THE Isle of Wight family of inspirational Hollywood movie executive Dame Donna Langley celebrated with her this week after she received her damehood from Prince Charles.
The most senior honour in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was bestowed on the former Lake Middle School and Carisbrooke High School pupil, at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
Due to Covid travel restrictions, Dame Donna had been unable to come to the UK to receive her accolade, after she was given the honour in the annual Queen’s honours list for 2020.
Dame Donna is chair of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and was named a dame for services to film and entertainment.
Scroll down to watch inspirational speech made by Dame Donna in 2019
She originally arrived in Los Angeles with no credentials or connections, and rose to become a major Hollywood movie executive, becoming the first British woman to head a major film studio.
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Franchises she has presided over include Fast and Furious, Jurassic World, the Bourne series, Pitch Perfect, Illumination’s Despicable Me as well as Fifty Shades and Mamma Mia.
Dame Donna originally nominated her mother, Ann, to support her at the ceremony at Windsor Castle, but due to ongoing health problems, Ann declined. Dame Donna's sister Andrea Page, who lives on the Island, was honoured to attend instead, and the family all got together afterwards for a meal.
Her parents, Ann and John, live in Newport.
This week, they told the County Press: "Such an achievement for a normal Isle of Wight schoolgirl from Carisbrooke High and Lake Middle schools.
"We are continually guilty of singing her praises, yet when we meet her off-duty, none of the Hollywood glitz and razzmatazz follows her.
"To us, she is and always has been, just our loving girl who has made the big time by personal honesty and endeavour in a world dominated by powerful male entities."
The youngest person to be appointed a dame was sailor Ellen MacArthur, a fellow Islander, at the age of 28, in 2005.
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