Helen Mirren Has Tea with Dying Boy After Actual Queen Says No

[Demeter]

http://gawker.com/helen-mirren-has-tea-with-dying-boy-after-actual-queen-509157446

Oliver Burton's dying wish was to visit Buckingham Palace and have afternoon tea with the Queen.

Unfortunately, Her Royal Highness was unable to fit the 10-year-old into her busy schedule of waving at crowds from afar — so understudy Dame Helen Mirren stepped in to take her place.

Oliver, who has Down's syndrome, has been battling various forms of cancer almost his entire life, and was recently diagnosed with terminal spine and bone marrow cancer.

But last week, for a brief wondrous afternoon, his troubles took a backseat to a meeting with the One True Queen...Mirren brought Oliver and his family to Gielgud Theatre to see her play the Queen in Peter Morgan's The Audience. Still dressed as the Queen, she then invited Oliver backstage to have tea and cakes (served by footmen!) and meet her corgis. Mirren even took the time to knight Oliver, giving him the official title of Sir.

"She stayed in character for the whole thing. Oliver thought she was the real Queen, and well, that's good enough for us," Oliver's father James Browne is quoted as saying

.

"It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet such a brave young man," Mirren later told The Sun.

[spanone]

1. Ms Mirren, a class act.

[EOTE]

7. That's Dame Mirren to you :) nt

[spanone]

24. i didn't know!!! Dame Mirren....

[Tansy_Gold]

98. Dame Helen

Knights are properly referred to by their first names, preceded by "Sir" or "Dame."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forms_of_address_in_the_United_Kingdom#Knights

[NotHardly]

42. Class act

indeed.

[TheDebbieDee]

106. Yes, that was a very nice thing to do. I'll tip my cup to Ms Mirren,

the next time I have a cup, that is.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. I would so pick Helen Mirren over the Queen, any day.

[Yavin4]

31. Amen to that! n/t

[bluestate10]

35. If the Queen didn't exist, neither would Helen Mirren as an understudy.

The Queen likely gets many requests like this one and likely fill the majority of them. But, it only takes one well publicized instance to undue all the good that is quietly done.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

46. Monarch apologist!!!

Just kidding

Though I don't agree with you.

[AAO]

51. Completely valid point. It would be nice to know.

[tblue]

56. So she had something more pressing

or she had too many subjects asking for her time and this kid didn't make the cut. I get it; she's busy. What purpose does she serve really, other than meeting with people and photo ops?

[MattBaggins]

81. She has more power than you would think

Check the whitehall papers

[whathehell]

113. Oh Please..If Her Highness didn't exist that poor dying boy wouldn't have been rebuffed

by Her Bloodlessness.

Helen Mirren has brains, talent and heart...All things the queen is looking a bit short on now.

[myrna minx]

3. Love her! n/t

[joeybee12]

4. Hooray for Helen...a class act...knr

[msongs]

5. Helen Mirren is a benefit to society at one millionth the cost nt

[dipsydoodle]

13. Queen costs us less than about a dollar fifty a year each here in the UK.

What's a millionth of a dollar fifty ?

[liberalhistorian]

22. Well, that's good, because

she seems to serve no real purpose whatsoever and is a cold fish, to boot. She's always been too good for the very people who keep her in such style so that she doesn't have to do anything.

[dipsydoodle]

25. She's ours : not yours.

So you've no real cause to give the matter any thought whatsoever.

[liberalhistorian]

26. Well, then, I'm glad to let you have her!

Although I believe my English ancestors felt the same way, but were forced to be a lot quieter about it, obviously.

[Wait Wut]

34. So, do you have an opinion on our President?

If so, kindly keep it to yourself...forever.

[whathehell]

112. LOL!

You got that one right.

[dipsydoodle]

117. That's apples and pears.

Your Presidents have only 8 years max occupancy.

[Wait Wut]

143. So, that would give even more reason...

...to whine about your queen, dontcha think? We can at least hope for someone we like better, you're just freakin' stuck until she dies.

[NotHardly]

40. She's ours : not yours.

First let me apologize for the rudeness of some of my countrymen & women. You are absolutely right, she is your Queen and of no concern of ours. She has steadfastly well served your country for many decades and she, along with her many family members immediate and distant, do good works that receive little notice. As all notables or at least the very vast majority in the world do come under extreme observation it would seem that many persons believe that they have a right or need to make a judgment (usually the ones they share are harsh... curiously so). However, I am of another opinion in concert with my late grandfather's thinking...
"Unsupportable unsubstantiated opinions are like noses, everybody has one." I should mention that my grandfather was much more precise about the southerly location of the part of human anatomy he meant than I have been.

