Helen Mirren's Connection To The Queen Makes Her Tribute Even More Devastating

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the date of the queen's death. It is September 8, not August 8.

Dame Helen Mirren has shared a touching tribute in honor of Queen Elizabeth II following the monarch's death on September 8. Buckingham Palace announced the queen's passing in a statement posted to the official Royal Family Twitter account. "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," the statement read. "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow." The news sent shockwaves across the world as supporters rushed to share tributes to the political leader. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden also mourned the queen's death, and called her "a source of comfort and pride for generations."

Now, actor Helen Mirren — who received the honor of damehood in 2003 – has joined supporters who are expressing their grief. "I am proud to be an Elizabethan," Mirren wrote on Instagram. "We mourn a woman, who, with or without the crown, was the epitome of nobility." Mirren has a strong connection to Elizabeth II, as the actor portrayed the royal monarch in the movie, "The Queen."

Mirren recently opened up about the role, which she called a "nerve-racking" experience. "It was quite nerve-racking because I didn't know — no one knew — how the public would receive it, let alone the establishment in Britain," Mirren told The Hollywood Reporter. And while Mirren could not explicitly confirm if the queen had ever watched the film — which earned Mirren her first Academy Award — the actor said she "got the sense that it had been seen."