King Charles and Queen Camilla have shared a heartwarming tribute following the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

The king said in a statement: “My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dame Maggie Smith.”

“As the curtain falls on a national treasure, we join everyone around the world in remembering with the greatest admiration and affection her many great performances and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage.”

Actress Dame Maggie Smith was best known for her roles in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, and even won two Oscars during her career – for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite ” in 1979.

Her family said she died on September 27 at the age of 89. A family statement said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.”

“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning on Friday September 27th. She was a very private person and ended up hanging out with friends and family. She leaves behind two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

The family's statement continued: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and tireless kindness during her final days.”

“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy during this time.”

Smith spent seven decades delighting audiences of all ages with starring roles on television, films and countless stage productions.

In 1990 she was honored by Queen Elizabeth II for her “contribution to the arts” and the monarch gave her the title of Dame.

She was also appointed a Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honor for her services to the theater on the occasion of the late Queen's birthday in 2014. The title is awarded to men and women for recognized services of national importance.

Dame Maggie belonged to a generation of female artists that included Judi Dench. She studied at the Oxford High School for Girls and later at the Oxford Playhouse School and initially received several supporting roles at the beginning of her career.

In recent years, she was introduced to a whole new generation of fans when she played Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films and Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey.

Dame Maggie married fellow actor Robert Stephens in 1967 and had two sons together before divorcing in 1975. In the same year she married the writer Beverley Cross, who died in 1998.

Dame Maggie Smith is survived by her two sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, who are also actors, and five grandchildren.

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