Dame Helen Mirren feels "embarrassed" every time she sees Britain’s Queen Elizabeth.
The 68-year-old actress has portrayed the monarch in both movie ‘The Queen’ and play ‘The Audience’ and is grateful that the roles have never come up for discussion during her brief meetings with the head of state.
She said: "She has never mentioned it. I haven’t met her very often, but it’s as if there’s no recognition of that whatsoever and I appreciate that, incidentally!
"I just feel embarrassed every time I see her, and hope she won’t say anything about me portraying her! I feel so mortified."
Helen has also met both the queen’s son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William, and both men have poked fun at her famous portrayals.
She added to the Daily Mail newspaper: "Charles and Wills have made reference and Charles made a joke about his ‘Mummy’, but never Her Majesty herself. Ever."
While the veteran star doesn’t think actors like being associated with one particular character, she doesn’t mind her connection to the monarch.
She said: "The queen’s a very good person to be identified with."
And the ‘Red’ star feels "very proud" to be living through the queen’s reign.
She added: "We will actually be very proud to have been a part of that age. The one thing we’ve never had to be ashamed of is Elizabeth."
Helen Mirren embarrassed at queen meetings
