The Huge Honor The Queen Once Bestowed Upon Angela Lansbury

On October 11 the world learned of the heartbreaking death of Angela Lansbury. The beloved actress — who is known for roles in both theater and film, such as "The Picture of Dorian Gray," "Murder, She Wrote," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," and "Beauty and the Best" according to IMDb – was 96 (via Broadway World). Her children released a statement announcing her passing which read in part, "The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles ... just five days shy of her 97th birthday." 

Lansbury was called the "queen of Broadway," Britannica notes, and was the recipient of five Tony Awards throughout her 75 year career, as Broadway World noted. In addition to receiving high recognition for her career in the theater industry, the "Anastasia" star was also awarded a huge honor by none other than Queen Elizabeth II. 

In April 2014, Queen Elizabeth made Angela Lansbury "very proud" when she named her a dame (via BBC). Earlier that year, the British-born American actress made her return to the London stage after 40 years away. Though she had won many awards for her career on the big screen, Dame Angela Lansbury recalled that the experience with Queen Elizabeth II was different. 

"[The Oscar] is for my work in motion pictures and this is for the overall accomplishments of my life as an actress," she told BBC. "It has afforded me the joy of working in America and also in England a great deal."

The late actress isn't the only Hollywood star to be appointed a dame. Judy Dench, Helen Mirren, and Julie Andrews were also bestowed the honor, according to Town & Country. 

As reported by The Sun, "a damehood is the female equivalent of a knighthood and can only be bestowed upon people by the queen." Now, King Charles III will have the honor of bestowing this title. A damehood is "the highest honor" in Britain.