Geek Girl and Cutting It actress Sarah Parish has shared details of her heartwarming conversation with King Charles when she was awarded her MBE on Wednesday.
In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, the 57-year-old star revealed that the monarch bonded over his passion for fishing with her actor husband, The Crown's James Murray – who also received an MBE - and showed compassion for their charity work in paediatric care.
The acting couple founded The Murray Parish Trust after the tragic loss of their daughter, Ella-Jayne, aged eight months in January 2009.
They have now rebranded their organisation as Imagine This, the only UK charity solely focused on the mental health of seriously ill children and their families.
Speaking of the special day at Windsor Castle, Sarah tells us: "I had a really nice chat with the King and got to see the castle and all my family, so it was a really lovely day.
"The King asked us about the charity and about our day jobs as actors, and then he said, 'Oh you probably don't get much time for anything else'."
"Jim had a tie with salmon on, and he pointed at it and said, 'Oh, I do a bit of fishing'. The King said, 'Oh yes I noticed that on your tie'.
"Jim's a very keen fisherman, so they had a little chat about fishing," she adds. His Royal Highness is the patron of the Atlantic Salmon Trust, of which James Murray is also an ambassador."
Keeping Ella-Jayne's memory alive
Remembering her daughter Ella-Jayne, who sadly passed away from a congenital heart defect, Sarah says: "Ella-Jayne would be 16 now. Making a charity was by far the best thing Jim and I ever did because it keeps Ella-Jayne's memory alive and it keeps her with us every day."
Their 15-year-old daughter Nelly accompanied the couple to Windsor Castle, with Sarah telling us: "She came with us. She was very proud, and she had her photo taken."
Of the Murray Parish Trust's rebranding as Imagine This, the actress says: "We found a gap in the system, which basically is the mental health of seriously ill children."
"Imagine This will deliver creative projects to all the hospitals and hospices in the UK for seriously ill children that just need a bit of help, because these children are far more likely to suffer from mental health issues."
"It's like putting a bomb in the middle of a family. When a child is taken seriously ill and they have a life threatening or life limiting disease or illness, then the whole family is really affected."
"They're stuck in hospital, coming to terms with terrifying diagnosis, painful treatments, they're away from their families and friends. They really do suffer, as do their families."
Supporting families
"There's not a lot of support out there for them because, quite rightly, the NHS prioritise medical treatment, so we have scooped that up and we're the only charity in the UK solely dedicated to looking after the mental wellbeing of seriously ill children.
"We've got so many fun projects going into Great Ormond Street… yoga, dance, meditation, art and music. It's a good one for Jim and I, because it's got an arty edge to it, which obviously suits us as actors very much.
Sarah says that when Ella-Jayne was ill, their own mental health suffered, and help would have been appreciated.
"We support the parents and siblings because more often than not one of the parents will have to give up work," she says. "The siblings sometimes become carers, and their childhood is very much affected."
"It's like putting a bomb in the middle of a family. When a child is taken seriously ill and they have a life threatening or life limiting disease or illness, then the whole family is really affected."
Work Projects
As well as her charity work, Sarah is known for her many on-screen roles, and we're about to see her in two upcoming shows.
"I've just finished filming the second series of an ITV comedy called Piglets, and I'm now filming the second series of a Netflix series called Geek Girl. Both of those series will probably come out early next year," she shares.
The star has one ambition left to fulfil, and it sounds pretty fun.
"I want to do something with a dragon in it," she tells us. "I want to be in one of these great big fantasy series, like Wednesday or a new Game of Thrones, where I'm a witch or something like that. I think that would be fun."
For more information on Imagine This, visit imaginethis.org.uk or follow on Instagram at @imaginethischarity