Helen Mirren’s emotional tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at the Bafta 2023

A queen has honored another queen during the 2023 BAFTA Awards ceremony. The actress Helen Mirren has dedicated a few words to the late Elizabeth II: “The Queen holds a unique place in BAFTA history, a close association that has spanned 50 years,” the British Academy said. “Through her various patronages, the Queen was recognized for her support of the UK’s creative industries.”

“For fifty years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle,” the 77-year-old actress said in her speech. “She’s had her feet planted firmly on the ground, her hat on her head, her bag on her arm, and she’s weathered many, many storms.” “I applaud her courage and her consistency. And I thank her, because if it wasn’t for her, I certainly wouldn’t be here.”

The longest-reigning monarch passed away in September 2022 surrounded by family at Balmoral Castle. Upon learning of the Queen’s death, Mirren issued a statement on her social media. “I am proud to be an Elizabethan. We mourn a woman who, with or without a crown, was the epitome of nobility,” the actress said on Instagram.

“BAFTA’s relationship with Her Majesty was long-standing and the awards would not be what they are today without her loyal support,” said Mirren. “In 1953, the broadcast of his coronation had the world watching. From then on, she was unquestionably the nation’s leading lady, but as mysterious as a silent movie star.. Who else could meet the world’s most famous singers, actors and performers and make them your supporting cast? Throughout his 70-year reign, he met cinema’s biggest icons and witnessed the evolution of Hollywood’s golden age to the birth of the blockbuster.. Her Majesty was in the front row for everything, “commented the actress in a speech supported by archival images of the sovereign.

Mirren continued: “Cinema at its finest, does what Her Majesty effortlessly did: bring us together and unite in one story. Your Majesty, you were the main star of our nation. On behalf of BAFTA, thank you for all you have done for our film and television industry.“.

Elizabeth’s grandson, Prince William, was in the audience at the BAFTAs with his wife, Princess Kate. They both got emotional as they applauded the speech proclaimed by Mirren.

The actress has played the late sovereign twice throughout her career. In 2006, she played Elizabeth in the movie ‘The Queen’a work that explored the palace’s response to the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Mirren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, as well as a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Union Award for Screen Actors.

The ‘Lady in Gold’ actress returned to play the queen in 2013, starring in Peter Morgan’s (the creator of ‘The Crown’) play ‘The Audience’which opened in London’s West End before moving to Broadway in 2015. A role for which Mirren won a Tony Award in 2015.