[Quasimodem]

64. It's more personal than a celebrity.

My father, who survived well after the years when I used the family television set to watch “Happy Days,” had that same saying, using the same specific southerly orifice; however, he followed that with a second line, which I believe was sort of original to him, by adding that he thought they should just “sit on it.”

As for Americans slagging the Queen, or Brits slagging the American President (or any other country's president, for that matter), that's like a bystander telling a strange mother that she has an ugly baby. It's uncalled for. One can oppose the policies of presidents, prime ministers, and royalty (if they actually still retain any power to wield) but not their existence. Only those who have them should have a right to comment upon them. At least, not until asked!

[lostincalifornia]

78. So exactly what should or should not people be allowed to post on DU about stories that are

essentially gossip?

[whathehell]

153. LOL..You obviously haven't been here long enough to know how VERY opinionated many

non-American DUers here can be about American public figures; suffice it to say that "rude", barely begins to describe it at times.

Having all of 7 posts under your belt makes you extremely new...That being the case, I'd suggest you watch and learn for awhile before presuming to apologize for those of us who have been here far longer.

[LanternWaste]

164. I imagine that's because the consequences of the American public figures often go far beyond America

"VERY opinionated many non-American DUers here can be about American public figures..."

I imagine that's because the consequences of the American public figures often go far beyond American borders, American interest and American xenophobia.

[whathehell]

166. That may be, but I'm afraid as many others on this thread have agreed,

Last edited Tue Dec 10, 2013, 02:15 PM - Edit history (1)

turn around is still fair play.

When you remind us that the "consequences of the American public figures often go far

beyond American borders, American interest and American xenophobia", I wouldn't imagine you'd be

including DUers in that generality, would you?

[BeyondGeography]

60. What more could we add anyway?

&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[BlancheSplanchnik]

69. my Dad was British!

Born and lived in London's East End untill he was 16, when he was evacuated during WWII and came to the US.


I would love to have the Queen and the centuries of history--not to mention the accent--that you do.

[joshcryer]

88. You are hers, not us.

[bread_and_roses]

104. I consider institutionalized class privilege anywhere it exists to be worthy of comment

Since institutionalized privilege of all sorts is destructive of the human values I consider important. And I consider the Queen to be a relic of a parasitical hereditary system of Oligarchic power, and the excuse of a monarchy's continued existence on the basis of "tradition" or whatever to be a dangerous sentimentalism. Nor does it matter whether or not a current occupant is "a nice person" or a "do-gooder" or a vapid automaton. I don't know which this queen is, nor do I care - I don't follow the tabloids. It is the privilege that is at issue.

Any power or privilege granted by birth institutionalizes inequality.

That the occupants of GB seem content with their relic is up to them, but I surely do have the right to comment on it, just as I might comment negatively upon the Monarchies of the Gulf - and, I would bet real money, without the hooha generated here by criticism of "the Queen."

[last1standing]

108. If Americans have no "real cause" to comment on British society what are you doing here?

It goes both ways. Either accept our criticism of your country or keep your nose out of ours.

[whathehell]

110. No, sorry, but non-American DUers like you give our matters "thought" and comment all the time

Turnaround is fair play.

[DrDan]

116. well said

there are a few here who just cannot bear the thought that others may have a different world view than their own (or the one they have adopted from posts of others - there is an abundance of group-think here.)

You are absolutely correct - the Queen and the monarchy are yours. They have served you well considering your long history as a world leader.

[Surya Gayatri]

124. Hear, hear, dd. American monarchy bashers are so ignorantly narrow

in their world view. They also fail to realize that QEII is 87 years old, has multiple health issues herself, and is still phenomenally busy.

She cannot be perceived as showing favoritism, either. If she acquiesced to this deserving kid, she'd be inundated daily with similar demands.

[dipsydoodle]

128. What's cracks me up

is the sheer lack of comprehension to understand that if the Queen didn't exist the comparison couldn't have been drawn.

[Surya Gayatri]

129. Word!

[whathehell]

148. Hear, hear. Ex-pat Euro wannabes from Nebraska may be tempted to overcompensate for their

insecurities, but resorting to self-hating, anti-American clichés really doesn't cut it.

[Surya Gayatri]

156. Only just got on-line after two days, so wasn't able

to read your comment yesterday, whathehell.

Firstly, I wouldn't say I deserve to be qualified as a "Euro wannabe" in your terms, as I am a European in good standing with dual nationality.

