Introduction

Dear reader, on this website you will find material relevant to Module C: Representation and Text, for Advanced English. In particular we will be looking at the prescribed text The Queen (2006) for Elective 2: History and Memory, with reference to the way individual perception shapes the way historical events are represented.

Within (and below) this blog you will find examples of how this film portrays the relationship between history and memory, with relevant links to related texts, and a few resources based directly on the film itself.

Click on one of the following links to read more, or simply scroll down to read the other pages.

Representations of History, Personal Experience and Memory

Film Techniques: Visual

Film Techniques: Aural

Film Techniques: Script

Film Techniques: Characterisation

Different Perspectives

Annotated Quotations

Glossary of Terms

Candle in the Wind

Links and Related Texts

Questions to Ask

Some questions you might like to think about...

In the scene where the Queen cries by her car in the river, why is she crying?

Why does the Queen refuse to join in with the applause after the Earl of Spencer's eulogy at Princess Diana's funeral?

The Queen remarks that "He's a hard one to read" in reference to Tony Blair. Why does she think this and what does she mean by it?

Consider the actors who are playing historical personages (The Queen, The Queen Mother, Prince Charles, Prince Philip, Tony Blair and Cherie Blair). What choices have they made as actors? What aspects of the real people they portray have they chosen to utilise in their representations and why?

In what ways do the characters present themselves publicly, and why do they do this?

What alternative ways are there to read this film?

What message is the film trying to get across to the viewer?

What techniques does the film use to influence the viewer?

Film Techniques: Characterisation

I've made this it's own section as I thought it was an interesting point about the way the film portrays historical figures.

Characterisation
Most of the characterisation of the Royals (and Tony Blair) comes to us through the dialogue of other characters. Sure, we have the actors and their representations of these characters to thank for the majority of how we view them, but a lot of the background details come to us via the script and the way that the characters talk about each other.

For instance, one of the Prime Minister's advisors explains the motivation behind Prince Charles wanting to push the modern agenda. We're told that Charles is worried the Royals could become "public enemy #1" and that "he's terrified of being shot". This paints Prince Charles as an eccentric figure (entirely in keeping with the way he is often portrayed by the media in reality) but also avoids depicting it directly. In this respect the film gets around false representation of such private and unknowable figures by using inference and implied characterisation. So when Charles shudders at the sound of a car backfiring, we imagine what it means to him by using the verbal references given to us by peripheral characters, but the film doesn't directly say it from Charles' mouth and hence The Queen avoids being cartoonish, unrealistic or tabloidy.

Other examples include the Queen Mother referring to Blair as "That silly Mr. Blair with that Cheshire Cat grin", or the numerous lines spoken by Cherie Blair - such as suggestions that the Queen hated Princess Diana or her referring to the royal family as "a bunch of freeloading, emotionally retarded nutters".

For more examples, see the Annotated Quotations page.

Film Techniques: Script

Here are some relevant notes on the way the film is scripted, as related to the way the film represents the characters in reference to History and Memory.

Script Techniques
An early part of the film uses alternative perspectives to build up to the Queen's first meeting with Blair as the new Prime Minister. Blair is portrayed as nervous, apprehensive and excited, whereas the Queen is shown to be blase, curious, self-assured and faintly horrified by the rumour that he will ask her to call him by his first name. The two sequences are intercut with one another to build momentum and drama... the differences between the two characters couldn't be more jarring, there is an obvious balance of power between these two that will affect the way they interact. This knowledge builds a sense of tension for the audience and ensures that the scene where these two characters meet is a point of our focus. It also suggests, historically speaking, that the Queen has met many Prime Ministers (something later confirmed in dialogue) and that she has, in a sense, seen it all before. Blair has met the Queen previously, but never as Prime Minister, something that we are made aware via dialogue and through the actor's adoption of boyish nervousness.

The script is quick to set the Queen up as an insulated figure. The news of Diana's death comes to her via a phone call to Robin (the Queen's private secretary), who then in turns informs the Queen. Also, the Queen doesn't actually find out that Blair is the new Prime Minister until the morning after the election, and receives the information from one of her servants in a casual manner as opposed to getting the news from the television like most people.

