Both Queen Elizabeth II’s early life and her 70-year reign have been eventful to say the least – packed with incidents, from the abdication of her uncle and the subsequent Second World War to the assassination attempt made against her in 1981 and a staggering security breach at Buckingham Palace the following year, which have demonstrated the former monarch’s remarkable strength of character. It’s no wonder, then, that so many of those episodes have been the subject of big- and small-screen dramatisations over the past two decades, from stately, Oscar-winning biopics and light-hearted romps to a no-expenses-spared Netflix extravaganza.
As we reflect on her legacy, these are the six films and TV shows to rewatch now.
Read More 3 Essential Documentaries About The Queen To Watch Now
By Radhika Seth
Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006)
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As played by a steely, no-nonsense Helen Mirren, the Queen grapples with the death of Princess Diana and the constitutional crisis that threatens to follow in Stephen Frears’s gripping drama. It offers a compelling and nuanced portrait of a woman who became a national figurehead with great reluctance – one who feels bound by duty and protocol but also understands the need to adapt to changing times, an instinct which has helped to preserve the monarchy for much of the last century.
Freya Wilson in The King’s Speech (2010)
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Alongside Colin Firth as George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as the future Queen Mother, Freya Wilson takes on the part of the young, ringleted Princess Elizabeth as she watches her father succeed his brother as King in the wake of the abdication in Tom Hooper’s tender tearjerker. You can see the apprehension in her eyes as the role begins to take a toll on him, and she comes to realise what will be expected of her in due course.
Emma Thompson in Walking the Dogs (2012)
Justin Downing
Michael Fagan, the disillusioned painter and decorator who broke into the Queen’s bedroom in 1982, is embodied by Eddie Marsan, and the shockingly composed monarch by Emma Thompson in Jeremy Brock’s initially tense and later touching reimagining. She is sphinx-like as she offers him a biscuit and listens to his complaints, eventually opening up about her own life experiences, offering invaluable advice and revealing her famously dry sense of humour.
Sarah Gadon in A Royal Night Out (2015)
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