Dame Judi Dench revealed secret tribute to late Dame Maggie Smith

Dame Judi Dench revealed her very special, secret tribute to her longtime friend, the late Dame Maggie Smith.

The actress shared a poignant tribute to her close friend and fellow acting legend Dame Maggie Smith, who passed away in September at the age of 89.

As part of a deeply personal tradition, Dame Judi plants trees in memory of friends who have died. Remarkably, on the day of Dame Maggie’s funeral, a sapling planted in her honor bore its first fruit.

“Joe, who works for me, came in and he had one little crab apple,” Dame Judi told the BBC.

“And so I had it in my pocket at her funeral, which was a very nice thing to have.” She shared the touching story in an interview recorded for *Maggie Smith at the BBC*, a special tribute set to air on December 28.

The two iconic actresses first met in 1957 in a dressing room at The Old Vic theatre, sparking a friendship that spanned decades.

They collaborated on numerous projects, including A Room With A View (1985), Ladies in Lavender (2004), and the critically acclaimed Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films (2011 and 2015).

Actor and director Charles Dance, a mutual friend, reflected on his time working with the pair in Ladies in Lavender.

In a separate BBC program, Lives Well Lived, also airing December 28, Dance recalled the magic they brought to the set.

“I had Judi Dench and Maggie Smith — I could have shot the telephone directory with those two,” he said. 

Sharing a fond memory, Dance recounted an ad-libbed moment of humor between the friends: “They’re running up the stairs together, there’s Judi trying to get up there before Maggie, and Maggie saying, ‘Stop pushing me, stop pushing me!’ It was wonderful.”