In August 1997 tragedy struck England. Princess Diana, "The People's Princess", was killed in a senseless car accident in Paris. Her death was felt around the world. The Queen focuses on the week following this event and the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, and the newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The queen, and the rest of the royal family, initially react to the news with little interest. By the time of her death, Diana is no longer a member of royalty. She lost her "HRH" status when she divorced Prince Charles. The royal family's only interest is in the fact that she was the mother of the queen's two grandsons. The queen and her family seem to be oblivious to the response that the "commoners" have towards Diana.

Tony Blair, the newly elected prime minister, is more in touch with the people and he sees how they saw Diana. He also senses the danger that the monarchy is in. The common people interpret the royals' attitude as indifference and elitism. At his urging, but against her better judgment, the queen changes her stance and acknowledges the princess's death and the tragedy.

For those of us who don't live in the UK the workings of Britain's royal family is a mystery. This movie unveils some of that as it shows us a close-up and intimate view of what happened in the royal family during that dreadful week. It sheds some light on the British mindset (at least for some of the British people).

Because of the social-historic view of the Princess Diana tragedy and the revealing look inside the life of British royals this movie is worth seeing.

Comments

Add New Search RSS