Dame Helen Mirren led the tributes to the Queen as she said she was the “nation’s breakout star” at the Bafta Film Awards.
The 77-year-old actress has played the monarch on stage and screen, winning an Oscar and a Bafta for her portrayal in the 2006 biographical drama The Queen.
The late Queen had a close relationship with the Academy for 50 years, donating and supporting initiatives as well as attending many events.
Prince William and Kate also appeared at the Baftas tonight for the first time in three years.
The Prince and Princess of Wales walked the red carpet and spoke to the audience as they attended the prestigious awards.
Taking to the stage at this year’s awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall tonight, fellow Bafta Dame Helen said: “Bafta’s relationship with Her Majesty has been long-standing and Bafta would not be what it is today without her loyal support.
“In 1953, her coronation broadcast had people watching. From that time on, she was arguably the nation’s leading lady, but as mysterious as a silent film star.
“Who else could meet the world’s most famous singers, actors and performers and turn them into her supporting cast.
“Throughout her 70-year reign, she met the biggest icons of cinema and saw the evolution of Hollywood’s golden age to the birth of the blockbuster. Her Majesty was at the forefront of everything.
The actress also referred to the more than 50 cultural organizations the late monarch supported during her lifetime and the honorary Bafta award she received in 2013 in recognition of her “outstanding support of film and television”.
Dame Helen continued: “Cinema at its best does what Her Majesty did effortlessly – it brings us together and unites us in a story…
“Your Majesty, you are the leading star of our nation. On behalf of Bafta, thank you for everything you have done for our film and television industry.’
In 1972, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh donated the profits from the documentary film Royal Family to the British Film and Television Society (SFTA), which later became the British Academy of Film and Television (Bafta), for a new seat. .
The renaming of the organization took place during the official opening of the headquarters in 1976, which was conducted by the Queen. It remains the home of Bafta in London five decades later.
During her lifetime, the Queen was a patron of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Royal Variety Charity and the Film and Television Benevolent Fund.
The Queen’s grandson, the Prince of Wales, has been Bafta chairman since 2010.
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