As a special video was played on screen, Dame Helen said: “Cinema at its best does what Her Majesty did effortlessly – bring us together and unite us through a story. Your Majesty, you were our nation’s leading star.”
The actress, 77, has portrayed the monarch on the silver screen and on the stage, winning an Oscar and Bafta for her depiction in 2006’s biographical drama The Queen.
Prince William appeared to have tears in his eyes during Dame Helen’s tribute as he and Kate appeared at the bash as guests of honour.
The couple walked the red carpet as they arrived at the awards at the Royal Festival Hall before taking their seats in the front row. William looked suave in a black velvet tuxedo, while Kate wowed in a reworked white Alexander McQueen one-shoulder dress with black opera gloves and statement earrings from Zara.
The Queen, who died at the age of 96 in September 2022, had a close association with the Academy which spanned 50 years and saw her donate and support initiatives, as well as attend many events over the years.
In 1972, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh donated the profits from the documentary film Royal Family to the Society of Film and Television Arts (SFTA), which later became the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta), for a new headquarters.
The renaming of the organization occurred during the official opening of the headquarters in 1976, which was conducted by the Queen, and remains the London home of Bafta five decades on.
During her lifetime, the Queen was a patron of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Royal Variety Charity and the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund.