Secondly, I truly don't feel any insecurities or self-hatred about my dual-national status. On the contrary, I feel uniquely privileged to be "entre deux chaises" as the French say, or a "Mid-Atlantic" denizen, as the Brits say.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, I was speaking to a fellow European in my post. As a Brit, Dipsy knows as well as I, that the "cliché" of the Ugly American is not just the title of a book and movie.

Unhappily, the loud-mouthed, flag-waving, uber-patriotic, zenophobic and culturally ignorant American is a species very much alive and well, who frequently shows up on these shores.

[whathehell]

159. Well, it seems you've made up for lost time, so I shall respond in kind..

"Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, I was speaking to a fellow European in my post".

Sorry, Surya, but if you want to send a PERSONAL message to your "fellow European", lol, you send what's known as a PM, that's
short for "personal message". When posting on the thread, you're talking to EVERYONE on that thread, which, in this instance, would include me.

As for those "loud-mouthed, flag-waving, uber-patriotic, zenophobic and culturally ignorant Americans who are very much alive
and well and frequently show up on these shores"

Well, yes, dear, but they are not "alive and well" on THIS site...If you want to address THEM, you'll need to go to another such as Free Republic, because the fact is, this flap about the Queen has NOTHING to do with being an "ugly American", and everything to do with the fact that since Euros like Dipsy feels free to comment on our public figures, we maintain the same right to comment on theirs.

I do hope this clarifies things for you.

.

[Aerows]

160. Glad you clarified things for everyone on DU

the etiquette of communicating with one another. I saw nothing wrong with the exchange of posts, and as a native of the Deep South of the USA, took no offense at anything said.

Hope you have a good evening, regardless.

[Surya Gayatri]

161. Thank you, Aerows, for your "liberal" understanding

of what I was trying to say to Dipsy. Whatthehell obviously didn't catch on.

[whathehell]

167. Now that I have the time..

"liberal understanding", LOL?

No, Whathell "catches on" just fine..He's just bright enough to know that

progressive politics doesn't equate to knee-jerk American bashing...Duh.
.

[whathehell]

168. Now that I have the time..

"liberal understanding", LOL?

No, Whathell "caught on" just fine..He's just bright enough to know that

progressive politics doesn't equate to knee-jerk American bashing...Duh.
.

[Surya Gayatri]

169. Two for the price of one? Should I consider myself

twice blessed to receive a double-dip of such scrutiny, or is this just further proof of obsessiveness multiplied by two?

Whatever...

[whathehell]

170. Whatever..

but since you asked, I'd suggest you consider yourself a pretentious little bore.

[Surya Gayatri]

174. Now, there's an interesting example of projection...although

in this particular instance, I would take issue with the qualifier "little".

in the presence of a patently superior wit...

[whathehell]

176. Fail...

Although I'm not without fault, I can honestly say that no one in my entire life

has ever called me me "boring" or "pretentious".

With regard to the latter in particular, I somehow doubt that you could say the same.

Surrender accepted....

[whathehell]

163. Yes, I am too, as it seemed necessary.

My best wishes go to you as well.

[Surya Gayatri]

162. My reply to you, whatthehell, would simply be verbatim

what Aerows told you + my answer to him/her.

See this post:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4156898

[whathehell]

165. and my reply to that, Surya Gayatri, would also be verbatim

what I told Aerows, and since I've neither the time nor the interest

to read posts you've 'directed' me to read, I'll simply bid you Good Day.

[enlightenment]

177. Please point out the posts in which

Dipsy slags off the President - simply because he exists. Because that is the comparison you are attempting to draw. There is a profound difference in commenting on what a leader does in their role and suggesting that their position is useless and outdated, which is what you've been saying in this thread.

You're starting to look ridiculous and your condescending response to Surya looks just a wee bit xenophobic.

[whathehell]

178. Only if you point out the posts in which

I "slagged off" the Queen "because she exists"

Sorry, enlightenment, but it seems as if you haven't even read the OP, because my

remarks, like those of most on the thread, were confined to the Queen's behavior in the case of the dying

boy who wanted to see her in addition to her demeanor when speaking publicly of Diana at her death.

I'd say it's the person who gets it all wrong, from start to finish, who "looks ridiculous", wouldn't you?

As for Surya, my supposedly "condescending" attitude didn't start until he began denigrating Americans in general for

daring, it seems, to criticize the monarchy, when foreign DUers like Dipsy criticize American leaders regularly.

