Royal Films - Queen Victoria to Princess Diana
Miniseries and Movies About Members of the House of Windsor
Apr 1, 2009
The House of Windsor began with the young Queen Victoria and her husband the Prince Consort, Albert. They had nine children, who through marriage tied Victoria to many of the other royal houses of Europe. Most noted are Princess Vicky who became the mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Princess Alice who mothered the final Romanov Czarina, and Edward VII who succeeded to the throne of Great Britain.
Edward’s own son George V wed Mary of Teck, and several of their children have become the subject of film and television miniseries. George would be the monarch to first adopt the name of Windsor as the name of the British Royal Family, and his granddaughter is the current Queen Elizabeth II.
Victoria and Albert (2001)
BBC miniseries depicting the engagement and marriage of Queen Victoria (Victoria Hamilton) and Prince Albert (Jonathan Firth), it predominately focused on the earlier years of their union, featuring performances by Peter Ustinov, Nigel Hawthorne, and David Suchet.
Fall of Eagles (1974)
13-part BBC miniseries taking a somewhat extensive look at the events leading up to the World War I era fall of some European dynasties, the series begins in England, showing the marriage of Princess Vicky, the oldest child of Victoria and Albert.
The fortunes of Vicky and her descents, including son Kaiser Wilhelm, play a vital role. Vicky’s niece and Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Czarina Alexandra of Russia and the imperial royal family becomes the dominant feature of the production.
Mrs. Brown (1997)
This feature film stars Judi Dench as the widowed Queen Victoria and Billy Connolly as her Scottish servant John Brown.
Grieving the unexpectedly early death of her husband, Queen Victoria begins a close relationship to their trusted chief servant. Her growing reliance on John Brown comes to be questioned by many, including the heir to her throne, her eldest son, Edward.
Edward the Seventh or Edward the King (1975)
The 13-part miniseries catalogs the entire life of Edward VII from his difficult childhood as the eldest son of Queen Victoria to his death.
Although an entertaining and well executed production featuring many well-known British actors including, Timothy West, Annette Crosbie, Felicity Kendal, Michael Hordern, Jane Lapotaire, and John Gielgud, the production is obviously biased, tilting facts to favor a sympathetic portrayal of Edward.
Edward VII is more accurately portrayed in miniseries such as Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill (1974) and Lillie (1978). He is fictionally depicted in period TV series such as Upstairs, Downstairs (1971-1975) and The Duchess of Duke Street (1976-1977).
The Lost Prince (2003)
This BBC miniseries portrays the short life of Prince John, the epileptic youngest son of King George V and Queen Mary. While not entirely historically accurate, it is factual and entertaining.
The miniseries also features depictions of other Windsors, including Edward VII (Michael Gambon), Queen Alexandra (Bibi Andersson), George V (Tom Hollander), Queen Mary (Miranda Richardson), and Prince Georgie (Rollo Weeks). Kaiser Wilhelm and Czarina Alexandra are other depicted direct descendents of Queen Victoria.
Edward and Mrs. Simpson (1978)
This highly acclaimed ITV miniseries depicts the events leading up to the 1936 abdication of Prince John’s older brother, the uncrowned Edward VIII, who was the eldest son of George V and his wife Mary. Considered a glamorous movie star-like prince with promising ability, Edward controversially renounced the throne to marry the twice divorced Mrs. Simpson.
Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson are flawlessly portrayed by Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris, and the production takes great pains to be as historically accurate as possible, using documents and interviews for the foundation of the script and even filming on location. Most impressively, the series presents several points of view about the abdication crisis, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about motivation and outcome.
The story of Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson was also portrayed in The Woman He Loved (1988). This made-for-television movie, starring Jane Seymour as Wallis Simpson, approached the abdication crisis solely as a tragic love story. The saving graces of the poor production were the performances of Anthony Andrews as Edward VIII and Olivia de Havilland as Wallis’ mother-figure, Aunt Bessie.
Wallis & Edward (2005), starring Joely Richardson as Mrs. Simpson was another made-for-television movie to attempt to tell the story of the abdication from the possible view of Wallis Simpson.
Bertie and Elizabeth (2002)
The second oldest of George V and Queen Mary’s six children, Bertie, as he was called within the royal family, would become King George VI after the death of his father and abdication of his brother Edward VIII.
This made-for-television movie shows the story of the courtship and marriage of Bertie and his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, future Queen Mother. It focuses on the overcoming of Bertie’s shyness and the effects of the abdication of his brother. It also follows the royal couple’s story through World War II and until Bertie’s early death. Their daughters Elizabeth, the current queen, and Margaret are also depicted.
The Queen’s Sister (2005)
This extremely controversial and sensational made-for-television movie was a semi-fictionalized account of the life of the Queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret. It follows Margaret’s life from the death of her adored father to her own later years.
The Queen (2006)
This feature film depicts the life of Queen Elizabeth II during the week between the death and funeral of Princess Diana. It follows the events of the public outcry of the nation and catalogs the reaction of the Royal Family. Honored by the Academy with an award for Helen Mirren as best actress - and successful at the box-office - the film is a brilliantly made exploration of duty and feeling.
Princess Diana and the Children of Elizabeth II
Since the invention of television and the removal of certain forms of censorship, many more film portrayals have been made about Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth’s children than were previously made about the earlier members of the House of Windsor.
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