The late Queen Elizabeth was honoured at the Bafta film awards in an emotional tribute. Dame Helen Mirren, who played the monarch in the 2006 film The Queen, delivered the special tribute during this year’s ceremony.

With Prince William and the Princess of Wales in the audience, Mirren told the audience of Bafta’s longstanding relationship with the Queen and her dedication to supporting the arts. During her lifetime, she was a patron of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Royal Variety Charity and the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund.

“She supported over 50 cultural organisations, and in 2013 it was her turn to be honoured with a Bafta in recognition of the Queen’s outstanding patronage of the film and television industries,” Mirren said. 

“Cinema at its best does what her majesty did effortlessly: bring us together and unite us in a story. Your Majesty, you are our nation’s leading star. On behalf of Bafta, thank you for all that you have done for our film and television industry.”

A montage was then shown to the audience with images of legendary performers such as Elizabeth Taylor and Lady Gaga. However, the most poignant moment of the tribute was an accompanying voiceover from the Queen, in which she explained the importance of culture and the arts to society.

“Through the creative genius of artists, whether they be writers, actors, filmmakers, dancers or musicians, we can see both the range of our cultures and the elements of our shared humanity,” Queen Elizabeth mused.

Finishing with pictures of her majesty, the camera panned to an emotional Prince of Wales, who has been the president of Bafta since 2010.

In an interview with host Alison Hammond during the ceremony, Mirren spoke of her connection with Queen Elizabeth and admitted she cried during the initial rehearsal of the tribute. 

“I did feel very strongly about the Queen,” she added. “You know, I am Elizabethan; she was there for my whole life.

“Her passing was massive.”

The legendary actress also spoke of the pressure she felt playing the monarch in The Queen, for which she won a Bafta award. The cast and crew were unsure of what the public reaction would be, as the Queen had not been depicted in such detail on the big screen before. 

“It was a challenge,” she explained. “And the feeling of not wanting to let her down.”

When Hammond noted that Queen Elizabeth loved Mirren’s depiction of her, the actor replied: ‘We never knew.”

Main image: Getty