The Lady's ladies of 2014: Part Two
EMMA WATSON
This 24-year-old has proved that there is so much more to her than playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. As well as achieving continued success as an actress – this year she starred in Noah – she is carving out a role as a spokesperson for a generation. Her rousing speech on gender equality at the UN has attracted more than six million views on YouTube.
She says: ‘Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing ideals.’
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
She may have reduced her workload of late, but at 88 years old Her Majesty remains an inspiration. Already the longest-living British monarch and the second-longest-serving current head of state, she will become Britain’s longest-reigning monarch on 9 September 2015. Despite terrorist alerts, she led this year’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations with undaunted devotion and dignity.
She says: ‘To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.’
MARYAM MIRZAKHANI
You have probably never heard of her, but Iranianborn Mirzakhani, who is a professor at Stanford University, this year became the first-ever woman (and the first Iranian) to win the Fields Medal, the world’s most prestigious mathematics prize. At only 37-years-old, she is a role model for young women with an interest in science and mathematics everywhere.
She says: ‘As a kid, I dreamt of becoming a writer. My most exciting pastime was reading novels; in fact, I would read anything I could nd. I never thought I would pursue mathematics before my last year in high school.’
LUPITA NYONG’O
Born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, Nyong’o shot to fame in Steve McQueen’s stunning historical drama 12 Years A Slave, winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her turn as Patsey, the young slave of a brutal Louisiana cotton planter. She is the first black African to win in any category. And she is certainly one to watch in 2015, appearing in next year’s biggest film, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
She says: ‘It broke my heart realising how she [Patsey] had zero choice. All she ever wanted was to be released through death and she didn’t even get that.’
MELINDA GATES
Many of us donate to charity at this time of year, but Melinda Gates and her husband, Microsoft founder Bill, have given away $30bn since 2000 through their charitable foundation. No wonder she was made an honorary Dame of the British Empire in 2013.
She says: ‘We feel like we have a responsibility. Any of us that is lucky enough to grow up in a country like Germany or Great Britain or Japan or the US ought to do something for the rest of the world.’
DAME JUDI DENCH
Dame Judi is always a favourite of The Lady. Charismatic, hardworking and modest, she is one of the great professionals – learning her lines to pinpoint perfection despite failing eyesight. She returns to the big screen early in 2015 in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and recently completed filming as Cecily, Duchess of York in the BBC’s forthcoming The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI Parts I, II and III and Richard III.
She says: ‘I was told that I didn’t have a face to be a screen actress. Well, that was it. That was a time when you had to be quite a looker.’
ANGELA MERKEL
Merkel, a former research scientist, has been leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union since 2000 and German chancellor since 2005; she is the first woman to hold either ofiice. In 2007 she was President of the European Council and chaired the G8 – the second woman to do so (after Margaret Thatcher). In 2012 she was named the world’s second most powerful person by Forbes – the highest rank ever achieved by a woman – and this year she was named the most powerful woman in the world by the same publication. She became the longest-serving incumbent head of government in the EU this year.
She says: ‘After all the wars and boundless suffering, something very special has emerged. We, the citizens of Europe, have united for the better.’
PD JAMES
Dubbed the queen of crime fiction, Phyllis Dorothy James was one of the world’s greatest-ever crime writers, her best-known character being poetry-loving detective Adam Dalgliesh, who appeared in 14 of her novels and was later played in television adaptations by Roy Marsden and then by Martin Shaw. She made us shudder, she made us think. PD James died on 27 November and will be much missed.
She said: ‘I realised that there was never going to be a convenient time to start that first novel. If I didn’t make time, find the motivation, I would be a failed writer, and that would be absolutely appalling for me.’
He is known as the cheeky chappie of the Royal Family, and occasionally finds himself in hot water, but this year Prince Harry revealed more of his serious side. A dedicated military man, he was instrumental in organising the inaugural Invictus Games: a Paralympics-style sporting event for injured servicemen and women. The 30-year-old, who fulfils hundreds of public engagements each year, also shared a secret in support of World Aids Day: he is terrified of public speaking.
He says: ‘Despite the fact that I laugh and joke all the time, I get incredibly nervous, if not anxious, actually, before going into rooms full of people.’
This 24-year-old has proved that there is so much more to her than playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. As well as achieving continued success as an actress – this year she starred in Noah – she is carving out a role as a spokesperson for a generation. Her rousing speech on gender equality at the UN has attracted more than six million views on YouTube.
She says: ‘Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing ideals.’
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
She may have reduced her workload of late, but at 88 years old Her Majesty remains an inspiration. Already the longest-living British monarch and the second-longest-serving current head of state, she will become Britain’s longest-reigning monarch on 9 September 2015. Despite terrorist alerts, she led this year’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations with undaunted devotion and dignity.
She says: ‘To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.’
MARYAM MIRZAKHANI
You have probably never heard of her, but Iranianborn Mirzakhani, who is a professor at Stanford University, this year became the first-ever woman (and the first Iranian) to win the Fields Medal, the world’s most prestigious mathematics prize. At only 37-years-old, she is a role model for young women with an interest in science and mathematics everywhere.
She says: ‘As a kid, I dreamt of becoming a writer. My most exciting pastime was reading novels; in fact, I would read anything I could nd. I never thought I would pursue mathematics before my last year in high school.’
LUPITA NYONG’O
Born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, Nyong’o shot to fame in Steve McQueen’s stunning historical drama 12 Years A Slave, winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her turn as Patsey, the young slave of a brutal Louisiana cotton planter. She is the first black African to win in any category. And she is certainly one to watch in 2015, appearing in next year’s biggest film, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
She says: ‘It broke my heart realising how she [Patsey] had zero choice. All she ever wanted was to be released through death and she didn’t even get that.’
MELINDA GATES
Many of us donate to charity at this time of year, but Melinda Gates and her husband, Microsoft founder Bill, have given away $30bn since 2000 through their charitable foundation. No wonder she was made an honorary Dame of the British Empire in 2013.
She says: ‘We feel like we have a responsibility. Any of us that is lucky enough to grow up in a country like Germany or Great Britain or Japan or the US ought to do something for the rest of the world.’
DAME JUDI DENCH
Dame Judi is always a favourite of The Lady. Charismatic, hardworking and modest, she is one of the great professionals – learning her lines to pinpoint perfection despite failing eyesight. She returns to the big screen early in 2015 in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and recently completed filming as Cecily, Duchess of York in the BBC’s forthcoming The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI Parts I, II and III and Richard III.
She says: ‘I was told that I didn’t have a face to be a screen actress. Well, that was it. That was a time when you had to be quite a looker.’
ANGELA MERKEL
Merkel, a former research scientist, has been leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union since 2000 and German chancellor since 2005; she is the first woman to hold either ofiice. In 2007 she was President of the European Council and chaired the G8 – the second woman to do so (after Margaret Thatcher). In 2012 she was named the world’s second most powerful person by Forbes – the highest rank ever achieved by a woman – and this year she was named the most powerful woman in the world by the same publication. She became the longest-serving incumbent head of government in the EU this year.
She says: ‘After all the wars and boundless suffering, something very special has emerged. We, the citizens of Europe, have united for the better.’
PD JAMES
Dubbed the queen of crime fiction, Phyllis Dorothy James was one of the world’s greatest-ever crime writers, her best-known character being poetry-loving detective Adam Dalgliesh, who appeared in 14 of her novels and was later played in television adaptations by Roy Marsden and then by Martin Shaw. She made us shudder, she made us think. PD James died on 27 November and will be much missed.
She said: ‘I realised that there was never going to be a convenient time to start that first novel. If I didn’t make time, find the motivation, I would be a failed writer, and that would be absolutely appalling for me.’
AND OUR MAN OF THE YEAR…
PRINCE HARRYHe is known as the cheeky chappie of the Royal Family, and occasionally finds himself in hot water, but this year Prince Harry revealed more of his serious side. A dedicated military man, he was instrumental in organising the inaugural Invictus Games: a Paralympics-style sporting event for injured servicemen and women. The 30-year-old, who fulfils hundreds of public engagements each year, also shared a secret in support of World Aids Day: he is terrified of public speaking.
He says: ‘Despite the fact that I laugh and joke all the time, I get incredibly nervous, if not anxious, actually, before going into rooms full of people.’