Sir Gilderoy Lockhart? Kenneth Branagh receives royal honors from Queen Elizabeth II

Actor/Director Kenneth Branagh - who portrayed Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - received this year's royal honors along with actress Kate Winslett.

Twice a year, Queen ELizabeth II bestows the honors, which are selected by civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public. In descending order, the honors are knighthoods, CBE, OBE and MBE. Knights are addressed as "sir" or "dame." Recipients of the other honors have no title but can put the letters after their names.

Kenneth Branagh, a well respected Shakepearian actor, whose films range from Henry V and Hamlet to Harry Potter and Thor, was made a knight and will be known from here on as Sir Kenneth.

Sir Kenneth stated:

"When I was a kid, I dreamed of pulling on a shirt for the Northern Ireland football team. I could only imagine how proud you might feel. Today it feels like they just gave me the shirt, and my heart's fit to burst."

Congratulations Sir Kenneth!