How Queen Elizabeth Has Been Portrayed in Media Through the Years
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VOICE OVER: Kirsten Ria Squibb
WRITTEN BY: Aidan Johnson
From comedic portrayals to serious biopics, we're exploring how Queen Elizabeth II has been depicted in media across decades. Join us as we dive into the most memorable and hilarious representations of Britain's longest-reigning monarch on screen! Our journey covers iconic performances from Jeannette Charles in comedy films to Helen Mirren's Oscar-winning portrayal, and the multiple actresses in "The Crown" who brought Her Majesty's life to the screen.
How Queen Elizabeth Has Been Portrayed in Media Through the Years
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at how the late Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, has been depicted in films and TV throughout the years.
The 70s
Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, at the young age of 25. Her first fictional portrayal came in 1971, played by Steven Walden in “Tricia’s Wedding”. This was an underground, satirical, short comedy film, spoofing the wedding of Nixon’s daughter, Tricia. It was created by The Cockettes, a drag performance group. She would only be featured in two other movies this decade, which were “From Hong Kong with Love” and “Queen Kong.” Huguette Funfrock took on the role in the first movie, and Jeannette Charles in the second. Fascinatingly, both of these actresses made a career out of playing the Queen later down the line.
The first was a French comedy film, parodying James Bond. The central plot revolves around the Queen being kidnapped by a wealthy American. James Bond has been shot, and French comedians “Les Charlots,” or “The Crazy Boys,” have to save the day. “Queen Kong” is a similarly silly movie, being a parody of “King Kong” except with the sexes reversed, and set in London. Jeannette Charles also took the role in various TV comedies. These included “Loriots Telecabinet,” a German TV movie, Eric Idle’s “Rutland Weekend Television,” “Saturday Night Live” in 1977, and finally “Q5,” where she appeared more than six times.
The 80s
Depictions of the Queen skyrocketed during the 80s, with most of them being comedies, reflecting her growing prominence as a global figure. The two most noteworthy comedy appearances were “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” Jeannette Charles, now solidified as cinema’s go-to Queen impersonator, played the role in both. These marked the first major Hollywood portrayals. They wouldn’t be the last. “Spitting Image,” a British satire show, also had numerous Queen sketches, representing her with their iconic, nightmarish, style of puppets.
Maybe her most famous feature was in “The BFG,” an animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s famous novel. Here, she generously offers the orphaned characters a home in Buckingham Palace and goes on to give the BFG his very own castle. 1982 saw the first more serious adaptation when Margaret Tyzack played the role in “Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story.” This was a love story about the early romance between Diana and Charles, and eventually their wedding. It hasn’t aged well since we now know it was quite a toxic relationship.
The 90s
Less than a handful of movies would feature Her Majesty in the 90s, with a decrease in comedy portrayals. “Diana: Her True Story” was released on TV in 93. It was a 3-hour-long biopic, which sought to tell Diana’s true story, made when she was struggling with her marriage to Charles. It was based on a book, authored by Andrew Morton, who secretly used Diana as his source. It presented a critical view of royal life and was one of the earliest to do so, with the Queen being portrayed as a distant, yet concerned figure.
“The Women of Windsor” was a similar dramatization, focusing on Sarah Ferguson as well as Diana. It was a Canadian television movie, and similarly presented the Queen as a distant, authority figure, trying to maintain her family’s dignity amidst personal and public crises. This reveals just how obsessed with Diana people were in the 90s, with the focus largely being on her, rather than the Queen. She appeared in fewer comedy movies this decade, the most famous hilariously being “The Duke.” Its plot focuses on a dog, Hubert, who inherits his owner's dukedom, which potentially inspired the later cinematic masterpiece “Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties” in 2006.
The 2000s
Now we come to the 2000s, which had a deluge of Queen portrayals in movies and TV. Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Ali G famously met Her Majesty in “Ali G Indahouse” back in 2002. Austin Powers was also knighted in “Goldmember” the same year, once more being played by Jeannette Charles for the last time in a movie. A young Queen was depicted in “Churchill: The Hollywood Years,” a hilarious British parody film, starring Christian Slater as Churchill and Neve Campbell as Elizabeth II. It was a satire on how Hollywood presents history, featuring a machine gun-wielding Queen in a parody of World War 2. The disaster movie “2012” also had a shot of the Queen and her corgis evacuating the apocalypse, which she thankfully survived.
