London
(ANI):
dame
helen
mirren
finally
met
the
Queen,
whom
the
actress
played
in
a
hit
movie,
at
the
Royal
Ascot
on
June
19.
Mirren
was
lucky
to
have
been
the
only
guest
allowed
into
the
royal
box
for
an
hour-long
meeting
on
Ladies
Day.
"Dame
Helen
visited
following
the
Gold
Cup
trophy
ceremony,
which
the
Queen
always
presents," The
Sun
quoted
an
Ascot
source,
as
saying.
"She
left
the
box
shortly
after
5pm
and
looked
extremely
happy.
I
think
they
enjoyed
each
other's
company,"
the
source
added.
The
actress
had
received
her
title
from
Prince
Charles
in
December
2003
and
she
feared
that
she
had
lost
her
chance
of
meeting
the
Queen
after
having
had
to
turn
down
a
previous
invitation
while
filming
in
the
US.
"Buckingham
Palace
said
they
understood
but
I
do
wonder
if
I've
blotted
my
copybook," she
said
last
year.
The
two
ladies
had
earlier
in
the
day
been
doing
their
best
to
hang
on
to
their
hats
because
of
the
strong
winds
at
the
Berkshire
racecourse,
but
Dame
Mirren
lost
the
battle
while
her
Majesty
managed
to
hang
on
to
her
hat
designed
by
New
Zealander
Philip
Somerville.
Earlier
her
headgear
had
been
the
centre
of
a
betting
scare,
with
odds
on
whether
she
would
wear
a
"fascinator" slashed
from
10-1
to
5-1
after
several
large
bets
were
placed.
Bookies
William
Hill
suspended
betting
at
one
point.
"We
thought
some
information
may
have
leaked
out
of
the
Palace," a
spokeswoman
said.
The
62-year-old
actress
had
won
an
Oscar
for
her
portrayal
of
the
Queen
in
the
2006
film
about
the
aftermath
of
Princess
Diana's
death.