Dina Asher-Smith described King Charles as "funny" and "charming" after receiving her MBE from the monarch. The 30-year-old sprinter collected the honour at Windsor Castle, having flown in from a training camp in Texas.
A Memorable Meeting
Asher-Smith said of the encounter: "It means a lot to be recognised by your country in this way. It is a great setting, a stunning castle and the King is really funny and really charming, so it has been a great day."
She added: "He [the King] was very much amazed that I flew over from Texas to get this but I said, 'Of course, you invited me so I wasn't going to miss this and this is such an honour.'"
Meaning of the Honour
Reflecting on the award's significance, she said: "For me, it is a very powerful emblem of what you do on the track, being inspiring to other people and also having repercussions and positive influence far beyond the world of sport. It is about the power of hard work and it is nice to be celebrated for your great work."
Asher-Smith was honoured for her services to athletics, building on a career that includes a British record of 10.83 seconds in the 100m and a world title in the 200m.
Recent Competition
The sprinter was recently in action at the European Championships in Birmingham, where she finished fifth in the 100m final. British rival Amy Hunt took gold in exactly 11 seconds, two hundredths of a second ahead of Poland's Ewa Swoboda, with Belgium's Delphine Nkansa third.
Asher-Smith's career highlights include a historic sprint treble at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, where she won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. She became Britain's first female sprinter to win a World Championship gold in the 200m in 2019, and reclaimed her European 100m title in Rome in 2024.
