Leading ladies' night

There were no screaming fans or Hollywood heart-throbs to turn Leicester Square into a frenzy of excitement. Instead, the glories of fine acting were celebrated at the royal premiere of Ladies In Lavender starring veteran actresses Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.

In the film the two, both 69, play sisters living together in a post-war Cornish fishing village. Their lives are transformed by the arrival of a handsome Polish castaway, played by Daniel Bruhl, whom they discover on a beach.

The premiere was only the second time Dame Judi had watched herself on the big screen. "I can't bear it," she said. "Seeing your face three times the size of your house? Not good at all."

Ladies In Lavender is the directorial debut of actor Charles Dance, star of The Jewel In The Crown and White Mischief.

He said of his stars: "They are a bit of a double act, they are fantastic. They are the great dames. They're the first ladies of the acting world and they made life very easy for everybody. They don't have any airs and graces. They're there every day at 7am on the set without an entourage and they do it better than anybody else can do."

The pair said it had been a pleasure to work together again. Said Dame Judi: "We had a lot of very good card games, and the weather was lovely so we swam a lot. We had a wonderful time."

Dame Maggie said: "This was Charles's first time directing but he does it like he's done it before. We were all totally in awe of him - he can be quite fierce."

The Queen attended the premiere, which raised money for the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund, of which she has been patron for 52 years.