MARSDEN poet Simon Armitage picked up his CBE at Buckingham Palace - but declined an invitation to offer a pre-wedding poem for the soon-to-be-married Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Instead, he said he would be leaving the honour to the current poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.

“It’s not my job - they have someone else to do that. I’m sure she’ll be scratching her head,” the poet explained.

Mr Armitage said it took him a good few days to realise he had been nominated for a CBE, as he put the message from the Queen to one side by mistake.

He said: “I didn’t know for a couple of weeks. I saw the letter and thought it was a tax demand - it was sort of formal so I threw it in the corner for a bit.”

The visit to the royal residence gave Mr Armitage the opportunity to put true a lie he has often repeated.

“Quite often people would say to you ’where you going today?’ and as a quip you would say ’I’m going to Buckingham Palace’ - it was a way of saying ’mind your own business’,” he said. “I actually said it to somebody today and meant it.”

Asked if the latest recognition put him in line to become the next poet laureate, Mr Armitage replied: “I don’t know about that. It is just flattering to receive recognition. Poetry doesn’t always get as much attention as I might like it to, so it feels like a day to carry the flag for poetry.”

The poet attended the ceremony accompanied by his wife Sue, daughter Emmeline and his mum Audrey - “You’ve got to bring your mum,” he said.