Helen Mirren honored the late Queen Elizabeth II with a touching statement in the hours after the monarch’s death was announced on September 8. “I am proud to be an Elizabethan. We mourn a woman, who, with or without the crown, was the epitome of nobility,” the 77-year-old posted on Instagram, along with a photo of the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully at Balmoral, her home in Scotland, on September 8. She was 96 years old. Prince Charles, now known as King Charles III, Prince William, and more of the royal family rushed to be by her side in her final moments.
Helen played Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 film The Queen. The movie earned Helen her first Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. She also received a British Academy Film Award for her performance.
The Queen focused on the series of events that took place following Princess Diana’s death in 1997. Helen revealed that she actually wrote a letter to the monarch ahead of filming. “I said, ‘We are doing this film. We are investigating a very difficult time in your life. I hope it’s not too awful for you,’” Helen told Radio Times. “I can’t remember how I put it. I just said that in my research I found myself with a growing respect for her, and I just wanted to say that.”
While Queen Elizabeth II did not personally write back, her secretary did, Helen revealed. “You know, ‘Yours sincerely, da di da di da,’ on behalf of the Queen. I was very relieved subsequently that I had written that letter,” Helen admitted.
HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Helen back in April 2022 and asked if she would ever take on the role of the Queen again as The Crown and more adaptations continue to explore the royal family onscreen. “No, no, no, no, not that I didn’t love doing it. But, you know, and other people have done it beautifully since, which is great. No, I needed to take that crown off, literally.”