Julie Walters Says She Weeded the Garden in Celebration of Becoming a Dame

Julie Walters, who was named Dame Commander of the British Empire by the Queen in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace last week, celebrated in the most charming way. The actress, who played the beloved Molly Weasley in seven of the eight Harry Potter films, revealed to Hello! Magazine exactly how she celebrated the prestigious honor.

I weeded the garden.

Damehood, or its male equivalent, knighthood, is bestowed upon individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their field by the reigning monarch. Walters received the honor for her services to drama. She told the Daily Mail that the news came as quite a shock.

I looked at the envelope and thought, ‘ER – what’s that all about?’ I thought it must be something from my MP – I’m always writing to him. But no, it was from the honors committee. All this highfalutin language, all these convoluted sentences… I’m reading it wondering what’s going on here; then finally I saw the word ‘Dame.’ I shouted to my husband, ‘Grant, my God, I’ve been made a Dame. Get down on your knees this instant.’

According to Hello! Magazine, Walters felt surreal during the ceremony.

It’s fantastic; it’s not really real. It was slightly nerve-wracking. ‘When do I curtsey?’ But everyone is the same. It’s one of those things where you feel relieved (when you’ve done it); then you look back and think, ‘How fabulous.’ I thought, ‘I wish my parents were here.’ It was so numbing. The Queen said, “It’s so marvelous that you’ve got this; I’m so pleased,” and “How long have you been doing acting?” I said “43 years,” and she said, ‘In so many different things, well done.’

Walters certainly has acted in many different things. She’s held roles ranging from the titular character in Educating Rita to Rosie in Mamma Mia! and also as one half of the timeless British comedy duo Wood and Walters. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards and has won a Golden Globe, a Laurence Olivier Award, two International Emmy Awards, and multiple BAFTAs. Even with all of these accolades, she does not take herself too seriously. In conversation with the Daily Mail, she joked that the interviewer needed to pay his respects to the newly minted dame.

It has been noted that you haven’t kissed one’s hand.

We pay our deepest respects to you, Dame Julie Walters!