| The film begins on the eve of the 1997 British general election, which saw Tony
Blair (Sheen) as the United Kingdom's first Labour Party Prime Minister in 18
years. While posing for an official portrait, the Queen talks with the artist
and expresses her regret about not being allowed to vote. Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren)
is slightly wary of the new prime minister and his pledge to "modernise"
the country, but Blair promises to respect the independence of the Royal Family.
Blair visits Buckingham Palace to kiss hands, where the Queen asks him to form
Her Majesty's Government.
Three months later, during a visit to Paris, Diana, Princess of Wales is inside
a car being chased by paparazzi when the driver crashes into a tunnel pillar
underneath the Pont de l'Alma, resulting in her death. Blair makes a public
statement, written by his director of communications, Alastair Campbell (Mark
Bazeley), in which he describes Diana as "the People's Princess."
The phrase catches on immediately. Over the next few days, Britons erupt in
an intense state of grief, as millions go to Buckingham Palace to place floral
tributes and notes along the railings.
Meanwhile, the Royal Family is still on holiday at Balmoral Castle, the Queen's
Scottish estate in Aberdeenshire, a contrast with the relatively modest middle-class
household the Blairs keep in their constituency. Diana's death sparks mixed
feelings among senior members of the family. Diana had not been much beloved
by them while she was alive. The Queen observes that, since Diana divorced her
son, Charles, Prince of Wales (Alex Jennings), a year before, Diana is no longer
a member of the Royal Family. Consequently, as she insists to Blair, the funeral
arrangements are a "private matter" to be left to the late princess's
own family, the Spencers. After initially hesitating, she accedes to Prince
Charles' request, following the Queen Mother's suggestion, for his use of an
aircraft of the Royal Flight to fly to Paris and bring Diana's body back to
England. Charles ensures that Diana's coffin is draped with a royal standard
instead of being in a "wooden crate."
In London, the bouquets begin to pile up along the Palace railings, forcing
the changing of the guard to use another gate. As the days pass, the British
tabloids become increasingly impatient with the absence of an expression of
public condolence from the royal family. Prince Charles, during a brief conversation
with Blair when Diana's body is returned to London and later through back-channel
contacts, leaves no doubt that he shares Blair's views about the need for a
more public expression of grief. Blair's popularity rises sharply, to the delight
of the Prime Minister's more republican advisers, including his wife, Cherie
(Helen McCrory), who see the Monarchy as hopelessly antiquated.
- Cast : Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Helen
McCrory, Alex Jennings, Roger Allam,Sylvia Syms
- Studio/Banner : WEG
- Format : VCD
- Language : English
|
|
