Dame Helen Mirren underwent a dramatic transformation for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, as she played the role of Queen Elizabeth I.
The event, titled A Gallop Through History, was broadcast on ITV to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
Dame Helen, 76, looked completely regal as she took on the role, dressed in a golden gown and stiffened corset.
She also wore pale white makeup in the style of the historic Queen, and a curly red wig.
The actress, who also played Queen Elizabeth in a two-part drama in 2005, performed her famous speech to the troops at Tilbury where she declared: ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.’
Taking on royal roles is sure to be second nature to Dame Helen by now – as well as this being the second time she’s played Elizabeth I, she has also played the current Queen twice.
She starred as Queen Elizabeth II in the film The Queen, which she won an Academy Award for, and in the West End play The Audience.
Alongside Dame Helen, a cast of Queen’s Players were introduced by a character called ‘The Herald’ played by Omid Djalili. The Herald whisked viewers through time linking the acts together, narrating and anchoring the stories.
The event showed moments from history like Elizabeth I’s Tilbury Speech and James I and the Gunpowder Plot and celebrated the Commonwealth, as well as the four nations of the UK.
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It saw appearances from stars including: Adjoa Andoh, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ant and Dec, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Mo Farah, Dame Maureen Lipman, Sir David Jason, Alan Titchmarsh, Dame Kelly Holmes, Moira Stuart and Sir Trevor McDonald.
It also featured 1300 performers and 500 horses and is made up of four acts which were overseen by hosts Tom Cruise, Damian Lewis, Adjoa Andoh and Alan Titchmarsh.
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There were also be performances from Keala Settle, Gregory Porter and Katherine Jenkins.
Queen Elizabeth, who is already the longest-reigning British monarch in history, marked 70 years on the throne in February but the celebrations for the event will take place in June.
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