Oliver Burton’s dying wish was to visit Buckingham Palace and have afternoon tea with the Queen.
Unfortunately, Her Royal Highness was unable to fit the 10-year-old into her busy schedule of waving at crowds from afar — so understudy Dame Helen Mirren stepped in to take her place.
Oliver, who has Down’s syndrome, has been battling various forms of cancer almost his entire life, and was recently diagnosed with terminal spine and bone marrow cancer.
But last week, for a brief wondrous afternoon, his troubles took a backseat to a meeting with the One True Queen.
Mirren brought Oliver and his family to Gielgud Theatre to see her play the Queen in Peter Morgan’s The Audience.
Still dressed as the Queen, she then invited Oliver backstage to have tea and cakes (served by footmen!) and meet her corgis.
Mirren even took the time to knight Oliver, giving him the official title of Sir.
“She stayed in character for the whole thing. Oliver thought she was the real Queen, and well, that’s good enough for us,” Oliver’s father James Browne is quoted as saying.
“It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet such a brave young man,” Mirren later told The Sun.

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Dame Helen Mirren attends the Chelsea Flower Show press and VIP preview day at Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 20, 2013 in London, England.
Gallery link:
Public Appereances > Events from 2013 > Chelsea Flower Show – Press & VIP Preview Day
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Thanks to my friend Nicole I’ve added more Hqs to The Laurence Olivier Awards albums.
Gallery links:
Public Appereances > Events from 2013 > The Laurence Olivier Awards – Arrivals
Public Appereances > Events from 2013 > The Laurence Olivier Awards – Press Room
Public Appereances > Events from 2013 > The Laurence Olivier Awards – After Party
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Dame Helen Mirren said she thinks she enjoys playing the part of the Queen after winning the Best Actress award at the Oliviers. Dame Helen said the power of the Queen lies in her “self-control”.
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The always beautiful and classy Helen yesterday in London. Awesome! I’ve collected 126 HQs of the event between arrivals and press room. Enjoy them!
Gallery links:
Public Appereances > Events from 2013 > The Laurence Olivier Awards – Arrivals
Public Appereances > Events from 2013 > The Laurence Olivier Awards – Press Room
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Mirren was born Helen Lydia Mironoff in Queen Charlotte's Hospital, Chiswick, West London. Her father, Vasiliy Petrovich Mironov (1913-1980), was of Russian origin, and her mother, Kitty (née Kathleen Alexandrina Eva Matilda Rogers; 1909-1996), was English. Mirren's paternal grandfather, Colonel Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov, was in the Tsarist Army and fought in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. 
































