Oscar-winning actor Judi Dench has become the oldest person ever to feature on the cover of British Vogue at the age of 85.
Dench appears on the fashion magazine’s June issue, and editor-in-chief Edward Enninful hailed her as “one of the nation’s most beloved citizens” in an Instagram post Monday.
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see Dame Judi Dench, the unassailable queen of stage and screen, starring on her first Vogue cover at the age of 85,” he wrote.
Dench is an iconic actor who is best known for her roles in “Shakespeare In Love” and the James Bond movie “Skyfall.”
Dench was photographed for June’s edition at the beginning of March, before a lockdown was introduced in the UK.
“I am sure I feel like everyone else, such unprecedented times are quite hard to comprehend,” said Dench told the magazine.
“What is a good thing is that it has made people aware of the predicament of others who are completely alone,” she added. “If a great deal of kindness comes out of this, then that will be a plus.”
Dench has become something of an online sensation during coronavirus lockdown, starring in a viral video published by her daughter in March.
In the interview, she discusses life at her Surrey home and her dislike for the word “retirement.”
Dench is wearing Dolce & Gabbana in the cover shot, which was photographed by Nick Knight.
Vogue has been around for more than 125 years, with its British edition launching in 1916.
There have been many attempts by Vogue – and it’s British counterpart – to seemingly challenge conventional beauty standards.
However, readers have criticized the brand for still staying within the fashion industry’s narrow parameters in terms of body shape and skin tone, even as it hails a newly diverse approach.
Enninful took the helm of British Vogue in August 2017.
The Ghana-born, London-raised former model is the first male and non-white editor in the magazine’s history, and he has led a drive to make the magazine more diverse.
Enninful put black British model Adwoa Aboah on the cover of his first ever issue in December 2017 and made Halima Aden the first hijabi woman to feature on the cover of the magazine in 2018.