The 2000s saw the first serious pieces of media to entirely focus on the Queen. “The Queen” with Dame Helen Mirren was a historical drama, depicting the death of Diana in 1997 and the royal’s reactions. Mirren won Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her role, and it’s considered one of the greatest movies focusing on Her Majesty. In 2009, a five-episode docudrama, also called “The Queen,” was broadcast which had five separate actresses play Elizabeth, each at a different stage in her life.
The 2010s
This decade’s media had just as much Queen buzz as the 2000s, except with even more focus on telling serious stories about her life. Comedic depictions were still common amidst all this, for example, Rowan Atkinson puts the Queen in a headlock and smashes her on the head in “Johnny English Reborn.” She also battles a Minion in “Minions.” A live-action version of “The BFG” came out in 2016, which featured the Queen being incredibly generous towards the central characters once again. Some poorly received royal comedies were “The Queen and I,” where the royal family is stripped of their assets, and forced to live on a council estate. “The Queen’s Corgi” was similarly poorly received, but it mainly focused on her cute corgis, rather than Her Majesty.
“The King’s Speech” was the decade’s first portrayal, and featured the youngest Queen in cinema. It centered on her father, George VI, so she would only have been about 13 years old here. Though her role is minimal, it’s certainly worth a watch, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Last but not least, there was “The Crown,” a monumental series focusing on Elizabeth’s entire reign. Claire Foy was cast in her younger years, doing an amazing job at portraying her. They then cast Olivia Colman for the middle series, an actress who already won an Oscar for playing Queen Anne in “The Favourite.”
The 2020s
Our current decade saw the conclusion of “The Crown,” swapping the phenomenal actress Olivia Colman for the equally impressive Imelda Staunton, who played Elizabeth in her final years. All three actresses unite in the final scene, which is a deeply emotional send-off for Britain’s longest Queen. “Spencer” was also released early this decade, another Diana biopic with Kristen Stewart cast as the leading role. Like all Diana-focused movies, the Queen is presented as a distant, stoic figure, more representative of the monarchy than a warm maternal figure. These all highlight the emotional separation between Diana and the Queen, emphasizing how trapped Diana felt within the family.
For her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, or “Platty Jubes” as the English called it, Elizabeth did an adorable short segment of her sharing tea with Paddington Bear. It was rare for Her Majesty to appear in films or television shows, the only similar instance was in 2012, when she starred in a James Bond skit for the Olympics. Elizabeth will also posthumously star in “Paddington in Peru,” which will be her last ever role in a piece of media.
Which version of Her Majesty did you enjoy watching the most? Let us know in the comments!
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at how the late Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, has been depicted in films and TV throughout the years.
The 70s
Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, at the young age of 25. Her first fictional portrayal came in 1971, played by Steven Walden in “Tricia’s Wedding”. This was an underground, satirical, short comedy film, spoofing the wedding of Nixon’s daughter, Tricia. It was created by The Cockettes, a drag performance group. She would only be featured in two other movies this decade, which were “From Hong Kong with Love” and “Queen Kong.” Huguette Funfrock took on the role in the first movie, and Jeannette Charles in the second. Fascinatingly, both of these actresses made a career out of playing the Queen later down the line.
The first was a French comedy film, parodying James Bond. The central plot revolves around the Queen being kidnapped by a wealthy American. James Bond has been shot, and French comedians “Les Charlots,” or “The Crazy Boys,” have to save the day. “Queen Kong” is a similarly silly movie, being a parody of “King Kong” except with the sexes reversed, and set in London. Jeannette Charles also took the role in various TV comedies. These included “Loriots Telecabinet,” a German TV movie, Eric Idle’s “Rutland Weekend Television,” “Saturday Night Live” in 1977, and finally “Q5,” where she appeared more than six times.
The 80s
Depictions of the Queen skyrocketed during the 80s, with most of them being comedies, reflecting her growing prominence as a global figure. The two most noteworthy comedy appearances were “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” Jeannette Charles, now solidified as cinema’s go-to Queen impersonator, played the role in both. These marked the first major Hollywood portrayals. They wouldn’t be the last. “Spitting Image,” a British satire show, also had numerous Queen sketches, representing her with their iconic, nightmarish, style of puppets.
Maybe her most famous feature was in “The BFG,” an animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s famous novel. Here, she generously offers the orphaned characters a home in Buckingham Palace and goes on to give the BFG his very own castle. 1982 saw the first more serious adaptation when Margaret Tyzack played the role in “Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story.” This was a love story about the early romance between Diana and Charles, and eventually their wedding. It hasn’t aged well since we now know it was quite a toxic relationship.
