Dame Maureen Lipman borrowed Corrie hat for big day at Windsor Castle
Dame Maureen Lipman has revealed she turned to the Coronation Street wardrobe department for a hat to wear when she was made a dame commander.
The popular performer borrowed seven hats from the Corrie set and canvassed friends the night before her big day about which one to wear at the Windsor Castle event hosted by the Prince of Wales.
The 75-year-old actress was made a dame commander for services to charity, entertainment and the arts in a career lasting more than 50 years.
Her lengthy CV includes everything from a comedy turn in a BT advert that had the memorable line “you’ve got an ology?”, to a supporting role in the acclaimed comedy-drama Educating Rita, alongside Sir Michael Caine and Dame Julie Walters.
She has found a new audience in recent years through her appearance on the ITV soap as Evelyn Plummer since 2018, after a brief cameo in 2002.
Dame Maureen said after the ceremony: “The fact that the future monarch has given me a damehood – I never expected that because I had an award.
“And then it’s been a long time coming because I heard about it in 2020 and then I couldn’t collect it. And so the coat you bought becomes like something you don’t want to wear.
“Then it becomes ‘what the heck do I wear on my head?’, and then in the end I went to Coronation Street and I said ‘have you got any fascinators in wardrobe?’ and they gave me seven.”
Speaking about how she finally chose the black headpiece, she said: “I travelled back from Manchester with seven hats and on Tuesday I had friends round and they said ‘wear that, no that, not that’ and I completely blew it this morning and changed my mind.”