Indeed, in the midst of all the chaos and grief surrounding Diana's death, the film cuts to a scene of the Queen, Prince Philip and the Queen Mother dispassionately watching public leaders give consolations on the television whilst making idle chitchat about a large stag deer that has been spotted on the estate. Philip even tries to use the tragic events as an excuse to take Diana's two sons hunting! The film continues to set up the Queen as an insulated, out of touch figure by frequently depicting her and the other members of the Royal family in quiet idyllic scenes filled with casual discussion about the events going on outside in the 'real world'. A good example of this is the scene where Philip cooks a BBQ on the estate while the Queen prepares a picnic, and she mentions their issues in an offhand manner - by comparison, Blair is shown in busy political rooms filled with chatter and telephones ringing.

The script also sets up a cohesive beginning and end by framing the Princess Diana story with a larger story that focuses on the relationship between the Queen and Tony Blair. The film starts with the introduction of Blair as Prime Minister and his first audience with the Queen as such... in reality this actually took place four months before the death of Diana, though you wouldn't neccessarily guess this from the way the film is edited. This character dynamic runs all the way through the film with Blair becoming more confident with the way he talks or deals with the Queen, and ends with a climactic meeting between the two - heavily implied to be only the second time they have met in person as Queen and Prime Minister, despite it being nearly a year since Princess Diana died. The conversation that follows is a lot more revealing then the film's opening meeting (a meeting that only runs for a few cursory minutes), and at the end Robin pointedly looks at his watch as the Queen and Blair stroll out into the palace gardens - which suggests the Queen now respects Blair enough to spend quality time with him. Tellingly, it's also the only long/wide shot that features Blair, and this is where the film ends. Historically, these two figures are now on a more equal footing than when the film started.

Representations of History, Personal Experience and Memory

The opening scene of The Queen features the Queen and her portrait man discussing the current election. Their dialogue reveals and sets up Blair as a "fresh, young" Prime Minister at odds with the establishment. The loyal portrait man ruefully admits that he didn't vote for Blair, which further enforces the Queen as the very embodiment of the establishment. This is the central opposing dynamic that gives the film much of its thrust... the Queen has a duty to tradition to uphold, whilst Blair intends to drag the country kicking and screaming into the next century.

It's 1997, and England has just come out of a 18 year stretch of conservative Tory party rule. Blair represents the other political party, the more progressive Labor party, and is the first Prime Minister to have been born after Elizabeth II became the Queen. During the film he is referred to by Tracey Ullman (in real interview footage) as a "breath of a fresh air".

During the first meeting between the Queen and her new Prime Minister, the Queen wryly recalls her meeting with the first of ten Prime Ministers who have served under her reign - Winston Churchill. It's an eye-opening moment that reminds the viewer that she is a living part of history, a one-woman institution that stretches back into times a lot of us only know from history books. It also serves as a reminder to Blair that he is just the latest in a long line of political figures: things might change under each one, but the Queen remains unaffected.

Outside of this film, the Queen is a somewhat enigmatic figure in comparison to other heads of state... she rarely gives interviews and has a very defined public persona that remains mostly aloof and unknowable to her subjects. With this in mind, it's somewhat ambitious to even attempt a biopic based on her, especially while she still continues to rule. The film sets her up as a rock of tradition, cautious of anything that might erode or invade her continued duty as the latest in a long line of monarchs with a God-given right to rule. Helen Mirren does a good job of exemplifying this whilst retaining the Queen's characteristic distance. Anyway, back to the film...


When the Queen first hears that Diana has died she is automatically concerned with protocol, remarking that, "This isn't a matter of state, it's a private matter". This reaction is motivated by the ways in which the public may perceive the royal family if they fail to act in accordance with tradition (Prince Charles wants to use a Royal plane to recover the body - the Queen is against it). We're invited into the private worlds of the Royals, the cushioned inner sanctums of the palace, and shown the complexity of their relationship with Diana's tragic death. It goes beyond dealing with mourning and grief due to the unprecedented nature of Princess Diana's status as a prominent ex-royal family member, and the way this fails to fit with what the country expects from the Queen.