The 90s
Less than a handful of movies would feature Her Majesty in the 90s, with a decrease in comedy portrayals. “Diana: Her True Story” was released on TV in 93. It was a 3-hour-long biopic, which sought to tell Diana’s true story, made when she was struggling with her marriage to Charles. It was based on a book, authored by Andrew Morton, who secretly used Diana as his source. It presented a critical view of royal life and was one of the earliest to do so, with the Queen being portrayed as a distant, yet concerned figure.
“The Women of Windsor” was a similar dramatization, focusing on Sarah Ferguson as well as Diana. It was a Canadian television movie, and similarly presented the Queen as a distant, authority figure, trying to maintain her family’s dignity amidst personal and public crises. This reveals just how obsessed with Diana people were in the 90s, with the focus largely being on her, rather than the Queen. She appeared in fewer comedy movies this decade, the most famous hilariously being “The Duke.” Its plot focuses on a dog, Hubert, who inherits his owner's dukedom, which potentially inspired the later cinematic masterpiece “Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties” in 2006.
The 2000s
Now we come to the 2000s, which had a deluge of Queen portrayals in movies and TV. Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Ali G famously met Her Majesty in “Ali G Indahouse” back in 2002. Austin Powers was also knighted in “Goldmember” the same year, once more being played by Jeannette Charles for the last time in a movie. A young Queen was depicted in “Churchill: The Hollywood Years,” a hilarious British parody film, starring Christian Slater as Churchill and Neve Campbell as Elizabeth II. It was a satire on how Hollywood presents history, featuring a machine gun-wielding Queen in a parody of World War 2. The disaster movie “2012” also had a shot of the Queen and her corgis evacuating the apocalypse, which she thankfully survived.
The 2000s saw the first serious pieces of media to entirely focus on the Queen. “The Queen” with Dame Helen Mirren was a historical drama, depicting the death of Diana in 1997 and the royal’s reactions. Mirren won Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her role, and it’s considered one of the greatest movies focusing on Her Majesty. In 2009, a five-episode docudrama, also called “The Queen,” was broadcast which had five separate actresses play Elizabeth, each at a different stage in her life.
The 2010s
This decade’s media had just as much Queen buzz as the 2000s, except with even more focus on telling serious stories about her life. Comedic depictions were still common amidst all this, for example, Rowan Atkinson puts the Queen in a headlock and smashes her on the head in “Johnny English Reborn.” She also battles a Minion in “Minions.” A live-action version of “The BFG” came out in 2016, which featured the Queen being incredibly generous towards the central characters once again. Some poorly received royal comedies were “The Queen and I,” where the royal family is stripped of their assets, and forced to live on a council estate. “The Queen’s Corgi” was similarly poorly received, but it mainly focused on her cute corgis, rather than Her Majesty.
“The King’s Speech” was the decade’s first portrayal, and featured the youngest Queen in cinema. It centered on her father, George VI, so she would only have been about 13 years old here. Though her role is minimal, it’s certainly worth a watch, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Last but not least, there was “The Crown,” a monumental series focusing on Elizabeth’s entire reign. Claire Foy was cast in her younger years, doing an amazing job at portraying her. They then cast Olivia Colman for the middle series, an actress who already won an Oscar for playing Queen Anne in “The Favourite.”
The 2020s
Our current decade saw the conclusion of “The Crown,” swapping the phenomenal actress Olivia Colman for the equally impressive Imelda Staunton, who played Elizabeth in her final years. All three actresses unite in the final scene, which is a deeply emotional send-off for Britain’s longest Queen. “Spencer” was also released early this decade, another Diana biopic with Kristen Stewart cast as the leading role. Like all Diana-focused movies, the Queen is presented as a distant, stoic figure, more representative of the monarchy than a warm maternal figure. These all highlight the emotional separation between Diana and the Queen, emphasizing how trapped Diana felt within the family.
For her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, or “Platty Jubes” as the English called it, Elizabeth did an adorable short segment of her sharing tea with Paddington Bear. It was rare for Her Majesty to appear in films or television shows, the only similar instance was in 2012, when she starred in a James Bond skit for the Olympics. Elizabeth will also posthumously star in “Paddington in Peru,” which will be her last ever role in a piece of media.
Which version of Her Majesty did you enjoy watching the most? Let us know in the comments!
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