The Queen (film)

The Queen
British theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stephen Frears
Produced by	Andy Harries Christine Langan Tracey Seaward
Written by	Peter Morgan
Starring	Helen Mirren Michael Sheen James Cromwell Helen McCrory Alex Jennings Roger Allam Sylvia Syms
Music by	Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography	Affonso Beato
Edited by	Lucia Zucchetti
Production companies	Granada Productions Pathé Renn Productions BIM Distribuzione France 3 Cinéma Canal+
Distributed by	Pathé Pictures
Release date	2 September 2006 (2006-09-02) (Venice) 15 September 2006 (2006-09-15) (United Kingdom) 18 October 2006 (2006-10-18) (France)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United Kingdom France Italy
Language	English
Budget	£9.8 million ($15 million)
Box office	£77.9 million ($123.4 million)

The Queen is a 2006 British drama film depicting the British Royal Family's response to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, on 31 August 1997. The film was directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, and starred Helen Mirren in the title role of Queen Elizabeth II.

In the film, the Royal Family regards Diana's death as a private affair and thus not to be treated as an official Royal death. This is in contrast with the views of Tony Blair and Diana's ex-husband, Prince Charles, who favour the general public's desire for an official expression of grief. Matters are further complicated by the media, royal protocol regarding Diana's official status, and wider issues about Republicanism.

The film's release coincided with a revival of favourable public sentiment in respect to the monarchy and a downturn in fortunes for Blair. Michael Sheen reprised his role as Blair from The Deal, and he did so again in The Special Relationship. The Queen also garnered general critical and popular acclaim for Mirren playing the title role, which earned her numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress. Mirren was also praised by the Queen herself and invited to dinner at Buckingham Palace (though she could not attend due to filming commitments in Hollywood).

In the 1997 general election, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) becomes Britain's newly elected prime minister. Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) is wary of Blair and his pledge to modernise Britain. Three months later, Diana, Princess of Wales dies in a car crash at the Alma Bridge tunnel in Paris. Blair's director of communications, Alastair Campbell (Mark Bazeley), writes a speech, calling Diana the "People's Princess." The phrase catches on and millions of people display an outpouring of grief at Buckingham and Kensington Palaces. Diana's death sparks division amongst members of the royal family, with some of the view that since Diana was divorced from Prince Charles (Alex Jennings) prior to her death, she was no longer a part of the royal family. They argue that Diana's funeral arrangements are thus best left as a private affair of her noble family, the Spencers. Charles, however, argues that the mother of a future king cannot be dismissed so lightly, and persuades the Queen to authorise the use of an aircraft of the Royal Air Force to bring Diana's body back to Britain.