The Queen doesn't want to join the public in mourning, she wants to keep it separate. She doesn't want to face the possibility that should she invite the public into their family's grief that the line between subject and ruler may become violated. The reality of 20th century England is that the Queen (and the Royal family) only really wields power in name only... it's possible that the Queen is subconsciously aware of this, and is afraid to yield to the public's wishes as it may expose the reality that she is not all-powerful and not a direct representative of God. Her cold, aloof public persona is based on this. The film represents her as such, and it's an extension of these themes. She's a woman trapped between two eras - an historical age where the rule of the monarch was infallible, and a modern age where she could be seen as nothing more than a decorative item for an otherwise democratic country.

With all this in mind, the Queen is a hardline traditionalist. She doesn't want to change even the smallest detail of the funeral for the sake of the public in order to draw the least amount of attention. It's a delusional viewpoint that illustrates her as very clearly living in an insulated bubble - accentuated by shots of her and her family strolling calmly through quiet, empty rooms in the palace. She isn't connected to reality.


Prince Charles on the other hand is interestingly portrayed as the only Royal who is truly in touch with what's happening, claiming Diana to be a wonderful woman despite their differences, and clandestinely supporting Blair's standpoint on how the Royal family should publicly react to her death. This is later revealed to run deeper as an issue relating to his own insecurities, he seems more aware of the awkward place of the Royal family in the modern world and tries to buy himself longevity by allying himself with Tony Blair. Prince Philip pointedly remarks that Charles' view of Diana has only changed now that she is dead, suggesting that Charles is creating the persona that the public wants to see rather than representing how he really feels.

The Queen is visibly uncomfortable with the public's affection for Diana (she makes excuses to go to bed when the television reports focus on her popularity too much), and is so naive and out of touch that she is later shaken and preoccupied by the world's reaction to these events. She isn't even aware of the mounting tide of flowers outside the palace until someone tells her. It doesn't help that her own unpopularity escalates due to her refusal to publicly acknowledge the death, a situation exacerbated by newspaper headlines along the lines of "Royals have no heart", and the sense that the media is co-opting the interest in Princess Diana's death as a power for anti-monarchist sentiments.

Conversely, Blair is told by his PR man that he is getting "raves in the press". The newspapers are portraying Blair as the only one who has "correctly judged the mood of the country", helped no doubt by his dubbing of Diana as the "People's Princess". The evolution of the public perception of Princess Diana seems to elevate her to sainthood. The public never actually knew Diana but they come to see her as a positive ideal and connect with what she now represents, and a large part of this feeds into the perception that she stood up to the Establishment (IE. The Queen) by breaking with tradition and divorcing Charles in reaction to his adultery. Prince Charles even verbally acknowledges this creation of a 'new' Diana, remarking that there are now two Dianas - the 'real' Diana and the public's Diana.


There's a subplot that runs through The Queen in relation to the presence of an especially large Stag on the Royal estates. Prince Philip repeatedly hunts after it but when the Queen sights it on her own she actually tries to save it by scaring it off. This represents a turning point in the Queen's psyche after the emotional strain of events finally takes it's toll on her and she breaks down both literally (her car stops working) and figuratively (she cries). The irony of sparing the Stag is that it is later shot on a nearby commercial estate. It's headless corpse seems horrific when the Queen inspects it... she's concerned for the suffering it endured before it died but still congratulates the shooter because it's what tradition dictates. The Stag subplot is interesting for a number of reasons. The first is that the Queen seems more upset about this animal than she was for Diana, and it's therefore clear to us that this world of deer-hunting is more immediate and accessible to the Queen than the media frenzy outside her personal life. The second reason that comes to mind is that the Stag itself might also be seen as a metaphorical comment on Diana's own brutal fate once she was cut off from the Royal family (exemplified by images of the twisted car wreck).

