Dame Judi Dench awarded freedom of London

Dame Judi Dench has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London at a ceremony in the capital.

In a video interview with The Telegraph, the actress known to James Bond fans as 'M', said she was "thrilled" to have been given the accolade.

As the paper points out, "many of the traditional rights received with the award are now effectively symbolic, such as being allowed to drive sheep over London Bridge or being hanged with a silken rope."

The award, which is believed to date back to 1237, is still an "honour" for the Oscar winning actress.

She said: "I love London, it's not my city at all, York is my city, but I feel very honoured to be given this. I've been here since I was a student so I've had many, many years here and now I feel like I belong."

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