Mirren cynical about Diana grief

Helen Mirren has revealed that she distrusted the public's outpouring of grief after the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

The actress won an Oscar for playing the title role in 2006 movie The Queen, which centred on the royal family's reaction in the days following the news.

However, she insisted that she could not recall where she had been when the story broke, saying: "I honestly can't remember where I was when Princess Diana was killed. I was in America but don't recall where. Everyone I know says they remember that moment, but I do not."

Talking about the unprecedented public mourning following the fatal car crash, she said: "I did not see [it] as grief. I saw it as people, like addicts, having their drugs taken away from them."

She added: "I think she was this great thing and then she suddenly was gone. It was like our heroin, our junk. Don’t take our junk; don’t put us on cold turkey, we can’t stand it. The terror of losing that addiction was huge. I think it’s still there to some extent."