Xenophobic?.....Hillarious and if you had ANY idea of who I am and where I've lived and traveled, you'd understand why.

[enlightenment]

179. It's nice to see

that you have an active fantasy life.

[whathehell]

180. It's nice to see

you completely FAIL to repudiate my points or even produce what you demanded of me.

You, it appears, are the one with the "active fantasy life"

[pipoman]

172. Oh the Iidiotic irony

Of an outspoken brit with 37,000 posts on a US political forum stating people in the US can't comment on matters of the UK..lol..ffs

[whathehell]

181. THANK you..

[Retrograde]

44. I think Denmark has a cooler queen

Queen Margrethe II moonlights as a translator, illustrator and costume designer for the theater. Maybe it's just a hobby, or maybe they feel they have to use her designs because she's the queen, but it's not a shabby resume.

[whathehell]

111. Yes..

I couldn't believe the incredible coldness with which she delivered her comments on Diana after she died...I honestly felt I was listening to the living dead.

[liberalhistorian]

131. Indeed, that was one of the rare times

that Charles had to rebuke her (privately, of course), and explain what Diana really meant to their countrymen (a helluva lot more than his cold fish of a mother) and that she needed to be much warmer and more consoling to the country, or at least ACT like it for them. Unlike Diana, she was so out of touch that she really had no clue how much Diana meant or what she represented. Frankly, I think she's much closer in personality to that cold fish shallow selfish bitch Camilla, another real piece of royal work.

[whathehell]

147. I have to say,

that I don't really know much about Camilla, so I can't comment on your characterization of her.

[xmas74]

140. Who was also her former daughter-in-law.

That would be a hard situation to address. The mother of her grandsons who was a very popular public figure, yet no longer part of your family. Former mother-in-laws often do not have nice things to say about the former daughter-in-law.

I'm not a royal apologist but I've always thought that was not an easy situation for her. What she said was more charitable than what many would say about their former in-laws and public be damned.

[whathehell]

144. So what?...She was hugely popular and much of the caused her to be "former"

was the fact of her son, Prince Charles, cheating on her with C. P. Bowles since the night before his wedding.

[xmas74]

145. But in the end, family is family

and he is her son. She was a former DIL. Popularity has nothing to do with a family. I'm sure she felt bad-for her grandsons. And I'm sure she had a passing thought of how sad the incident was. In the end, she didn't feel that a former in-law was her responsibility and most "normal" families would act the same way. If my former SIL passed away I'd send perfunctory condolences but wouldn't pull out my hair, through myself down in public, make grand speeches and plan every aspect of her funeral. It wouldn't be my place. (I'd say MIL but she'd passed on before I'd ever had a chance to meet her.)

It was a bad place for her to be in, either way.

[whathehell]

149. Maybe, but this was the mother of two of her grandsons, and, besides, though

"popularity may have nothing to do with family", she is also a head of state.

Having to be prodded to simply speak to her "subjects" on the matter -- no hair pulling

was expected, I'm sure -- shows how out of touch she was, in my opinion.

[xmas74]

152. It was just a rotten situation for all involved.

There was no real protocol for the situation-it basically had to be created.

Hindsight is 20/20. They know how poorly they came off, though I always understood why. (And I was a fan of Diana-I just thought the funeral should be understated, held by immediate family and not a media circus that threw those two boys front and center.)

[bluestate10]

38. You love your Queen. I get that. We kicked your a-- a while back, but I admire the

Queen. She has had her rough patches, but she stands as one of the world's towering figures.

[2banon]

45. "we kicked your a--" not very appropriate -

no call in getting snarky particularly wrt to the historical context - which was a mere blip in our history, and it can be argued that we eventually lost just about everything our forefathers fought and shed so much blood over.

Cuz it's all One big World Order now, so no point in getting self righteous about whose "ass we kicked" 250 years ago. Unless you hail from the 1% - we all got our asses kicked a few decades ago, and we're still the losers. A bit of humility might be in order here..

[AtheistCrusader]

61. 1812 was 201 years ago...

[2banon]

82. True.. losing track of time, but some argue that Canada kicked our asses in that one

depending on one's pov.. I was of course thinking of the revolutionary war, which yes was not quite 250 years ago. (far less) but my point is that the winners and losers are all on fairly friendly terms (in so far as war mongering nations cab be) to enjoy the benefits of a One World Order thingy that they created, and we're all merely slaves of essentially. thanks for reminding me of 1812..

[AtheistCrusader]

83. Canada definitely landed a solid punch or two, that's for sure.

But yes, after the war, we even friend-lied up to England itself, with the disputes that led to the war resolved.

