Angela Lansbury Was 'Very Proud' to Be Made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth

Janine Henni
·2 min read
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Angela Lansbury is made a Dame Commander by Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire
Angela Lansbury is made a Dame Commander by Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire
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Angela Lansbury's mantle of accolades was made complete with a royal honor.

The London-born actress best known for her role on CBS' Murder, She Wrote died Tuesday at age 96, leaving a legacy that includes six Tony Awards, a 1996 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, a 1997 American National Medal of the Arts, a 2000 Kennedy Center Honor, an honorary Oscar and a 2014 damehood from Queen Elizabeth.

Born in 1925, just one year before the Queen, Lansbury received the honor (the female equivalent of a knight) for her lifetime acting achievements and charity work eight years ago.

"It is a very proud day for me to be recognized by the country of my birth, and to meet the Queen under these circumstances is a rare and lovely occasion," the star told Sky News at the time.

Queen Elizabeth II meets guests, including (L-R) Lenny Henry, Steve McQueen, Lynda La Plante, Dame Angela Lansbury and Alan Rickman during the Dramatic Arts reception at Buckingham Palace
Queen Elizabeth II meets guests, including (L-R) Lenny Henry, Steve McQueen, Lynda La Plante, Dame Angela Lansbury and Alan Rickman during the Dramatic Arts reception at Buckingham Palace

Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images

RELATED: Angela Lansbury, Screen and Broadway Icon, Dead at 96

Lansbury previously met King Charles III at the British Consulate in Los Angeles in 1994, and she greeted the Queen at a Dramatic Arts reception at Buckingham Palace two decades later.

PRINCE CHARLES WITH ANGELA LANSBURY AT THE LA BRITISH CONSULATE
PRINCE CHARLES WITH ANGELA LANSBURY AT THE LA BRITISH CONSULATE

Hulton Archive/Getty

The stage, screen and TV star was made a dame at an investiture ceremony in Windsor in April 2014. At the time, she was playing the spiritualist Madame Arcati in a London production of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. The honor meant she joined the ranks of other iconic acting dames like Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Andrews, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren.

For more on Angela Lansbury, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

When the Broadway legend's family confirmed her death to PEOPLE, they referred to her as Dame Angela Lansbury.

Angela Lansbury being made a Dame Commander by Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire
Angela Lansbury being made a Dame Commander by Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire

PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

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"The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday," they said in a statement.

Angela Lansbury poses with her Dame Commander (DBE) medal given to her by Queen Elizabeth II at an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle
Angela Lansbury poses with her Dame Commander (DBE) medal given to her by Queen Elizabeth II at an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle

Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images

"In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury," the statement continued. "She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined."