14 DAY TRIAL // Angelina Jolie is known for her charity work, which is beginning to take more and more time out of her acting career, but she doesn't seem to mind, and her dedication to new causes expands on a global scale. That's the reason she has been made a UN Special Envoy and why she's just received an honorary title of dame in the Queen's birthday honors.
Angelina has spent more of this week in London, where she has acted as co-chairman for a summit on war rape. Her work has been recognized by the Queen, who has decided to bestow on the actress and Hollywood director the title of Dame Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.
Jolie has been in London together with actor Brad Pitt, with whom she is scheduled to be getting married. He is showing support for his future wife's charities, and this time is no different. Jolie has managed to enlist foreign secretary William Hague for her new charity and she has taken the role of co-founder for the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI).
Hague has gone on the record saying how much he admires Jolie's work but also her personality, claiming that she's “a pleasure to work with.” He has later added, “my admiration for her work has grown even greater over the last two years.”
Apart from her anti-rape campaign, Angelina is also a UN special envoy for refugees, another campaign that takes up significant time from her acting career.
She has accepted the honorary title bestowed upon her by the Queen by saying, “to receive an honor related to foreign policy means a great deal to me as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to. Working on PSVI and with survivors of rape is an honor in itself. I know that succeeding in our goals will take a lifetime and I am dedicated to it for all of mine.”
Unfortunately for her, since the title is honorary, she can't be addressed to as “Dame,” a title usually reserved for British citizens. Put bluntly, you have to be born in the United Kingdon to be able to get the title officially added to your name, at which time it becomes “Dame Angelina Jolie.”
The ceremony in which Angelina has received her honorary title has had other people's efforts recognized. For example, Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis has received a knighthood “for services to drama.” Another actor whose efforts have been rewarded is Damian Lewis, who has been “very surprised but very happy” to be named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).