Farah and McGregor collect honours at Buckingham Palace

Ewan McGregor, 42, first found fame after playing heroin-addict Mark “Rent Boy” Renton in director Danny Boyle’s 1996 hit Trainspotting – a role he said he would consider returning to should the sequel, due to be filmed in 2016, go ahead.

Since Trainspotting his star has risen, landing roles such as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels as well as continuing with smaller, independent, movies and working with children’s charities Unicef and Go Campaign.

Wearing a kilt, the Scot said it had never been in doubt that he would come to the Palace in traditional clothing.

He said: “I didn’t have to think about it, that was always what I was going to wear.

“If you don’t wear your kilt here, I don’t know where you are going to wear it.”

McGregor, who was accompanied by two of his four daughters and his wife, praised the volunteers at the children’s charities he supports.

He said: “The volunteers live and work in really difficult places, they are the people who should be awarded.”

After the ceremony he spoke with Farah and congratulated him for being an inspiration to so many people, before the pair posed for photographers.