Dames Vanessa Redgrave and Andrea Leadsom to be honoured at Buckingham Palace

Acclaimed actress Dame Vanessa Redgrave and Conservative former minister Dame Andrea Leadsom are among those due to receive honours at Buckingham Palace.

Dame Vanessa is being recognised for services to drama, while Dame Andrea is being honoured for political service.

Dame Vanessa, 85, has been nominated for six Academy Awards during her career, winning the Oscar for best supporting actress in 1977 for her role in Julia, in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda.

When it was announced she was being made a dame in the New Year Honours, she said she was “surprised and grateful to join this wondrous group of British artists whose work has inspired me and audiences the world over”.

As well as her acting career she has also been a tireless activist for a number of causes, including calling for better support for the cultural sector and joining  protests in 2020 over plans to cut jobs following the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Dame Andrea, MP for South Northamptonshire, entered Parliament in 2010 after a 25-year career in banking and finance.

A prominent Brexiteer, the former business secretary resigned as leader of the House of Commons in 2019 amid a backlash against former prime minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan.

Dame Andrea said she was “deeply honoured” to be recognised when her damehood was announced in June last year, adding: “It is an immense privilege to be recognised for service to politics.”

Also to be honoured on Thursday are royal protection officer Sergeant Emma Probert, who has guarded the Princess of Wales, and royal household chef Mark Flanagan, who oversaw the dishes served at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding reception, among other royal events.

Sergeant Emma Probert has been made a member of the Royal Victorian Order for services to royalty and specialist protection, while Mr Flanagan has been made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for his role as assistant to the Master of the Household in catering and as a chef in the royal household.