5 Dramas To Understand The British Crown

Over the years, the British crown has had a great appeal to the cinema due to the countless family tragedies and the opulence that has characterized them. Queen Elizabeth II and her descendants have been the subject of extensive film material. After her death, there still is a truckload of available films about them. 

Her reign, which came about with the controversial resignation of Edward VIII and the death of his father, has had endless scandals. Among them: the stormy relationship of the now King Charles III with Lady Di, the volatile temperament of her aunt Margareth, the accusations of sexual crimes of her brother Andrew and the resignation of the crown of her son Harry, among many others. These events have always attracted the attention of public opinion and, of course, of audiovisual producers.

In addition to "The Crown", which has been par excellence the production that best portrays the details of the British crown during the reign of Elizabeth II, there are great works that transcend her reign. Below we leave two series and three suitable films to understand the dynamics of the monarchy.

"The King's Speech"

After Edward VIII abdicated the throne over love affairs, his younger brother, George VI, Duke of York and father of Elizabeth II, unexpectedly had to become king. He must prepare himself to overcome the stutter he suffers and thus address the British people. That is why he goes to the speech therapist Lionel Logue, who helps him with his problem and, incidentally, becomes his friend. Tom Hooper's film achieved four statuettes out of 12 nominations at the Oscar Awards.

"The Kingdom" ("Reign")

Follow the story of one of the most important queens of Scotland, Mary I. The four seasons revolve around the marriage of the Scottish monarch with Prince Francis II, while he lives a melodramatic story with one of his court ladies. The story itself portrays the stubborn character of Mary I. In 2016 the series was canceled. 

Read also: The Crown: The Definitive Series About Queen Elizabeth II

"The Favourite"

The film is based on Anne Stuart, the first queen of Great Britain in the early 18th century. Played by Olivia Colman (adult Elizabeth II in "The Crown"), Anne delegates her protocol duties to her friend Lady Sarah while England settles a war with France. Abigail, a servant who spends the last days of her life with her, comes into Ana's life, while trying to regain her aristocratic status. The film shows a tragicomic way of telling a story of this type with the peculiarity of introducing angles and shots with the fisheye, which made it unique in its style and gave Olivia Colman her first Oscar for Best Actress. Without a doubt, a desecration of the traditional solemnity of cinema about royalty.

"Bridgestone"

Although the series is based on the books by Julia Quinn, creator Chris Van Dusen added to his adaptation an important relevance of the British crown in the mid-18th century with the character of Queen Charlotte. And although it seems crazy, Queen Charlotte is based on a real character, who was Charlotte of Macklenburg-Strelitz, queen consort of George III. On her rests the controversy of having Afro-descendant roots due to an African relative of the Portuguese crown. Therefore, the creators bet that she would be played by the biracial actress, Golda Rosheuvel. This dramatic comedy is one of the most watched series on Netflix.

"Mary Queen of Scots"

If with "Reign" the stubborn character of Maria I is explored, with this film the rivalry that she has with Elizabeth I is explored, after she returns to Scotland to recover the throne that she believes belongs to her. This story is spun based on a history of betrayals, which transcends from power to love and leads both queens to the maximum, to the point of risking their lives to achieve absolute sovereignty.