Helen Mirren - The Queen Is Losing Her Posh Accent, Says Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren is perhaps known best for her role of our monarch Queen Elizabeth II and as such she has a good idea of how she acts and speaks, something that the actress says has changed over the years.

According to Mirren, who will be returning to her role as the monarch for a new stage show titled The Accused, the 60 year serving sovereign has developed a more estuary accent and sounds a little more like her less-regal subjects. Dame Helen has admitted that, in studying for the role, she noticed that the Queen has maintained a consistent dress sense, hairstyle and professional attitude of the years, but one slight change in that time has occurred, in the accent that the Queen has used. 'Her voice has changed, and I can use that... she had a terribly posh voice when she was young,' said the actress to The Daily Mail. 'But now even the Queen, while she isn't quite dropping the ends of her lines - though her grandsons do - there's a tiny bit of estuary creeping in there.'

For the new stage show, Dame Helen, is returning to the role that won her an Oscar in 2007, for the 2006 film The Queen. Her new role will see her play Queen Elizabeth in different parts in her reign, starting at the age of 25 and leading up to the present day. The play, written by acclaimed playwright Peter Morgan, will look at the Queen's weekly meetings with various prime ministers throughout her reign, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron.

The Accused will hit the West End in February next year and run on until July at the Gielgud Theatre.