Story highlights
Queen Elizabeth's support for British film and television is recognized with an award
The queen is described as "the most memorable Bond girl yet" for a cameo last year
She appeared with actor Daniel Craig, as James Bond, for the Olympics opening ceremony
The queen was given the award at a Windsor Castle reception by actor Kenneth Branagh
It’s not every day a queen plays a Bond girl. But for the opening of the London Olympic Games last summer, Queen Elizabeth II did just that, in a cameo alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond.
With that and decades of support for British film and TV in mind, she was presented Thursday with an honorary BAFTA.
British Academy of Film and Television Arts chairman John Willis joked that she was “the most memorable Bond girl yet.”
Actor Kenneth Branagh, himself a BAFTA winner, presented the award at a star-studded reception at Windsor Castle.
Read: James Bond on Her Majesty’s Secret Service
BAFTA said it was “in recognition of her outstanding patronage of the film and television industries” in the course of her 60-year reign.
Over the years, the queen “has visited countless film and television organisations, supporting their efforts by shining a light on the work they do,” BAFTA said.
Her husband, Prince Philip, was appointed as the first BAFTA president in 1959, and other members of the royal family have served in the role since.
Prince William, the queen’s grandson, took up the role of president in 2010.
