Helen Mirren Grants Dying Boy’s Wish After Queen Declines

Helen Mirren is not the Queen. She is, however, the next best thing. Dame Helen Mirren had tea with a dying boy this week after the 10-year-old said that his last wish to have tea with the queen.

The Queen couldn’t fit Oliver Burton into her busy schedule so Helen Mirren stepped in to grant the dying boy’s wish.

Mirren, who is currently playing her Royal Highness in the play The Audience at the Gielgud Theater. The gracious actress invited Burton and his family to come see the play and after the performance she sat down and had tea and cakes with the little boy.

Oliver’s father James told The Daily Mail: “She stayed in character for the whole thing. Oliver thought she was the real Queen, and well, that’s good enough for us … She was really lovely. She did the whole thing – had a butler there, was dressed in costume and did it all properly for him.”

Mirren, who “knighted” Burton shortly after tea, said: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet such a brave young man.”

According to Gawker, Burton has Down’s syndrome and has been battling cancer for several years. Recently, he was diagnosed with terminal spine and bone marrow cancer.

Burton may have been a little disappointed that the real Queen couldn’t make it but he was to be pretty happy to meet the Queen’s understudy Helen Mirren. After all, she did knight him and told his parents that they have to call him Sir Oliver from now on.

James said: ‘She knighted him and told everyone that they had to call him Sir Oliver. He had a brilliant day.”

Ahh RT @stuartsjones: Helen Mirren Has Tea with Dying Boy After Actual Queen Says No zite.to/13GdNdG

— Peter Serafinowicz (@serafinowicz) May 22, 2013

[Image Via Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]