Angela Lansbury was today made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.Known to millions of detective Jessica Fletcher in television series Murder, She Wrote, 88-year-old Dame Angela has also starred in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Nanny McPhee.Wearing a single-breasted navy blue coat with a white hat adorned with a feather, Dame Angela was smiling brightly as she met the Queen who handed over the honour.
Angela Lansbury is made a Dame by the Queen
She later said: "It is a very proud day for me to be recognised by the country of my birth, and to meet the Queen under these circumstances is a rare and lovely occasion. "Angela, who had previously been known as Angela Lansbury CBE, will now be known as a Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Dame Angela has never won an Oscar or a Primetime Emmy despite being nominated 18 times combined, but in 2013 she was presented with an honorary Oscar.
Born in the UK, she moved to the US during the Second World War after the death of her politician father.
Angela Lansbury
She returned to Britain in March to tread the boards in a West End production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit.
It was the same role that 40 year earlier she had won a Tony for on Broadway.Dame Angela now joins others such as Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judi Dench in holding this honour.Others awarded today include sculptor Anthony Gormley who was given a knighthood, and veteran entertainer Nicholas Parsons, who was honoured with a CBE for his lifelong work for children’s charities.