Movie icon Julie Andrews was handed the top honor at the 2011 Princess Grace Awards Gala on Tuesday to mark her success in Hollywood and her dedication to humanitarian causes.

The Sound of Music star received the Prince Rainier III Award at the New York event, and her The Princess Diaries co-star Anne Hathaway looked on as she accepted the accolade.

As part of her prize, Andrews was also given a $25,000 grant, which will benefit children's charities.

The 76 year old says, "I'm very honored to be given an award this evening and it's a fabulous opportunity to speak about the importance of the arts and it being a big, big part of our culture because without it we'd be a very sorry place indeed."

Past recipients of the prize have included Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta, Glenn Close, and Star Wars creator George Lucas.