Oscar winner Helen Mirren (right) is expected to grace Beijing with her presence to promote the local release of The Queen, in which she portrays Queen Elizabeth II. The movie was inspired by the late Princess Diana who died in a high-speed limousine crash in Paris on August 31, ten years ago.

The film's Chinese distributor as saying that Mirren is planning a trip to the capital in late September, while another source says the date is in October.

The 2006 film, directed by Stephen Frears, takes a behind-the-scene glimpse at Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family following the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Mirren won best actress at last year's Academy Awards for her portrait of the Queen.

The film won several other top awards, including a best actress award of the 2006 Venice Film Festival, best screenplay of the same year's British Independent Film Awards, as well as Mirren's Oscar and Golden Globe wins.

(China Daily 09/06/2007 page6)