The key point to take away from The Queen in relation to History and Memory is the way that a figure like Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered by the public (and, by extension, history itself). To Blair, it's suggested by his wife that he sees the Queen as a mother-substitute - something that isn't very flattering to either party but nonetheless demonstrates how we use our own personal experience to project ideas of representation onto public figures. The most obvious example of how the Queen represents herself to the public is the way that her voice changes for the television address (and if you watch any of her other televised messages you'll notice more of this formalised way of speaking). She creates a public persona that isn't entirely in keeping with her real self. Cherie Blair observes during the Princess Diana address that the Queen "Doesn't mean a word of it", to which her husband replies, "That's not the point". This refers to the fact that her public tribute replaces her true feelings as far as history as concerned. However, the slightly metafictional nature of this film renders some of this point as ironic - we now have this film as a document of how these events possibly happened, and so one representation of history gets overwritten or contradicted by another representation of history. As you can see, it makes the truth of the matter a very elusive thing.


A good scene that relates to the way these historical figures represent themselves in our growing age of media is the scene where the Earl of Spencer delivers a eulogy for his sister Diana at her funeral. The sound of applause erupts from the thousands of people gathered outside and travels inwards to the church congregation like a wave, with the assorted Who's Who of politics, royalty and entertainment taking their cue to join in with the clapping. The way these people react to the eulogy is shown to be entirely dependent on what the public wants. The Queen resists and refuses to join in with the applause, maintaining her dignity and the appearance of autonomy - resolute to the end that she will not confront the weaknesses in her reign any further.

These ideas are explored in continued detail during the final scene between the Queen and Tony Blair, with more metafictional touches on display. A prime example of this is the twinkle in the Queen's eye when they argue about whether she will be remembered for this one terrible week or not... the fact that a biopic on her focuses on this event should be argument enough that her reaction to Princess Diana's death can be seen as a defining moment for her character in historical terms. She sums up her reign with the maxim, "Duty first, self second", but looks wistful and sad when remembering her time as a girl before taking the throne... a life that could've been, were it not for tradition.

Different Perspectives

There are more than a few ways to read this film. Not all of them are automatically relevant to the History and Memory part of Module C, but they may still get you thinking along some interesting lines.

One way of approaching this film is from a religious standpoint, with reference to the idea that a monarch like the Queen is canonised as a literal representation of God's Will on Earth. A lot of this ties into the Queen's view of her job as a holy duty, something that she must do until the day she dies. Blair also supports this idea when he defends the Queen's stance in the latter part of the film - pointing out to his colleagues that (with reference to her personal view of being in service to God) she is in quite a difficult position when the public pressures her to break with tradition.

There is also a feminist way to read the film, with reference to Diana's refusal to "toe the line" in regards to Charles' mistress. This means that her divorce is seen by some of the Royal family (Prince Philip in particular) as an aggressive act in light of the traditionalist view of Royal adultery being acceptable. The Queen is a female leader in a role usually occupied by kings, which adds a twist to this aspect of the film - note her subtle reaction to Philip's condemnation of Diana and the idea that having a mistress is the "done thing".

As with a lot of texts that deal with British royalty, there is also some comment to be made on a class-orientated reading of the film. Traditionally, the Royal family occupies the top spot in the British class system, so the idea that the Queen should bend to the public's will becomes the central struggle within the film's narrative. Prince Philip unflatteringly compares the public to "hordes of Zulus", alluding to images of barbaric peasants who are unfit to suggest action to the likes of the Queen. Suffice to say, the use of real footage where everyday people pass comment on the proceedings is a useful way of reminding the viewer of the working class viewpoint, especially in a film that focuses predominantly on the upper levels of government.

These are just three examples, there would no doubt be plenty of other ways of looking at the film - perhaps from the standpoint of looking at the Royals as celebrities, or a reading that focuses on Tony Blair's courting of public opinion.

Annotated Quotations

It should be noted that the annotations that go along with these quotes are just my personal impressions. There would certainly be many other ways to interpret these lines.

