As the world mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we are reminded of the numerous movies and TV shows about her life that have entertained international audiences over the last several decades.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history and Canada’s head of state, died on Thursday in her Scottish residence, Balmoral Castle. She was 96 years old.
Since her assentation to the throne at only 25 years old, the world has been utterly fascinated with the queen. Time and time again, audiences have proved hungry for media about the queen’s long life, family and her role in global political relations.
Whether it be a big-budget production like Netflix’s The Crown or a cameo as herself during a video shown during the 2012 Olympic Games, the queen has been immortalized in popular media. Here are just some of the most iconic “queens” seen on the big and small screens.
The Crown — Claire Foy
Claire Foy portrayed a young, sensitive Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix hit series The Crown. Foy was in the role for the first two seasons of The Crown, where she elegantly highlighted the queen’s intense sense of duty to her role as monarch.
Foy led audiences through recreations of several important and emotional moments in the queen’s life, including her wedding to the late Prince Phillip in 1947 and her coronation in 1953.
Jeanette Charles, 46, an Essex model, who is in demand for television because of her resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II, is appearing at the Intimate Theatre in Palmers Green, London, where she plays Florrie Ford, a one-time ‘queen’ of music hall.
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“The Queen and I were born only 18 months apart, and as we grew older our looks remained similar — though I’m slightly shorter,” Charles wrote for The Guardian.
Charles retired from acting in 2014.
“Like the Queen, I’ve had to rein in my public appearances recently — if it wasn’t for my arthritis, I’d still be working,” she wrote.
2012 Olympic Games — Queen Elizabeth II
During the 2012 Olympic Games, the world was focused on host city London.
To commemorate the opening of the Games, the queen made a cameo as herself in a short film also starring Daniel Craig as the iconic Secret Service agent James Bond.
In the short, Craig, flanked by two of the queen’s beloved corgis, meets with the monarch. The pair board and later jump from a helicopter to parachute into the Olympic stadium.
When the queen’s death was announced on Thursday, Craig released a public statement through the news agency PA.
“I, like so many, was deeply saddened by the news today and my thoughts are with the royal family, those she loved and all those who loved her,” he said. “She leaves an incomparable legacy and will be profoundly missed.”
Paddington Bear sketch — Queen Elizabeth II
During Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, the BBC aired a special two-minute short film featuring the queen and Paddington Bear.
In the short, the queen (who is playing herself) has tea with the animated Paddington in Buckingham Palace. After Paddington drinks all of the tea at the table, he offers to share a marmalade sandwich that he keeps under his hat “for emergencies.”
With a smile, the queen tells Paddington she also keeps emergency marmalade sandwiches on hand, and pulls one from her purse.
Paddington wishes the queen a happy Jubilee, and in a now-iconic moment, says, “Thank you, for everything.”
Following the announcement of the queen’s death, the official Paddington Twitter account again repeated the bear’s sentiment.
“Thank you Ma’am, for everything,” Paddington tweeted.
— with files from Global News’ Chris Jancelewicz and Aaron D’Andrea.
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