Brooke Kinsella appointed MBE for anti-knife campaign
Anti-violence campaigner Brooke Kinsella has been appointed an MBE by the Prince of Wales during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
The actress, whose 16-year-old brother Ben was stabbed to death in 2008 in north London, was rewarded for her campaign against knife crime.
She dedicated her honour to her brother and others who have been affected by knife crime.
The former EastEnders actress said the day was "bitter-sweet".
In response to her brother's death, Ms Kinsella, 27, formed the Ben Kinsella Trust.
Speaking after the ceremony which she was accompanied to by her parents Debbie and George and her grandmother Gloria, she said: "This is all Ben, it's not me.
"I wouldn't be here without him. I wish I wasn't here, to be honest - I would rather have my brother home.
"I'm so proud of him so I completely dedicate it to Ben and to every other kid we've lost.
"I fully understand I'm not the only person who does work like this so I'd like to be humble and recognise everybody who is working hard."
The actress, who appeared on the BBC One soap from 2001-04, added that the way to combat the crime was through "awareness and education".
Last year, she was made a government adviser on youth violence where Prime Minister David Cameron asked her to find out whether projects aimed at tackling youth violence were working.
Announcing her findings in February, Ms Kinsella said prisons needed to be tougher and called for primary schools to give children anti-knife crime workshops.
The actress has also welcomed plans announced recently by Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke to automatically jail teenagers for at least two months for threatening others with a knife.