The 29-year-old, who finally received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at the Windsor Castle on Tuesday, said she "is hoping to inspire" more girls to take up taekwondo.

Jones was awarded the OBE in 2020, but waited until now for the official ceremony so it could be done in the presence of her family.

"So many more girls are getting into sports now, and into taekwondo," Jones told Britain’s national news agency PA Media.

"The more women and girls see this, the more natural it becomes, so I hope the fact that I received my OBE today will inspire more girls to pursue martial arts.

"I’m a local girl from a small town, Flint, in Wales, and now I’m here at Windsor Castle.

"I never thought when I joined my local club that taekwondo would take me to all these places."

The 2019 World Championships gold medallist was the first athlete to win a taekwondo gold for Britain.

A multiple European Championships and Grand Prix winner, Jones is now trying to make it a hat-trick of golds at the Olympic Games.

She missed her chance to win the third Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 due to struggles with "anxiety" caused by the COVID-10 lockdown, crashing out in the first round in the Japanese capital against Refugee Team athlete Kimia Alizadeh.

"I’m hoping to make history by winning that third gold medal," Jones, who also has a Youth Olympic Games gold medal, said.

"The training has been intense, four or five hours a day, so it’s been a lovely break to come here to the castle.

"The King joked that he hoped to see me back here to give me my damehood if all goes to plan."