Idris Elba's latest honor: Officer of the British Empire

Idris Elba went to Buckingham Palace Friday, and he left with a pretty awesome memento: the medallion of an Officer of the British Empire. And better yet, he made his mom proud.

The star of Beasts of No Nation, Luther and The Wire received OBE (Officer of the British Empire) honors at Buckingham Palace for his services to drama, a recognition he called "beyond special."

The 43-year-old actor brought his Ghanaian-born mom, Eve, to the investiture ceremony, which was conducted by Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. As Elba passed reporters at the palace, he announced that he'd made her "very happy."

Earlier in the day, he tweeted a photo of himself in a dapper suit  just before he hopped in a Rolls-Royce to go "fly the East End flag at Buckingham Palace."

Elba previously rubbed elbows with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the 2013 premiere of his Nelson Mandela biopic Long Walk to Freedom.

Blur singer Damon Albarn was also honored for his contributions to music.