Queen and Kate welcome British film stars at Buckingham Palace

British film stars got a taste of royalty on Monday night when Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, joined Queen Elizabeth II to host a reception for the dramatic arts at Buckingham Palace.

The reception was to mark the queen's 60 years as patron of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the wider contribution that the dramatic arts make to national life. 

Kate, 32, wore a red Alexander McQueen dress that she previously donned for the queen's Diamond Jubilee festivities in 2012.

Among the 250 guests in attendance were Helena Bonham-Carter, Joan Collins, Uma Thurman, Joely Richardson, Angela Lansbury, Hugh Laurie, Michael Sheen, Roger Moore, "12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen and Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for playing Elizabeth II in "The Queen" and had been honored the previous evening by Prince William at the BAFTA Awards. 

Mirren and Kate reportedly shared a laugh at the reception while discussing how William jokingly referred to the actress as "granny" at Sunday's ceremony, where he had presented her with a special fellowship award.

The royals chatted with some of the attendees Monday before they were all treated to a performance by current Royal Academy of Dramatic Art students in the palace ballroom. Mirren joined the actors on stage for the finale, reciting a speech from Shakespeare's "The Tempest." 

This was the latest in a series of public appearances for Kate this past month. She also attended a charity gala at the National Portrait Gallery (to which she wore a dazzling necklace borrowed from the queen) and spent Valentine's Day at a high school where she visited a facility run by The Art Room, one of the charities she supports.