Dame Judi Dench explains her ‘ageing’ empathy with Queen Victoria
Dame Judi dazzled in a floor-length blue and white outfit as she took to the red carpet for the premiere of Victoria And Abdul.
Dame Judi Dench has said she could empathise with the struggles of ageing faced by her character in her latest film.
The 82-year-old star takes the lead as Queen Victoria in Stephen Frears’ latest work, Victoria And Abdul.
She told the Press Association: “She met somebody with whom she could be completely relaxed with, no formality about it at all.
“She could learn from him and she learnt about the Koran, she learned Urdu from him and she learned to write it.
“You know, I understand that at 80. At 83, all your friends start to die.”
The film tells the true story of the unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria and her Indian attendant Abdul Karim.
Also in attendance was Eddie Izzard, who plays Prince Edward VII.
The cast also includes Olivia Williams as Baroness Churchill, Michael Gambon as Lord Salisbury, and the late Tim Pigott-Smith as Sir Henry Ponsonby.
Victoria And Abdul will officially open in UK cinemas on September 15.
