The actress who rose to fame for her striking resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96.
Jeanette Charles had been living in Essex but died in a care home in Great Baddow on Sunday.
She had lived to be the same age as the Queen.
In a 2022 interview, Charles recalled the likeness was first spotted when she was only 11 to the then Princess Elizabeth.
But it was her uncanny resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II spotted in a painting in 1971 that led her to later play the Queen in films such as Naked Gun and Austin Powers.
In an article for the Guardian in 2022, she recounted the media frenzy that followed her request of a portrait from Jane Thornhill’s portrait-painting service. Charles wrote: "After that, my phone didn't stop ringing - I was interviewed for newspapers, magazines and radio, and an agent said my resemblance to the Queen could be a money-spinner."
Jeannette Charles (15 October 1927 – 2 June 2024) R.I.P - Jeannette was a British actress who often portrayed Queen Elizabeth II due to her resemblance to the monarch. pic.twitter.com/6bOZEfk7Sm
— 🇬🇧📺 Classic British TV 📺🇬🇧 (@Classicbritcom) June 5, 2024
For roles, she had to adopt the Queen’s mannerisms and studied her voice.
Charles was widely acknowledged as one of the industry’s favourite impersonators and was inundated with film offers ahead of her retirement in 2014.
As touching tributes have poured in, her daughter Carol Christophi released an emotional statement. She said: "Mum was a real character and a force of nature. She had an amazing life," the Mirror reported.
