News | Entertainment
16 Jul 2025 12:59
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Joanna Lumley "turned rather dim" when she met Queen Elizabeth for the first time

    The 75-year-old actress - who is friends with Prince Charles - was "absolutely terrified" before she came face-to-face with the monarch for the first time, but insisted she was no different to anyone else


    Speaking on 'The Andrew Marr Show', she said: “Even the people who say, ‘What an honour, oh you’ll love it, she’s so friendly’, no matter how much of that goes on you’re absolutely terrified the first time you see the Queen.

    “It’s almost like an electric shock because somebody so familiar is suddenly in front of you.”

    “When she looks at you her eyes are so blue and so you have that shock and you immediately start being rather dim and rather babbly.”

    And the 'Absolutely Fabulous' star admitted she could "never" think of appropriate things to say to the queen and on one occasion she confided in her about her concerns about legalising drugs.

    She said: “I went to one of the lunches at Buckingham Palace and for some extraordinary reason [when] she said, ‘Tell me what you’re doing nowadays’ I said I’m very concerned about legalising drugs.

    “I mean what happened to me, as if she would care, she had no interest in it. Anyway she let me babble on for a little bit because she is very good at listening to people.”

    Joanna previously praised the queen after it was reported the monarch had said she found it "irritating" when world leaders "talk but don't do" when it comes to taking action on climate change.

    The actress said: “Isn’t that terrific? We’re much, much closer to disaster than we think and we want to see something happening now, not all these people rubbing their chins and having a committee meeting and presenting minutes and back-slapping.”

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     16 Jul: Robbie Williams has revealed that his mother no longer knows who he is due to her dementia
     16 Jul: Ellen DeGeneres has thrown her support behind Rosie O'Donnell amid her latest row with Donald Trump
     16 Jul: Armie Hammer's ex-girlfriend, Paige Lorenze, is engaged to tennis star Tommy Paul
     16 Jul: Sarah Jessica Parker has confirmed she dated Nicolas Cage
     16 Jul: AJ McLean reunited with his estranged wife Rochelle DeAnna McLean at the opening night of the Backstreet Boys' residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas
     16 Jul: Eric Idle feels "lucky" to be alive
     16 Jul: Rihanna has "always wanted" a baby girl
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    All Black Sevu Reece has declared himself ready to return to the test arena More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Inflation's back on the rise around the world More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Robbie Williams has revealed that his mother no longer knows who he is due to her dementia 12:40

    Rugby League:
    Former Kiwis fullback Richie Barnett is understanding of the Warriors potentially choosing not to re-sign Te Maire Martin 12:27

    Health & Safety:
    Fears Kiwis are ignorant of the signs of bowel cancer 12:17

    Entertainment:
    Ellen DeGeneres has thrown her support behind Rosie O'Donnell amid her latest row with Donald Trump 12:10

    Law and Order:
    Serious charges over an alleged offending spree - including a man driving the wrong way on Auckland's Southern Motorway 11:57

    Entertainment:
    Armie Hammer's ex-girlfriend, Paige Lorenze, is engaged to tennis star Tommy Paul 11:40

    International:
    Donald Trump announces trade deal with Indonesia with a 19 per cent levy to be imposed 11:17

    Politics:
    China's Premier Li Qiang calls for more economic ties with Australia in meeting with Anthony Albanese 11:17

    National:
    Why the Nazis stole a fragment of the Bayeux tapestry 11:17

    Politics:
    DBCA documents reveal damage to rare forest after hundreds of trees felled by controlled burn 11:17


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd