The handshake is firm, sincere. Under the gold of Windsor Castle, Imelda Staunton is preparing to receive, this November 12, 2024, her insignia of Lady Commander of the British Empire for services rendered to dramatic art and her involvement in charitable works. For the occasion, the actress can count on the presence of her husband Jim Carter aka the butler Carson in Downton Abbey and their daughter Bessie Carter who plays Prudence Featherington in the hit series The Bridgerton Chronicles sur Netflix.
The two actors stand a few meters from her and observe her, not without emotion, being decorated by the Prince of Wales who is carrying out this investiture ceremony that day, in the name of King Charles III. If the general public knows her for her role as Dolores Umbridge in Harry PotterImelda Staunton mainly played in the last two seasons of The Crown Elizabeth II, Prince William’s grandmother. “The prince and I didn’t talk about it but it was a huge privilege. We filmed for two years and I loved it,” the actress told the PA news agency after being knighted. A distinction unveiled last June as part of the Trooping the Colour.
As she reveals, finding the heir to the throne was a “very special” moment. Their last meeting dates back to April 2016 when Imelda Staunton was made Commander of the British Empire by Prince William, then Duke of Cambridge, at Buckingham Palace. At the time, she did not know that a few years later she would be chosen to play Queen Elizabeth in the series The Crown. The death of the sovereign, on September 8, 2022, had deeply affected her to such an extent that she had been “inconsolable for a certain time”.
“The disappearance of Her Majesty was of course devastating. We were filming, it was delicate,” explains the actress to our colleagues at PA. Filming of season 6 was even interrupted out of respect for the memory of Elizabeth II. “The Crown is above all a love letter to the Queen. I have nothing to add at the moment, just silence. I guess we’re going to stop filming for now, out of respect,” producer Peter Morgan told the magazine. Deadline.
A common fight with Prince William
In addition to her remarkable career both on stage and on the small and big screens, Imelda Staunton has been involved in various associations for many years. Patron of Breathe Arts Health Research and supporter of ShelterBox sponsored by Queen Camilla, since 2011 she has been an ambassador for Crisis which works with the homeless in the United Kingdom, recalls the Standard.
“Imelda volunteered for the charity’s Christmas services, alongside her family, serving lunch, chatting to guests and providing support to homeless people at one of the most most difficult of the year”, underlines the Crisis association. The actress shares the latter’s wish to “end homelessness once and for all”. Just like Prince William with his big Homewards project. “Who wouldn’t want to do something for the homeless? The situation, as the Prince of Wales knows, is only getting worse, so anything we can do to help is helpful,” Imelda Staunton told the PA news agency.
Could the actress also get involved in Homewards? While waiting to know if the prince and she will come together around this common cause, the actress lends her voice to Aunt Lucy in Paddington in Perureleased this November 8 in the United Kingdom. A bear that touched the British in this unforgettable sequence with Elizabeth II during her platinum jubilee in June 2022.
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