Julie Andrews has made her first public appearance in more than three years, surprising audiences with a moving video message at the seventh annual World Parkinson’s Congress over the weekend.
The 90-year-old Oscar winner appeared on screen to introduce herself and welcome attendees to the global event, while also voicing her support for the search for better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
“Your participation is invaluable as we seek to find a cure to this terrible disease,” Andrews said.
The Sound of Music star also reflected on the impact of Parkinson’s disease, saying she knows “how devastating” it can be.
“May we all become a beacon of light to stop it in its track,” she added. “Count me in as a red thread. Thank you.”
In the video, Andrews was seated on a couch in front of a window. She wore a grey crew neck sweatshirt layered over a white turtleneck, along with a long gold necklace and matching earrings.
Her appearance marked her first public outing of any kind in three years. Her last in-person public appearance came in March 2023, when she attended the taping of her longtime friend Carol Burnett’s television special, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, which aired the following month on NBC.
At that event, Andrews and Burnett, now 93, posed together for photos. Andrews wore a navy jacket adorned with black-and-white beads and sequins, while Burnett chose a pink blazer over a white shirt.
The two stars have shared a friendship spanning more than 60 years, with Andrews even naming the Annie actress as godmother to her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton.
Speaking to People in 2023 about their close bond, Andrews said, “From day one, we both seem to know and understand where each one of us is coming from.”
She continued, “Although we come from different countries, we recognised in each other things that were of mutual understanding. We both had tough beginnings and we both kind of bonded [for] that reason. It was instant the day we met.”
Before her 2023 appearance with Burnett, Andrews had also been seen publicly in 2022, including an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and when she was honoured with an AFI Life Achievement Award in Hollywood.
In May 2024, Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton, 63, appeared together on CBS News Sunday Morning to promote their children’s audiobook, Waiting in the Wings.
During that pre-recorded interview, Andrews spoke candidly about how the project helped her come to terms with the loss of her singing voice following throat surgery in 1997.
“One day I was bemoaning my fate and missing very much the fact that I couldn’t sing because the surgery went awry and took away my ability to do what I love to do, and Emma said, ‘No, mum, you’ve just found another way of sharing your voice,” Andrews shared.
She added, “It hit me so hard what she said, and I’ve never really bemoaned it since.”
