Angelina Jolie can add royal recognition to Hollywood stardom. The Oscar-winning actor has been named an honorary dame — the female version of a knight — by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
Jolie, a United Nations special envoy, received the honour on Friday for her work combating sexual violence in war zones.
Jolie has spoken of scaling back her movie roles to focus on humanitarian work. She said: "To receive an honour related to foreign policy means a great deal to me, as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to."
Jolie, 39, has been made a dame of the British Empire — one of the highest honors awarded by Britain — for raising global awareness of violence against women as the co-founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. However, because she is a foreign citizen, she cannot be addressed as "dame," and the award was given on an honorary basis.
Previous US recipients of honorary knighthoods include director Steven Spielberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former President Ronald Reagan.
Jolie, who was in London this week to co-host an international summit on sexual violence, was among hundreds of people recognised in the queen's annual Birthday Honours List for services to their community or national life.
