Donna Langley is officially a dame. More specifically, she’s a Dame Commander of the British Empire.
The U.K.-born Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chair first received the title — the second highest honour in the British order of chivalry — from Queen Elizabeth in her 2020 New Year’s Honors List, but had to wait for the investiture after all in-person ceremonies were put on hold due to due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, at a special ceremony at Windsor Castle, Prince Charles officially presented Langley with her medal.
According to sources, the royal had been well versed in advance of the event, and spoke to Langley about the cinema business and various films she had recently overseen, including Minions: The Rise of Gru.
In an official statement from Prince Charles’ Clarence House Twitter account, Langley was praised not just for overseeing franchises including the Bourne films and Despicable Me, but for the Women in Film Mentorship program she launched with The Hollywood Reporter.
???? Well done to Dame Donna Langley Shamshiri, who was appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire.
In her role at @UniversalPics, Dame Donna has overseen film franchises such as the Bourne movies and @DespicableMe, and launched a Women in Film Mentorship programme with @THR. pic.twitter.com/irpQOwjod1
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) July 12, 2022
On Tuesday evening, after the ceremony, Universal hosted a small event at London’s Claridge’s Hotel with some of the studio’s top international brass — including Niels Swinkels, executive vice president and managing director for Universal Pictures International, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of international distribution — and a select group of media.
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