Helen Mirren Dying Boy [PHOTOS & VIDEO]: 10-Year-Old Cancer Patient Oliver Burton Asks for Tea With Queen Elizabeth II, Actress Grants Wish In Character

The dying wish of 10-year-old Oliver Burton, a boy with Down syndrome who suffers from cancer, was to have tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, but due to the Queen's busy schedule it could not happen. Fortunately, actress Helen Mirren, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the Queen and is currently performing as Elizabeth II in the play "The Audience, found out about Oliver and decided to help out. Oliver was invited to see "The Audience" and then had tea backstage with Mirren, who stayed in character for him.

The National/Regional Children's Tumor Leukaemia and Cancer Trust posted a few pictures to its Facebook page.

To make the experience even more authentic, footmen waited on Oliver, his family and Mirren. Plus the corgis featured in "The Audience" were present since the Queen is often seen with her beloved dogs.

When Oliver was waiting for his limo to take him and his family home, Dame Helen (as the Queen) knighted him with her hand. So he even left with a title! The 67-year-old Oscar winner really went all out for Oliver's wish!

While talking to the Liecester Mercury, Oliver's mother Catherine said:

"Dame Helen was brilliant. She stayed in character the whole time and spent a lot of time talking to Oliver and drawing him out of himself. She signed his British flag, which he waves all the time. Even now, if you ask him who he met recently, he smiles and waves the flag. He believes he met the real Queen and that's fine by us. We were treated like royalty for a day," she continued. "It has provided so many memories for friends and family. It gave us all such a lift."

Click here to see a video report on Helen Mirren's great deed.