She is best known as Dynasty’s scheming Alexis Colby, but it was for her charitable work that Joan Collins was honoured on Thursday.
The mother-of-three was accompanied by her fifth husband Percy Gibson, 49, and her 51-year-old daughter Tara Newley to a lavish ceremony at Buckingham Palace where she was awarded her damehood by Prince Charles.
The veteran actress, 81, wore a striking white dress with a cape that she designed herself for the occasion, topping off her typically glamorous ensemble with a pillbox hat complete with a veil.
After the ceremony the star posed for pictures with her proud daughter, who also turned heads in an eye-catching red Vivienne Westwood dress and tartan jacket.
Dame Joan said she was “thrilled” to be a Dame of the British Empire, adding: “Not in a billion years did I think I would be made a Dame, it never crossed my mind. It wasn’t anything I aspired to, I just wanted to be jobbing actress and somebody who could still perform.”
She went on to say: “I hope I can live up to what being a Dame means. When you go to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, becoming a Dame is not something that is expected, it’s not on the curriculum.”
The star also revealed that while accepting her DBE from Prince Charles, they had a “very, very nice chat” about The Prince’s Trust.
Her charity work includes supporting the NSPCC, breast cancer research and children with learning disabilities.
