Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Sept. 8, was one of the most, if not the most, photographed women in the world. She is remembered as a steadfast monarch who, during her 70 years on the throne, symbolized stability for the United Kingdom and the world even through turbulent times. Her first-born son, Charles, was crowned king today.
The members of the British royal family is among the most famous and photographed people in the world. They are depicted in popular culture, especially in movies and TV shows. Many actors over the decades have played the part of the sovereign as well as her predecessors, some to critical acclaim.
To determine the best movies about the British royalty, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator. All ratings were weighted equally. We considered only movies with at least 500 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes and ruled out documentaries. Data on cast credits came from IMDb.
The most notable and recent example of a show about the queen is the Netflix hit series “The Crown,” which examines her life and relationships with the royal family, the British public, and various prime ministers from the 1940s to modern times. Four women play Elizabeth, three as the queen and one as the princess.
On the big screen, perhaps the most memorable Queen Elizabeth II was Helen Mirren. The actor won her first — and so far only — Oscar for portraying the late British monarch in the 2006 biopic “The Queen.” (These are the best movies about real people.)
Click here for the best movies about Queen Elizabeth and British royalty
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
20. Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (46,702 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 41% (2,759 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 62% (290 reviews)
> Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
19. Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (7,495 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 38% (13 reviews)
> Starring: Richard Burton, Geneviève Bujold, Irene Papas
Source: Courtesy of Diamond Films España
18. Spencer (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (64,549 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (349 reviews)
> Starring: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
17. Tower of London (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (1,903 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (450 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (06 reviews)
> Starring: Nan Grey, Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
16. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (5,122 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (2,853 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (09 reviews)
> Starring: Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland
Source: Courtesy of Videx International
15. The Young Victoria (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (59,786 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (164,756 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (156 reviews)
> Starring: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany
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Source: Courtesy of Netflix
14. The King (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (101,053 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,286 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (143 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Glynn-Carney, Gábor Czap, Tom Fisher
Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
13. The Favourite (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (184,865 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (7,412 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (422 reviews)
> Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
12. The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (4,377 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (1,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (19 reviews)
> Starring: Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Franklin Dyall
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
11. Becket (1964)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (14,266 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (5,616 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (25 reviews)
> Starring: Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, John Gielgud
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment
10. Mrs. Brown (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (13,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (8,504 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (51 reviews)
> Starring: Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer
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Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures
9. Elizabeth (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (99,309 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (50,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (64 reviews)
> Starring: Cate Blanchett, Liz Giles, Rod Culbertson
Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
8. The Madness of King George (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (16,198 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (8,380 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (44 reviews)
> Starring: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Rupert Graves
Source: Courtesy of Miramax
7. The Queen (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (107,288 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (175,654 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (198 reviews)
> Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell
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Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
6. Downton Abbey (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (45,479 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (20,272 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (254 reviews)
> Starring: Stephen Campbell Moore, Michael Fox, Lesley Nicol
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
5. A Man for All Seasons (1966)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (34,676 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (81 reviews)
> Starring: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Robert Shaw
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Source: Courtesy of Mayfair Entertainment International
4. Richard III (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (14,342 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (7,022 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (50 reviews)
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Christopher Bowen
Source: Courtesy of Embassy Pictures
3. The Lion in Winter (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (30,301 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (13,125 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (41 reviews)
> Starring: Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins
Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
2. Henry V (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (30,025 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (10,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (40 reviews)
> Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepherd
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Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
1. The King’s Speech (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (656,506 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (144,700 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (298 reviews)
> Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
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