[2banon]

84. historically lots of snags in our alliances since and even now, but they all remain

brothers in arms... as they say..

[Eleanors38]

93. Hell, some want to re-fight the Civil War.

[Surya Gayatri]

126. Particularly apropos post, 2banon. Astonishing that,

even in this "progressive" forum, we see such levels of xenophobic, gung-ho flag-waving. It's enough to make any true liberal blanche with embarrassment.

[2banon]

142. embarrassing, astonishing, not enough adjectives to express my reaction as well. eom.

[Puglover]

54. IMHO You're not getting your monies worth.

But hey she's all yours! Glad you like her so much!

[Boudica the Lyoness]

66. Thanks for sorting that out.

[joshcryer]

87. I don't buy the "we don't pay full cost leases" argument.

Which is total and complete bullshit.

(Note: I am not saying this is your argument, I am just picking the most favorable 'costing' argument and saying it is disagreeable because it's logically inconsistent; if the British owned the Royal Land they wouldn't have to pay anyone anything.)

I don't know where your $1.50 comes from but even it's probably closer to $5 a year.

That's admittedly much lower than the television license or many other absurd costs that the Brits pay. Still a waste of money to literally indoctrinate a class subjugation system.

[dipsydoodle]

118. It was actually lower than I said : 62p which is c. 99 cents.

That was last published figure in 2010 : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10507329

You'll also find if you root around that c. 70% here support our monarchy.

btw - your youtube link was posted by a foreigner.

[joshcryer]

122. CP Gray is well respected.

And I linked his video because that's how the Royals do their accounting trickery. My link and the video make sense if you put them together.

The counterargument is that the revenues generated by the Crown Estate, surrendered by George III 250 years ago, either far exceed the amount of money allotted to the royals or come close to matching it, depending on which figure you use for the monarchy's cost. So the Windsors are either a source of profit for the government, or a negligible expense. But British republicans don't accept that the Crown Estate belongs to the Monarch: As the Centre for Citizenship insists, "The Crown Estate is, in fact, the property of the people of Britain. The Windsors have no more right to it than the Prime Minister has to 10 Downing Street."

Of course 70% of Brits support the monarchy, tabloids are super duper popular. Oh, wait, sorry, The Guardian defends them, so they must be OK.

[dipsydoodle]

123. Which doesn't change the fact

he's a foreigner.

[joshcryer]

125. Good enough to teach in your schools.

[pipoman]

173. Of coarse

The reason she costs $1.50 per year is because the monarchy stole the wealth of the countries involved for hundreds of years..Surely you aren't pretending the monarchy earned their wealth?

[zappaman]

6. I love Helen Mirren!

What an awesome and generous thing to do!

[Baitball Blogger]

11. As Jon Stewart pointed out, Jennifer Lawrence looks like the young Mirren,

[big_dog]

36. Jon Stewart is right, Helen Mirren 'rising star' of 1969: spitting image of J-Law

[Baitball Blogger]

50. Some writer should come up with a script for those two.

I see a plot of a dysfunctional family. Maybe a story about a British matriarch and a young American career woman who has mother issues. Maybe the young Lawrence specializes in portrait photography and one day, going through an old box of negatives and photos she comes across pictures of a young Mirren and the similarities intrigue her. She wonders why her own mother became estranged from her grandmother and goes to England to get reacquainted.

I haven't decided if it should be a comedy or a drama. God knows those two could pull it off either way.

[Gothmog]

132. Jon was in good form

Poor Jennifer Lawrence had trouble dealing with Jon

[Baitball Blogger]

135. Actually, I saw it the other way around.

She handled him in a Jennifer Lawrence kind of way. Unfiltered and real. He was the interviewer and he hadn't even performed basic research on the movie she was promoting. However, Jon Stewart knows talent when he sees it. He was trying to communicate more than just a passing resemblance to Helen Mirren. He was putting her in the same talent category as Mirren. That is high praise, indeed,

[calimary]

14. Actually I find her more beautiful now, in her later years.

Talk about aging well! MAN we should all be so lucky!!!

[zappaman]

20. No kidding! n/t

[2banon]

48. Yes, I agree. She's better looking now than when she was young lass. eom

[BlancheSplanchnik]

74. really!

And she's cool! brilliant, talented, and does good in the world.

Maybe I'll do pink hair.........

