Benedict Cumberbatch Receives Royal Honor From The Queen

He was recognized for his contributions to stage and screen, as well as his tireless activism on behalf of refugees.

Eddie Redmayne may have bested Benedict Cumberbatch at last year's Oscars, but the "Sherlock" actor just received the highest honor of them all.

Cumberbatch was made a CBE -- meaning Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire -- by the Queen Elizabeth herself at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday morning.

Recognized for his contributions to stage and screen, as well as his tireless activism on behalf of refugees, Cumberbatch was joined by wife Sophie Hunter, who looked positively royal in a lilac dress, to receive the honor.

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Cumberbatch wrapped up his run as Hamlet at the historic Barbican theatre last month and used the platform to make nightly pleas to the audience concerning the plight of refugees. After one performance, he reportedly exclaimed, "F**k the politicians." Audience contributions from these shows were said to have raised £150,000 for Save the Children.

In the video below, Cumberbatch addresses the Barbican audience after a show.

"We're living through a humanitarian crisis," he said. "Over 60 million people are currently fleeing their homes ... because of the unimaginable horrors of war." He then added, "No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark."

After the investiture ceremony, the actor spoke to reporters about why he has focused on refugee issues as of late.

"We all felt just powerless and, as a new father, to see the footage and the photos that came to us in the summer," he told reporters. "I think every single one of us with a heart realized this wasn't someone's else's problem somewhere else -- this was all our problem, a humanitarian problem."

"I'm interested in the numbers of people who are drowning off the coast of the island of Lesbos. I'm interested in trying to help people who need funding, whether it is a charitable body or directly to people suffering," he continued.

Cumberbatch returned to his home country for the ceremony after being spotted in Nepal filming the highly anticipated Marvel title, "Doctor Strange." In our eyes, the CBE makes Cumberbatch's superhero status official.

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