THE QUEEN: He was kind enough to give a shy young girl like me quite an education. In time one has hopefully added experience to that education, and a little wisdom.
- Here the Queen is representing herself humbly whilst reminding Tony Blair that she has a lot of experience on her side and that he is just the latest in a long line of Prime Minister's under her reign.

THE QUEEN: He's a hard one to read.
- The Queen gives her initial impressions of Tony Blair to her secretary, Robin.

THE QUEEN: This isn't a matter of state, it's a private matter.
- The Queen displays her caution when it comes to the public's perception of the Royal family.

THE QUEEN: No member of the royal family will speak publicly about this. This is a private matter, we would all appreciate it if it could be respected as such.
- The Queen makes it clear that Diana's death is not something she believes to be in the public's interest. She is claiming it as something within Royal dominion (and therefore private), and resists the idea that the event should become public property.

TONY BLAIR: The public, ma'am? The British people, you don't think a private funeral might be denying them a chance to share in the grief?
THE QUEEN: This is a family funeral, Mr. Blair, not a fairground attraction. I think the Princess has already paid a high enough price for her exposure to the press, don't you?
- Blair is quick to recognise the importance of the event to the public and the damage the Queen could be doing by refusing to acknowledge this. The Queen however has trouble distinguishing the public from the media, and places any blame or fallout firmly on the media's shoulders.

TONY BLAIR: Her instinct is to do nothing, say nothing.
CHERIE BLAIR: Are you surprised? She hated her guts.
TONY BLAIR: They screwed up her life, let's hope they don't screw up her death.
- Cherie offers some implied characterisation in regards to the Queen. Blair worries that the Royal family may not afford Diana the honour that is due to her (or the honour that the public demands).

TONY BLAIR: The people everywhere, not just here in Britain - everywhere. They kept faith with Princess Diana. They liked her. They loved her. They regarded her as one of the people. She was the people's princess, and that's how she will stay, how she will remain, in our hearts and in our memories, forever.
ROBIN: Bit over the top, don't you think?
- Robin sums up the Royal attitude to Diana's death and then notices that the other 'regular' people around him are all crying. This symbolises how out of touch the Royals are with the public.

FUNERAL DIRECTOR: There's simply no precedent for the funeral of an ex-HRH.
TONY BLAIR (afterwards): "Precedent?" Where do they find these people?
- This sequence signifies the Royal obsession with protocol and Blair's disbelief at how dispassionate they are in regards to the death of Diana.

PRINCE CHARLES: My mother, the Queen, comes from a generation not best equipped. She grew up in the war... I think what we need, what this country needs, is a more modern perspective.
- Charles recognises the oncoming media backlash heading for the Royal family and tries to pre-emptively ally himself with Blair in order to represent himself as a more likeable figure. Whether he truly believes in this sentiment is unknown, the implication is that he is primarily concerned with self-preservation.

WOMAN ON STREET: She gave us so much. Why couldn't we just give her a little bit and left her alone? It hurts me so much.
- An example of the grief experienced by the public, shown to us in the context of the film in order to truthfully represent what the greater public was going through at the time. In this sense, the 'masses' are represented non-fictionally via archival footage.

THE QUEEN: If a photographer were to see them it might give out the wrong signal.
- The Queen refers to Prince Philip's idea of taking the boys hunting, and displays her fear and distrust of the media and how it might misrepresent the Royal family to the public.

PRINCE CHARLES: Whatever else you thought of Diana, she was a wonderful mother - you must never forget it. She adored those boys... warm, physical, never afraid to show her feelings.
THE QUEEN: Especially whenever a photographer was in sight.
- Here the Queen offers a conflicting view of Diana's relationship to the media. It's certainly oppositional to the Earl of Spencer's view (as detailed in his eulogy), and it also contradicts the way the Queen represents the media's role in Diana's death to Blair earlier in the film (see quote further up the page about "paying a high enough price"). This suggests that the Queen doesn't even represent herself truthfully to Blair, and that her personal viewpoint is that Diana courted the media's attention (something that is also alluded to by the film itself in the scene that recreates Diana's death, see Film Techniques: Visual for more). Charles' dialogue also shows how he intends to speak of Diana now that she is dead, which in turn may represent him in a more positive light to the public.

