Catherine Zeta-Jones left feeling ‘homesick’ over Queen’s death after leaving Wales for America: ‘A piece of me has gone’-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro

Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined the ongoing stream of celebrities paying tribute to the Queen (Picture: Getty Images)

Catherine Zeta-Jones has said a ‘piece of [her] has gone’ following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Tributes for the Queen are continuing to pour in following Her Majesty’s death on September 8 at the age of 96. 

The monarch died at her home in Balmoral, Scotland with her eldest children King Charles III and Princess Royal, Anne, by her side. Several other members of the Royal family, including Prince William and Princes Andrew and Edward, also rushed to be by her side. 

While many scheduled events in the UK have been cancelled over the coming days as a mark of respect, Disney D23 Expo went ahead as planned over in Anaheim, California this weekend. 

Zeta-Jones made an appearance at a panel to promote upcoming Disney Plus series Natural Treasure: Edge of History. 

She took the opportunity to pay tribute to the Queen and share fond memories of growing up in Wales with the late monarch as a role model. 

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8 aged 96 at her home in Balmoral where she had been spending summer (Picture: Getty Images)

Zeta-Jones appeared at Disney D23 Expo 2022 in California on Saturday where she said she felt ‘homesick’ for Wales (Picture: Getty Images)

Zeta-Jones appeared at the event to promote her Disney Plus series National Treasure: Edge of History (Picture: Getty Images)

‘I’m a big royalist and I love the royal family and what they do for our country,’ Zeta-Jones told the audience. 

‘As a girl growing up in Wales, in Britain, in the UK, I had my mum who was the strongest, safest person to be with but I also had a Queen.’ 

‘And I don’t just mean that she was a queen sitting on a throne, we’re at Disney where queens and princesses are the topic du jour, but a woman who was a real inspiration. 

‘I’m in a country that has never had a woman as a figure of leadership, of power and of respect, and so I shall miss her dearly.’ 

Zeta-Jones, 52, was born in Swansea and, after wowing British audiences on the small screen in The Darling Buds of May, got her big Hollywood break in 1998 blockbuster movie The Mask of Zorro. 

Zeta-Jones rose to fame starring in British TV series The Darling Buds of May inthe 1990s (Picture: Getty Images)

She then shot to Hollywood fame starring in the 1998 blockbuster The Mask of Zorro alongside Antonio Banderas (Picture: Getty Images)

Zeta-Jones lives in the US with husband Michael Douglas and their two children (Picture: Getty Images)

Reacting to the Queen’s death, the actress continued: ‘I kept calling my mother on FaceTime and going “do you feel how I feel?” and they said “yeah”. 

‘I don’t know whether it’s because I’m British but I just felt like a little piece of me had gone.’ 

She added: ‘There will never be a queen in my lifetime again, but it was a very strange feeling. (I felt) very homesick, very proud of my heritage.’ 

Queen Elizabeth II’s hearse began its journey through Scotland on Sunday at 10am (Picture: PA)

Thousands have lined the path to catch a glimpse of the hearse and police convoy accompanying the Queen on her final journey (Picture: EPA)

The Queen’s coffin has been draped with the Royal Standard and a wreath (Picture: Reuters)

The Queen’s funeral will take place on September 19 in London (Picture: Rex Features)

Zeta-Jones also said she believes King Charles, who has been formally proclaimed the new monarch in ceremonies across the UK this weekend, would do an ‘exceptional job’ as the ‘baton was passed’. 

The actress lives in California with husband and fellow actor Michael Douglas, and their two children Dylan, 22, and Carys, 19. 

National Treasure: Edge of History follows a ‘brilliant and resourceful’ young woman who embarks on a mission to find answers about her family’s history, while trying to recover a lost Pan American treasure with the help of her friends. 

Over in the UK, the Queen’s hearse began its journey from Balmoral through Scotland to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The late monarch will then lie in state for two days before making her final journey down to London by plane accompanied by her daughter Anne. 

It has been confirmed the Queen’s funeral will take place on September 19 in London, which has also been made a Bank Holiday.

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