow, 41, said he was "deeply proud" to be given his OBE.

Another award winner was Ryder Cup-winning golfer Darren Clarke, who was given an OBE for services to the sport. u00a0The charismatic Northern Irishman, 44, said meeting the Queen was more nerve-racking than winning a major tournament.