Julie Andrews makes very rare video appearance at the Parkinson's Disease Conference
"May we all become a beacon of light to stop it in its tracks"
Mary Poppins and Sound of Music actress Julie Andrews has surprised attendees at a recent event, as she appeared via a video to welcome them to the seventh annual World Parkinson's Congress.
The video, which is available on World Parkinson Coalition's YouTube channel, shows a Julie Andrews talking directly to the camera. Sitting in a large cream armchair, the actress can be seen saying: "Good evening everyone, I'm Julie Andrews, and I'm pleased to welcome you to the seventh World Parkinson's Congress.
"Your participation is invaluable as we seek to find a cure to this terrible disease. I know well how devastating it can be."
Dame Julie added: "May we all become a beacon of light to stop it in its tracks. Count me in as a red thread. Thank you."
In the video, the actress mentions World Parkinson Congress' Red Thread Project, which is a project that ran from 15th April 2025 to 28th February 2026. According to the World Parkinson Congress: 'The Red Thread Theory is a popular concept in East Asian culture that represents connections between people, with the belief that an invisible string connects those who are destined to meet in their lifetimes, regardless of time, place, and circumstance.
'Original images depicting the destiny tied to the red thread showed literal threads around ankles, while today, images often show them tied around fingers connecting people. While the string may stretch or get knotted, it never breaks.'
Julie Andrews is now 90-years-old and rarely appears in public, however she has continued to voice the part of Lady Whistledown in the Netflix series Bridgerton - even receiving an Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance in 2025.