Ant and Dec are joined by supportive wives Lisa Armstrong and Ali Astall as they receive their OBEs for services to broadcasting and entertainment at Buckingham Palace
- The presenting duo were honoured by Prince Charles on Friday morning
- Their accolade comes after a monumental night at the NTAs
- The pair won three awards, including a 16th consecutive presenter of the year
- They met on the set of teen drama Byker Grove in 1989
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly capped a monumental week as they collected their OBEs at Buckingham Palace on Friday morning.
The pair were joined by respective wives Lisa Armstrong and Ali Astall while posing for photos shortly before receiving the honour.
Both looked suitably elegant as they joined their husbands, who sported matching grey waistcoats, pin-stripe trousers and tailcoats.
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Special honour: TV presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly were joined by respective wives Lisa Armstrong and Ali Astall as they received their OBEs at Buckingham Palace on Friday morning
The duo - both 41 - picked up three gongs at the National Television Awards on Wednesday evening, including their 16th consecutive TV presenter of the year award, an award for Saturday Night Takeaway in the best entertainment show category, and a third accolade for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
They had Thursday to recover from their triple win (they were spotted looking bleary-eyed the morning after) before heading to the Palace on Friday afternoon to be honoured by the Prince of Wales for services to broadcasting and entertainment.
This isn't be the duo's first encounter with Prince Charles; they interviewed him for a documentary celebrating 40 years of the Prince's Trust in 2015.
Proud moment: The pair beamed as they showed off their medals following the presentation
Face to face: Affable presenter Ant was greeted with a formal handshake by Prince Charles
Warm reception: The star beamed as the Prince of Wales handed him the Order of the British Empire
Despite building their career based around being a partnership they were separated briefly to receive their awards alone, under their full names Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.
Although Ant & Dec's annual series I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! is one of the nation's most loved shows involving the double-act, the pair work continually through the year.
Having wrapped I'm A Celeb... at Christmas, they are on the cusp of launching season 14 of Saturday Night Takeaway, and filming has already commenced on the 11th season of Britain's Got Talent.
It's all yours: Ant looked delighted while receiving the honour for services to broadcasting and entertainment
They they are: Ant and close friend Dec proudly posed for photos in the grounds of Buckingham Palace
Although firmly settled into the niche as 'fun for all the family' TV presenters, the pair started out as actors, then pop stars.
They met in 1989 on the set of BBC children's drama Byker Grove where they played PJ and Duncan (Dec was on the first season of the show, with Ant being cast during the second).
Speaking on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in 2006 the pair admitted they didn't hit it off straight away.
'We didn't particularly like each other at first, I thought he was miserable,' Dec revealed.
'We've rowed a few times - we're quite competitive,' Ant added.
Ecstatic: The pair couldn't contain their delight as they posed for photos shortly before receiving their honour
Dressed to the nines: The presenters and their wives looked suitably elegant ahead of the official presentation on Friday morning
Big day: Ant and Dec were being honoured by the Prince of Wales for services to broadcasting and entertainment
Success: The duo - both 41 - picked up three gongs at the National Television Awards on Wednesday evening
But both have stated that they wouldn't have been as successful without each other, with Ant saying: 'If we hadn't met I don't think we would have got as far.'
Following a story-line on Byker Grove that saw them singing together, the pair launched a spin off single under their aliases PJ (Ant) and Duncan (Dec) titled Tonight I'm Free.
This was followed in 1994 by their successful debut album Psyche and their best-known track Let's Get Ready To Rhumble. A second album - Top Katz - followed in 1995, and a third and final record - The Cult Of Ant & Dec - was released in 1997. By this time they had dropped their Byker Grove pseudonyms.
The boys' first foray into TV presenting came on the CiTV Saturday morning show Gimme 5, where they discovered their gift for broadcasting.
They began to develop their presenting style in 1995 when they landed their own CBBC sketch series titled The Ant & Dec Show, which took on more of a comedic element.
This lead to their first BAFTA Award in 1996, followed by another in 1998 when they moved to Channel 4 with Ant & Dec Unzipped - and early evening show rather than a weekend morning slot.
In the same year, ITV wooed them to front SM:TV Live with Cat Deeley which, over the next three years, became the most popular kids' TV show in ITV's history.
Fresh faced: The pair started their careers on Newcastle based teen drama Byker Grove
Saturday night staple: The pair have been a mainstay on prime-time TV thanks to their hosting role on Saturday Night Takeaway
By 2000 they were on ITV in a Saturday night prime time slot on Friends Like These, a game show which pitted a group of female friends against a team of males in a series of challenges.
Saturday Night Takeaway was launched in 2002, as was I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, which went on to be licensed globally and recreated across the planet.
Going back to their acting roots, the pair performed in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?, their own movie Alien Autopsy and a cameo in Love Actually.
Uniting Ant and Dec with Simon Cowell for the first time, Britain's Got Talent premiered in 2007.
The pair have also hosted The Brit Awards on several occasions over the years, as well as additional TV shows Push The Button and Red Or Black?
To celebrate the Queen's official 90th Birthday, Ant and Dec hosted The Queen’s 90th Birthday live on ITV from the private grounds of Windsor Castle in 2016.
Jungle jollys: Ant and Dec have also hosted I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! since 2002
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I love Ant & Dec.....the ultimate BBF's. Well Done ...
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