The Prince of Wales joked that Mo Farah must be sick of medals as he presented the Olympic star with his CBE at Buckingham Palace on Friday.
The Somali-born double gold medallist, who grew up in Hounslow, west London, triumphed in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at last year's London Games.
Mo Farah was at Buckingham Palace to pick up a CBE
Known for his trademark "Mobot" celebration, the 30-year-old picked up his honour for services to athletics after becoming one of the faces of Britain's golden summer of sport.
Speaking after receiving the award, he said: "I never in my life imagined coming to Buckingham Palace.
"I remember running past it in the mini-marathon as a kid when I was 13 and thinking it was so beautiful and taking pictures of the lion, so coming inside and receiving this award is great.
"Prince Charles said 'You must be getting sick of so many medals' and to hear someone like the Prince of Wales knows who you are is just brilliant.
"I'm not tired of it at all, I just want to make my country proud and collect as many medals in my career as I can."
Farah, whose daughters were not able to attend because they are at his home in America, played down recent suggestions that he had broken Wimbledon rules by filming play from the Royal Box and posting footage on social media.
"I was filming but I took the film down from Twitter," he said.
He also gave Andy Murray his backing to become the first British man to win the title at the All England Club for 77 years, saying: "I believe this year he can win it."