The Queen

Series Summary

Five leading British actresses play the Queen at pivotal times in her reign in this ground-breaking series, mixing dramatised scenes behind palace doors with news archive and testimony from royal insiders.

Emilia Fox portrays the Queen in 1955, as Princess Margaret's affair with Group Captain Peter Townsend exploded into public view at the time of the Coronation.

Samantha Bond stars as the Queen in the early 70s, when Britain came as close to being a republic as it ever has in modern times with civil unrest, IRA threats and a kidnap attempt on Princess Anne.

For 1986, Susan Jameson takes on the hidden conflict between the Queen and Mrs Thatcher, who set herself in opposition to Crown and Commonwealth over sanctions against South Africa, while 1992 focuses on the Queen's annus horribilis with Barbara Flynn.

Diana Quick concludes the series in the title role for 2005, as the Queen eventually accepted Prince Charles' marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles.

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