During an appearance on 'Good Morning Britain', the actress playing Queen Elizabeth II in 'The Queen' also speaks about her admiration for the Duke of Sussex's wife, Meghan Markle.
- Feb 1, 2019
AceShowbiz - Helen Mirren has joked that she was "rather insulted" when Prince Harry called her "granny" during an awards ceremony.
The veteran actress made an appearance on "Good Morning Britain" on Thursday, January 31 to launch the U.K. show's public-voted Mentor of the Year award ahead of the annual The Prince's Trust Awards on March 13.
When Mirren was asked if Prince Charles, who founded The Prince's Trust in the '70s, had ever mentioned her playing his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in the 2006 film "The Queen", she admitted he had not but the monarch's grandchildren William and Harry had.
"No that's never mentioned... he's too tactful. The younger (princes), Harry and William, have mentioned it to me and they have been very funny and very cool about it," the 73-year-old said. "I think Harry once at an awards ceremony said, 'And granny is here' and I was rather insulted by that. I mean really!"
The Oscar winner was also asked what she thought of Harry's wife, actress-turned-royal Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Mirren had nothing but praise for her.
"I think right from the moment that relationship was revealed she conducted herself with incredible self-restraint, elegance, discipline and simplicity and humanity. I was an admirer... it's an incredibly difficult life to lead, talk about pressure. I think she is doing it with great elegance," she said.
The hosts joked that they felt like they had royalty in the studio with a Dame in their midst. When asked if people treat her like royalty, she replied, "Maybe for the first one second but very quickly I disabuse them of that fact."
Mirren is an ambassador for The Prince's Trust, which helps support vulnerable young people, and she explained that the younger generation have to deal with much more now, thanks to competition for jobs and pressure from social media.
"We all had that when we were younger, we would look at rock and roll stars or someone and think, 'Oh God they live such a glamorous life', but it's so much more extreme now," she added.