[Blue_Tires]

37. I've been hoping against hope that science would be able to clone her

so I can finally marry and settle down

[YOHABLO]

105. I mean look at this woman, she's still extremely hot ... just about the coolest person.

[LongTomH]

8. Dame Helen is a beautiful lady, in so many ways!

[Hulk]

9. Wonderful bit of news

Thanks for sharing. There really are some great people with very kind hearts in this world....many if not most.
The rest of the news bits can be so depressing and divisive.

[Demeter]

10. This is a story from May, but I just found it

and I thought, in this season, we needed some public examples of simple human kindness.

[Journeyman]

16. Even though the story's from months ago, I suspect the Queen is still a royal ____ . . .

[Demeter]

18. The official line is the Queen is quite ill

How much effort is it to be nice for a few minutes? It's not like she had to butter the bread and brew the tea herself...

[Journeyman]

23. So's the boy. I wonder why he wasn't invited to the Palace and entertained by the help? . . .

Just the experience of being in the Palace would be a kick for him. And I'm certain he'd understand how difficult life can be when you're sick.

(And I'll leave my commentary at this point, since any further notations would be -- I'm certain -- quite rude.)

[Boudica the Lyoness]

68. I am sick as well

I'm sure it would be a kick for me to be entertained by the palace staff, if not her Majesty herself.

[Journeyman]

73. It would be. Especially if you were a dying 10 year old . . .

Queenie'd probably feel she was talking to a more mature version of her own Bonnie Prince Chuck.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

99. Even if the Queen couldn't attend for whatever reason

How much trouble would it have been for her to send one of her family to have tea with him -Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Princess Sophie, Prince Andrew, whatever. I'm sure if Princess Diana were still alive and part of the royal family, she would have done it -after all, apparently she used to take Princes Harry and William to visit patients with a terminal illness in hospital.

Thank goodness for Helen Mirren stepping up to the plate. What a wonderful, compassionate woman she is

[whathehell]

114. Exactly...n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

121. Quite a lot of effort, actually

In a population of over 60 million, there are many people dying every day - about 1600. Having one family to go and visit any of them who has a dying request to meet one of them is not really practical. Diana did not requests for visits from everyone, especially afternon tea with an individual. She went to hospitals.

[certainot]

12. fucken beauty - i think helen's australian! right?

[Beacool]

100. No, she's British.

[big_dog]

15. awesome! k&r

[SunSeeker]

33. Great pictures. Thanks! nt

[big_dog]

39. what a class act

[SunSeeker]

89. Indeed. It's a wonderful think she did for that kid, and for everyone who cared about him.

As a parent, I can tell you that the nicest thing you could do for me is make my kid happy...especially when they're struggling.



Love that picture. Sheesh...someone must be peeling onions again (sniffle)...

[sheshe2]

90. beautiful pictures, big_dog. Thank you!

[Beacool]

101. Lovely pic.

[whathehell]

154. Great picture, Big Dog. Thanks. n/t

[fishwax]

17. a cool story

[Demeter]

19. Fishwax?

Is there such a thing (besides yourself, that is)?

[fishwax]

21. not that I know of

[mahannah]

27. In these days of crap for news, nice to read.

[spanone]

28. a picture of Dame Mirren @ age 25

?7

[DeSwiss]

107. Yes!

More

[TxDemChem]

29. Quite a dame. I just love her work.

I see she is personally beautiful as well. I think I'll have tea today too.

[lpbk2713]

30. What a gracious lady.

Thanks for the heartwarming story. It's good to know people like her still walk among us.

[mike dub]

32. Wonderful story! thanks for posting, Demeter

Helen Mirren is a truly wonderful person.

[Orsino]

41. I'm no expert on royal succession...

...but I believe that Liz has just abdicated in favor of Ms. Mirren.

Long live the Queen!

[Historic NY]

43. Brilliant, Helen, brilliant...

your such a dear. I imagine it was effortless to give some comfort.

[Liberal_in_LA]

47. wonderful

[AAO]

49. One of the coolest things I've ever heard of! Thank you, Helen!

[WoodyD]

52. What a dame! N/T

[Puglover]

53. I didn't know I could admire Ms. Mirren

anymore then I did. What a class act. Queenie Belle, not so much.

[Beacool]

55. One of my favorite actresses, along with Judi Dench and Angela Lansbury.

Coincidentally, they are three classy British ladies.

[hankthecrank]

57. Nicely done and shows a big heart

[madrchsod]

58. since i`m an old guy i can say helen is still hot...lol

she really is in a class all by herself

[Eleanors38]

94. Yep. Number 1 on the AARP charts.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

59. Obviously you have zero clue how many dying kids want to have tea with the Queen.

Answer: thousands.

