Sir Gary Oldman says Prince William told him he was a fan of TV series Slow Horses as he knighted the Oscar-winning actor for his services to drama.

The London-born star, 67, said he felt “very emotional” after accepting the honour from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on Tuesday (local time).

Oldman said William told him that every time he sees him on screen as veteran MI5 agent Jackson Lamb in Apple TV’s Slow Horses, “I just want to give you a good wash”.

“Well, I think I’ve scrubbed up OK today,” the actor said in reply.

Slow Horses is based on the Slough House book series by British writer Mick Herron. Its fifth series has just been released.

Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses.

Oldman is known for his versatile acting, having portrayed a range of figures from former British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill to Sex Pistols member Sid Vicious.

“It was emotional. Very emotional. We spoke [for] a minute, but I almost couldn’t find my voice,” he said after being awarded the knighthood.

Of his conversation with the prince, Oldman said: “He mentioned The Fifth Element and Churchill of Darkest Hour.”

He said it was “a lot of fun” playing Jackson Lamb, adding: “He’s got sort of an acid wit, sarcastic, he drinks too much, smokes too much, eats all the wrong things.

“Who wouldn’t want to play that?”

Oldman’s directorial debut, a semi-autobiographical piece about his childhood titled Nil By Mouth, was released in 1997 and lauded as a brilliant but gut-wrenchingly emotional film.

The acclaimed film earned him Baftas for outstanding British film and best original screenplay in 1998.

He was also lauded for his performance as George Smiley in 2011 film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which garnered more Bafta and Oscar nods.

But he was unable to secure the leading actor gongs until his role in The Darkest Hour, in which Oldman swept the 2018 awards season, winning an Academy Award and a Bafta, among others.

-AAP