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Royalty

Around the world, people have a fascination for those born into privilege. And at the top of the heap are those born into royalty, groomed from a young age to take on the responsibilities, and perks, of leadership. From Queen Cleopatra to King Henry VIII to the current Queen of England, filmmakers, like their audiences, have taken a keen interest in what makes these people tick, always trying to expose something of their private lives and challenges, and perhaps even making them seem as human as the rest of us. Pictured: Queen Bette in 'The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'.

Lady Jane (1985)

7.2/10
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes, John Wood

An excellent costume drama about Lady Jane Grey, accidental successor to the British throne after the deaths of Henry VIII and his son, Edward VI. A w... Read more

The Favourite (2018)

7.7/10
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss,...

In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies... Read more

The Queen (2006)

7.3/10
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms, Alex Jennings

Helen Mirren is a dead ringer for Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frear's multiple award-winning film that centres on the aftermath of Princess Diana's... Read more

The Madness Of King George (1994)

7.2/10
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Starring: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Amanda Donohoe, Rupert Graves, Rupert E...

A film version of Alan Bennett's play about the life of one of Britain's most eccentric kings, George III. After thirty years on the throne, George (N... Read more

Queen Margot ( La Reine Margot ) (1994)

7.5/10
Director: Patrice Chereau
Starring: Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Vincent Perez, Jean-Hugues Anglade

An intelligent and moving epic based on a Dumas' novel of the events surrounding the notorious St Bartholemew's Day massacre in 16th Century France. T... Read more

Cleopatra (1963)

7/10
Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton star in this truly mammoth production filled with spectacle and a cast of thousands. The legendary story of the Qu... Read more

The King And I (1956)

7.5/10
Director: Walter Lang
Starring: Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, Rita Moreno

Walter Lang's remake of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is thematically buttressed by the daring choreography of Jerome Robbins ('West Sid... Read more

The Lion in Winter (1968)

8.1/10
Director: Anthony Harvey
Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Peter O'Toole, John Castle, Nigel Terry, Tim...

Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn tear strips off one another in this grand historical drama about 12th Century King Henry II choosing an heir to th... Read more

Marie Antoinette (2006)

6.4/10
Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Kirsten Dunst, Rip Torn, Steve Coogan, Shirley He...

Kirsten Dunst stars as the ill-fated French queen in Sofia Coppola's lavish take on the bloated 18th century monarchy. Betrothed to young Louis XVI (... Read more

The Libertine (2004)

6.4/10
Director: Laurence Dunmore
Starring: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich, Rosamund Pike, Tom Hollander, Kell...

Johnny Depp plays the hedonistic writer John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, close friend of Charles II (John Malkovich) and a notorius figure in 17th cent... Read more