Helen Mirren for the ultimate win. The Queen? Not so much, unless she’s ill, of course. Mirren won the Oscar, among many other awards, for her portrayal of the Queen. That was one of the most richly deserving Best Actress wins in recent history. Mirren, a veteran who’d been acting for decades turns in the role of a lifetime and wins the Oscar. That is really the Oscars are their best.
When a dying boy’s wish to meet Queen Elizabeth was rejected, Helen Mirren, acting as the Queen, stepped in to have tea with the boy.
Mirren paid for 10-year-old Oliver Burton, from Leicester, England, and his parents to attend her West End show, where she plays the Queen. Afterward, she invited them backstage and had her butler serve them tea, while Oliver played with her Corgis.
“She stayed in character for the whole thing. Oliver thought she was the real Queen, and well, that’s good enough for us,” the father James Browne told the UK’s Daily Mail.
“She was really lovely. She did the whole thing — had a butler there, was dressed in costume and did it all properly for him,” Browne added.
Oliver, who was born with Downs Syndrome, is facing his third battle with cancer and, according to his father, has been given only weeks to live.
At the top of his bucket list was a visit with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. After his local member of Parliament wrote to Queen Elizabeth, the family was told the Queen would be unable to meet with him, according to Oliver’s Facebook page.
Then, a charity worker, who heard about Oliver’s story, approached Mirren, who was happy to fill the royal’s shoes.
Mirren even knighted the boy and “told everyone that they had to call him Sir Oliver,” his father said. “He had a brilliant day.”
This poor kid, Down’s syndrome and three rounds of cancer. That’s just not right. It’s bad enough to have downs, but to get cancer too at such a young age. This little boy lost the genetic lottery big time. This makes me so sad, I’ve got tears.
I am so happy Helen Mirren did this for him. This kid should get everything he wants.
Kudos to Dame Helen Mirren!!! She is after all a Dame! Thank you for this very heartwarming story.
Sending prayers and comfort to Oliver and his family who must be going through such a difficult time. So lovely to hear a real Queen making time for moments that really make a difference.
Now on a lighter note, if he really wants to meet, THE QUEEN of them all, I think that a meeting with the amazing, lovable, and beautiful RuPaul is also in order. I bet Ru would make Oliver and his family smiling ear to ear during this hard time.
Lots of love to Oliver and his family!!! Stay strong!!
Wonderful gesture by Mirren. She is the ultimate class act.
I don’t know what purpose the Royal Parasites have if not for something like this. I never use cash anymore so I don’t have to see her face splashed all over my money.
That’s one of the sweetest stories I’ve read in months.
Helen Mirren is such a class act.
And she deserved every award for her portrait of Queen Elisabeth II. in “The Queen” and more. Though Best Actress line up was strong, no other than Mirren could have won.
Though it sounds harsh the meeting was rejected by the real Queen (or much more by her office- I doubt the Queen knew about this at all), it’s nice at least the other “Queen” had time for him. 🙂
Helen Mirren’s the only Queen I acknowledge!
Well, her and RuPaul.
I read about this story earlier. Class act from Helen Mirren. In all honestly, I’d rather meet Dame Mirren than the Queen anyway lol.
I read the news yesterday and cried my eyes out. I already loved Helen Mirren as an actress, now I salute her as a human being. Splendorous.
That story could be such an amazing movie! Can you imagine? Meryl Streep playing Helen Mirren playing The Queen, Daniel Day Lewis playing The Boy (he could play anything) and Christophe Waltz playing the poor Royal Assistant, who’s going to get the sack over this unfortunate incident and plots a bloody revenge on Her Majesty played by Helen Mirren (since apparently people can’t make the difference).
That would be Oscar catnip!
Kudos to Helen Mirren for that wonderful initiative! Though I can also understand the reluctance from Buckingham Palace officials, if they say yes once, then they’ll have to say yes to thousands of other requests, but after all Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II already entertains thousands of guests every year so why not add a few hundreds terminally ill children (I don’t know how many there are in the UK? hopefully less and less…).
And they ought to say yes to them all. That bitch sits in splendour all fucking day, guzzling up taxpayers’ money, getting paid for being born into the right family. And then she expects us to bow and curtsey and call her ma’am? Eat it, cunt.
I personally have nothing against her but that comment was spot on. I think that can be said about any president/dictator/king/queen/prime minister. Often times a country’s leader is just the face of the country, not always the one who makes the biggest difference.
While I personally agree that she is a spoiled asshat for turning down this request. The royal family actually generates more money then they cost. Substantially more.
http://youtu.be/bhyYgnhhKFw – explains it.
I do appreciate that the Royal Family does generate a lot of dosh for the UK. But it’s the concept of a monarchy which I am most opposed to. I find it abhorrent. And the respect they demand and, broadly, receive from their ‘subjects’ revolts me.
Are you English? Just curious.
Ugh. Now I need a shower. Thanks a lot.
I am so glad for her (Helen Mirren) after all these years.
Five or six years ago I watched a random old film on HBO [the film was so old that it looked obviously out of place on HBO if you know what I mean], a period piece in which the pretty, young, foxy Helen Mirren, from the way I take it with her scantily-clad image and so, looked to be struggling still for better roles back then. That said, she still managed to shine relatively despite the modest role in this Arthurian legend movie.
That was then […]: She deserves the Oscar for portraying “the” queen. Congratulations again.
(But to be honest the film itself is overrated in my opinion.)
And my heart goes to Oliver and his family.
Is John Boorman’s “Excalibur” the film you’re referring to? 🙂
Alvin,
Yes, it’s Excalibur (the film/1982) I’m referring to. : )
Yes THE QUEEN is somewhat overrated (not a top 5 of 2006) but still a very fine film with a great performance, and I don’t tend to enjoy movies like that. And EXCALIBUR! What a heroic gesture to bring it up whenever given the chance! #Exorcist2#TristanundIsolde <3
Bryce,
I saw Excalibur on HBO. Even on HBO — a noteworthy name for cable TV to me — the film, the whole footage quality, looked very very old (not HBO’s faults though, I believe), as if it was a VDO-tape version. (I’m not sure if [the producers et al) they’re keeping its digital version of sort or [at least] if they have a digital version for it. . . .)
But the young Helen Mirren was very sexy and beautiful in this film. : )
—
(Correction:
Alvin,
I meant to say Excalibur (the film/1981) rather than 1982.)