Helen Mirren Played The Queen To Grant A Dying Boy's Wish After Real Queen Said No
How much do you love Helen Mirren? Well, you're about to love her even MORE.
In 2013, a dying 10-year-old said his wish was to have afternoon tea with the Queen of England. For whatever reason, Queen Elizabeth was unable to make that dream come true.
But Dame Helen Mirren, who was playing the Queen in Peter Morgan's The Audience at the time, stepped in as an understudy for the monarch and met with young Oliver Burton, who had Down's syndrome and was battling terminal spine and bone-marrow cancer.
Mirren invited Oliver and his family to London's Gielgud Theatre for a performance of The Audience and, after the curtain fell, invited Oliver backstage for tea and cakes—still in her royal duds.
Footmen served them their treats while Oliver got to meet the actress' corgis. Mirren even knighted him, giving him the title of Sir.
"She stayed in character for the whole thing," said Oliver's father, James Browne. "Oliver thought she was the real Queen, and well, that's good enough for us."