And thousands of dying veterans, dying housewives, dying police officers & firefighters, etc., etc., etc.

Not to mention all the living ones that are merely very sick or disabled or VIPs or dignitaries or ministers in her government, etc., etc., etc.

Your snide remark:

Unfortunately, Her Royal Highness was unable to fit the 10-year-old into her busy schedule of waving at crowds from afar

Not your snide remark? Well you didn't use the "excerpt" tags that DU provides for you, so we have to accept it as your own words.

[Stuckinthebush]

63. Or you could click on the link and read it for yourself

The remark was made by the author of the article.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

65. DU programmers wrote the code for the excerpt tag to be used. Not to be admired from afar.

There is an excerpt in the OP quoting the father. It is set off by the blockquote tag which indents. That is a poor substitute for the actual excerpt tag which causes a gray background to be placed behind the excerpt.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

96. No bum hand. She (nor Mandela nor George Clooney) can't accept even a small fraction of requests. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

102. Yeah, I agree. Royalty is a relic and should be abolished. Keep the tourist attractions. nt

[Diclotican]

109. Bernardo de La Paz

Bernardo de La Paz

Royalty - i the few country's who still have it - is about traditions - culture and national pride (even if some of the royals tend to make scandal now and then) Specially when it comes to UK I doubt the royal family will be off the office anytime soon.. Mostly because they for the most part do a good job of representing the UK - specially the Queen Elizabeth II do a great job - and have always doing a good job - in fact she have been on the throne for more than 50 years - and it is just one Queen who have been on the crown longer than the current british Queen...

At the other hand - England have experienced Republic - the 16 years under Cromwell's where it was a strict Puritan republic in place of the kingdom - Charles the I was indeed killed by the soldiers of Cromwell - some claim it was Cronswell itself who executed the king in front of St James in London... It was 16 long and hard days in England - and after Cromwell finally died after many years in power - they could not wait to get him buried before they invited the son of the King - Charles the II back to England - to be crowned as a King again... And England - and after 1707 UK have been a kingdom ever since... And I doubt the british want to abolish the Kingdom anytime soon.. Even after so many years most british have no interest in a republic...

Royals and a ruling King or Queen is maybe a _relic_ but it says something of the country - if they choose to keep their royals - even long after they have stopped ruling in their own right of the country.. Officially the Queen of UK have a lot of power - but is still subject of the Parilament and the government who rule the country - of course on the behalf of the governing Queen.. The current Queen do have a lot of officially - and unofficially power who she can choose to use - the problem is if she does it - the Parliament can censure her... And that have not happened in UK since Charles I who sent soldiers to the Parliament to make sure he got his taxes to fight his wars - and his lifestyle - and then as a result the british Civil War started...

Royals exist as long as most people accept the idea of a royal family - and it still survive in some places in the world - I guess mostly because they do not want to go true the election of a President every now and then - and because as long as the royal family do not do anything catastrophic stupid - then most people tend to forgive and forget... And it is also a stable function in most country's life and history... I doubt Norway had been as stable the first couple of decades of our independence after 1905 if it was not for our royals who worked hard to make most people trust them - specially Haakon the 7th did a great job making sure by traveling all over the country that people get to know him - and to do his best - for all being over the political fray of the day... And that have been some of a mantra for all 3 generations of kings so far - be over the political fray.... (And I suspect they do a good job so far )

Dicloitican

[whathehell]

115. Mabye that's because we're not as in awe of figurehead monarchs as a young, dying subject, and you

perhaps, might be.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

119. Please see my post #102 previous to this #115 of yours.

#102 http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4144526

[bigwillq]

158. So the Queen should rent out Wembley and have the thousands come for tea

edited

[tblue]

62. I would've wished for Helen and been disappointed

if the Queen showed up.

[rateyes]

76. +1

[secondvariety]

85. The young man

got the better Queen. The choice between spending an afternoon with Queen Elizabeth or Helen Mirren would be a no brainer.

[Liberal_Dog]

67. K & R

What a nice story.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

70. sniff...

She knighted him.


:sniffle:
Geeee I'm getting kinda choked up here.

Long live Helen Mirren. And the Queen.




And apologies for the cultural disrespect I'm seeing.

[BeyondGeography]

71. So good of her

And, of course, she wasn't sticking it to the Queen. She was honoring her by trying to give the boy some happiness in her guise.

[MFM008]

72. Lets let Dame Helen

take over for the real queen when she goes.....works for me.

[liberalmuse]

75. Methinks this was better than meeting the actual queen.

Beautiful lady!

[hedgehog]

77. i'm no fan of the monarchy, although I respect Elizabeth II as a person -

I think the Queen made the right call on this one. I wonder how many of these"dying child's last wish" are thought up by the parents.

[tazkcmo]

79. Something in my eye.

no no, I'll be fine.

[LittleBlue]

80. If you've not seen her in The Queen, go rent it

She's brilliant and has a superbly written script.

[Martin Eden]

134. The scene from that movie that really stuck with me ...

... was when she was out in the countryside of her estate. It was peaceful & quiet, then she saw a magnificent buck and said softly to herself "Oh ... beauty." The emotion of that moment for her was a priceless relief from the ugliness of everything else she was having to deal with.

Later, the buck was shot dead. For me (in the context of a semi-fictional movie) that was a greater tragedy than Princess Di's car crash.

[LittleBlue]

141. I agree

And wasn't it by an investment banker? Such excellent symbolism.

[spooky3]

86. I love this story. Brava!

[MADem]

95. What.....A......WOMAN!!!!! I was always impressed, even more so now! nt

[longship]

103. One of her early breakout roles: Morgana Le Fay

In John Boorman's quirky but wonderfully expansive Excalibur. For once, a retelling that pays at least some honor to the original legends and their mysticism.

Boorman's blurred definitions and exposition comes off brilliantly, IMHO.

There are stand out roles here. (Look for Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson.) Merlin (Nichol Williamson) shamelessly steals every scene he's in. He pulls it off.

Nigel Terry plays a flawed Arthur. Helen Mirren plays his corrupt half sister, Morgana Le Fay.

One of my favorites. An absolute knockout soundtrack, with music from Wagner's Götterdamerung, Parsifal, and Tristan and Isolde with Orff's "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana (my old cat's favorite music, may she rest in peace -- but she always heard it as "O for Tuna!&quot .

From 1981, a great flick.

[closeupready]

139. Oh yes, I LOVED that film. I actually have it here somewhere

amidst the clutter I call home, lol - thanks for the reminder, maybe I'll rewatch it tonight.

[tabasco]

120. "Monarch" on public welfare too busy to help dying kid

Any person with an ounce of human dignity would throw down the trappings of "royalty."

[Surya Gayatri]

127. Dame Helen--compassion incarnate, love on two beautiful legs.

A lady truly worthy of her enoblement.

[Mike Nelson]

130. Good, the dying boy is MUCH better off...

...the "Queen" is overrated. Better to spend his earthly time with more deserving people.

[Silent3]

133. Great thing to do! To be fair, however, neither Mirren nor the Queen would ever...

...be capable, neither individually or together, of keeping up with all of the requests for this sort of thing.

[radhika]

136. Remember when Dame Helen declined to meet with the Queen herself...

This caused a slight kerfuffle in the UK press years ago - right after Helen won her Oscar. Her priorities are clear.

(clip)

The Queen wanted to have a private dinner with Mirren. Even though the Queen’s social calendar is etched in stone one year in advance, the Queen had her officials ‘make room’ for a special dinner with the actress. The date for the private dinner was set for Tuesday, May 01st.

But Mirren sent her regrets. She was too busy to take time out for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her words: “The Palace very kindly extended an invitation to dinner last Tuesday, May 1. But, unfortunately I was filming in South Dakota and unable to change my schedule. I am very sad not to have been able to attend."

(end clip)

http://www.heaven4sure.com/MeandGodQuestions/LifeLessons/tabid/58/ctl/ArticleView/mid/387/articleId/328/Oscar-Actress-Mirren-Rejects-Queens-Invitation.aspx

[luckykate54]

137. I love her

She is a classy babe

[closeupready]

138. Nice one. I actually like both of them, though.

I'm sure the Queen gets many such requests, and they can't approve all of them, unfortunately.

They are both wonderful women in their own ways.

[Rex]

146. Well no one ever accused the Royals of having any class.

And it still looks like they have none.

[xchrom]

150. du rec.

[RBInMaine]

151. GREAT ! Thanks Helen !

[catbyte]

155. Pure.Class!

[bigwillq]

157. Classy

Good for Miss Mirren.

[Jefferson23]

171. awww.

to Oliver and applaud the wonderful woman, Helen.

[ryan_cats]

175. She is awesome

She is an awesome actress and apparently, an awesome human being too.
She's great in serious roles and was also great in the comedy Reds??

Nice to see her display so much class. To be honest, I'd rather see her than the queen.