IN HER OWN WORDS

Helen Mirren was invited to a royal dinner with Queen Elizabeth — whom she has played on stage and screen — at horse-racing mecca Ascot. The actress wasn’t able to have milk with her tea because she’d forgotten what to call the Queen’s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. Here’s how it went down:

It was in Ascot, the horsey place which I hardly ever go to but my husband, Taylor (Hackford), loves the horses. The Queen invited me because she knew I was there. I thought it was going to be in a room with 200 other people, which is how I met her once before. I walk in and there’s, like, eight people sitting around a table.

It was Prince Philip, the Queen, a Sheikh from somewhere or other, and a couple of horsey people. I know absolutely noth- ing about horses and the Queen knows everything about horses. I’m sitting in between Prince Philip and the Sheikh and the Queen is across the table.

I’m desperately trying to make polite conversation … and then I got my cup of tea and the Queen and Prince Philip are having a very intense conversation about what’s in the sandwiches. The milk is on the other side of Prince Philip, and I want some milk in my tea but my brain goes completely dead and I cannot remember how I’m supposed to address Prince Philip.

Is it sir? Is it Your Majesty? Is it Your Highness? Or Phil? Is it rude to ask him to pass the milk? Am I supposed to look for a (server)?

So I finished up not having any milk in my tea. I just couldn’t sort it out in my head. It was a lesson in embarrassment, really. WENN