PRINCE CHARLES: That was the extraordinary thing about her - her weaknesses and transgressions only made the public love her more. They hate us. Why do they hate us so much?
THE QUEEN: Not us, dear.
- Charles continues to struggle with the public's perception of both himself and the Royal family. The Queen demonstrates her aloof position by pointing out that Charles is the source of Royal unpopularity.

MARTIN BASHIR: Do you think you'll ever be Queen?
PRINCESS DIANA: No, I don't think I will.
MARTIN BASHIR: Why is that?
PRINCESS DIANA: I'd like to be a Queen of people's hearts, but I don't see myself being a Queen of this country. I don't think many people would want me to be Queen... actually, when I say 'many people' I mean the establishment I married into, because they decided that I'm a non-starter.
- Archival footage of the infamous Panorama interview that Martin Bashir conducted with Princess Diana (see links for more). Diana talks about the royal family as an establishment and how she prefers to represent herself.

TONY BLAIR: Will someone please save these people from themselves.
- Blair's reaction to Royal flag protocol. The flag above the palace denotes the presence of a monarch only, whereas the public percieves it as the flag of their nation and not the flag of one family. There has been a long tradition of not lowering the flag for any reason other than the absence of the monarch. The issue that arises from this in the film highlights how much times have changed.

PRINCE CHARLES: The two Dianas - the public's and our's - bear no relation to one another at all.
- A very important quote that highlights the difference between private and public personas, something that any significant member of the Royal family has to deal with in great spades.

THE QUEEN: That's the way we do things in this country... quietly, and with dignity. It's what the rest of the world has always admired us for.
- The Queen blames the press for the public's reaction (she alludes to them being whipped into a frenzy by the media) and naively believes that restrained grief and sober mourning is the dignified and correct reaction that will win out in the end. It demonstrates once again how much times have changed and how out of touch the Queen has become.

THE QUEEN: When you no longer understand your people maybe it is time to hand over to the next generation
- The Queen acknowledges a shift in values in the world. Diana's death and the public's outcry at the Royal family brings this to the Queen's attention. She isn't able to see it until something like this happens to bring it well and truly out into the open.

QUEEN MOTHER: Do you think any of your predecessors would've dropped everything and gone up to London because a bunch of hysterics carrying candles needed help with their grief?
- The Queen Mother refers to Royal traditions that go back a thousand years, and encourages the Queen to fight for the institution she represents by not being dictated to by the public in the slightest.

TONY BLAIR: I actually think history will show it was a good week for you
THE QUEEN (knowingly): And an even better one for you, Mr. Blair.
TONY BLAIR: But there are 52 weeks in a year, ma'am. Two and a half thousand since you became Queen. And when the time comes to assess your legacy they wont remember these few days.
THE QUEEN: Oh really? You don't think that what affection people once had for this institution has been diminished?
TONY BLAIR: No, not at all. You are now more respected than ever.
THE QUEEN: I gather some of your closest advisors were less fullsome in their support.
TONY BLAIR: One or two... but as a leader I could never have added my voice to that chorus.
THE QUEEN: Because you saw all those headlines and you thought, "One day that might happen to me".
- The Queen foresees a similar thing happening to Blair one day (IE. The media turning on him) and suggests that his support for her comes from his own knowledge of that and not out of their kinship as leaders. This deflates his enthusiasm and the Queen demonstrates that she still has the balance of power on her side despite all that has happened. This exchange also examines the way history will represent both of them.

THE QUEEN: Nowadays people want glamour and tears, the grand performance. I'm not very good at that. I prefer to keep my feelings to myself and foolishly I believed that's what the people wanted from their Queen - not to wear one's heart on one's sleeve. Duty first, self second.
- The Queen reflects on the way the public would like her to appear compared to the way she represents herself.