Mirren thrilled by Beckham

Updated 07.26 Tue May 22 2007
Keywords: greatest Britons, David Beckham, Helen Mirren, Queen

Dame Helen Mirren was made to go weak at the knees when she met David Beckham at the Greatest Britons awards ceremony.

The Oscar-winning actress was there to collect the prize in the film category for her portrayal of the Queen, while Beckham flew in from Spain to pick up the award for global achievement.

The Oscar-winning actress was there to collect the prize in the film category for her portrayal of the Queen, while Beckham flew in from Spain to pick up the award for global achievement

When they bumped into each other on the red carpet, the 61-year-old actress was overjoyed, exclaiming: "Well that was a thrill of a lifetime."

The Queen was voted the Greatest Living Briton, beating off contenders such as Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Julie Andrews, Baroness Thatcher and Robbie Williams.

Her son Prince Edward paid tribute to his mother via a video transmission as the Queen was not present to collect the award.

Other winners who weren't there to collect their awards were Amy Winehouse, who won the award for music, and Ricky Gervais, who landed the TV gong.

Adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the first man to reach both the north and south poles by land, won in the Sports category.

A number of celebrities attended the event, including Geri Halliwell, Myleene Klass and Bob Geldof.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.