Oscar's queen to have tea with Elizabeth II?

Last Updated: Monday, February 26, 2007 | 4:56 PM ET

CBC Arts

After winning an Oscar and more than 20 other acting honours for The Queen, British actress Helen Mirren is reportedly in talks to have tea with the monarch she portrayed in the acclaimed film.

Buckingham Palace said Monday that Mirren, 61, may be invited to visit with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

British actress Helen Mirren accepts the Oscar for best actress for her work in The Queen at the Academy Awards.
(Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

"It is speculation, but we are looking at a number of options," a palace spokeswoman said Monday.

Director Stephen Frears has hinted that he, Mirren and screenwriter Peter Morgan might visit the palace next month.

Mirren picked up the first Oscar of her career in Los Angeles Sunday night for her critically acclaimed, nuanced portrayal of Elizabeth II. The intimate, fictional portrait explores the British royal family's reaction to the sudden death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a Paris car crash in 1997, as well as the massive emotional public outpouring of grief afterwards.

"For 50 years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty — and her hairstyle," Mirren said in her acceptance speech on Sunday night. "She's had her feet planted firmly on the ground, her hat on her head, her handbag on her arm and she has weathered many, many storms.

"I thank her because if it wasn't for her, I most certainly would not be here."

When asked about Queen Elizabeth's reaction to Mirren's win, the palace spokeswoman responded: "I'm sure that the Queen will be pleased."

Though the film was also nominated for best picture and Frears for best director, it lost in both cases to The Departed and its director Martin Scorsese.

It is unknown whether Queen Elizabeth has seen the film — the palace never reveals her personal preferences in topics such as film and literature.