Queen Elizabeth II Bragged About Helen Mirren to a Sheikh — But He Didn’t Recognize the Actress

British actress Helen Mirren has recalled a funny encounter with Queen Elizabeth II, who introduced the Oscar winner to a sheikh as the actress who had portrayed her on screen. The man, however, appeared to have no idea who Mirren was or what film the Queen was referring to.

Mirren won an Academy Award in 2007 for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in the drama The Queen. Eleven years later, the actress had the rare opportunity to enjoy tea with the monarch herself and her husband, Prince Philip. The meeting took place in 2018 during Royal Ascot.

Speaking on the TODAY show, Mirren recalled that the guests spent most of their time discussing horses — a subject she knew very little about.

“I had very little to contribute to the conversation. Then the Queen introduced me to some sheikh, saying, ‘This is Dame Helen Mirren. You know, she played me in a movie,’” the actress recalled.

The man’s reaction was unexpected. “The sheikh looked completely bewildered. He seemed to know nothing about the film or about me,” Mirren said.

But the awkward moments did not end there. During the tea gathering, the actress encountered another unexpected dilemma: she could not remember the correct way to address Prince Philip.

Mirren wanted to ask him to pass the milk jug, which was on the other side of him, but could not decide whether to call him “Sir,” “Your Majesty” or “Your Royal Highness.”

“I thought perhaps I should ask one of the staff to help me. In the end, I just gave up and drank my tea without milk because I couldn’t handle the situation,” the actress admitted.