The end is nigh for The Crown. A new trailer has been released for Part 2 of the sixth and final season of The Crown, which launches on December 14th, but keep calm and carry on as there are still many other shows and films to watch about the House of Windsor once the acclaimed Netflix series ends.
While there are numerous documentaries about the British royal family available to stream, we’re opting to spotlight dramatizations in keeping with The Crown. Our emphasis is on the late Queen Elizabeth II, her children, grandchildren, and, of course, Princess Diana. With the exceptions of The King’s Speech and The Crown, we’ll omit films and shows depicting the Queen’s immediate antecedents “Bertie” and the Queen Mum and King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Here then is an exhaustive rundown of movies and shows about Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, and the current British royal family to watch, starting with the obvious …
The Crown
Throughout six seasons, Peter Morgan has dramatized the lives of Britain’s current royal family, the House of Windsor, in this award-winning Netflix series. We see Queen Elizabeth II evolve from a young, unseasoned monarch to a now elderly, set-in-her-ways figurehead trying to keep her increasingly dysfunctional family (and the very institution of the monarchy itself) intact. Different actors portray Elizabeth, Phillip, Charles, Diana, Camilla, Margaret, and the rest of the key players from their youth to old age, with Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton serving as the respective anchors for Seasons 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6. The Crown also depicts the complex relationships between the Queen and her various Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to Tony Blair.
The Queen
This 2006 film recounts the period following the death of Princess Diana in 1997 and how that tragedy and the massive public reaction to it sparked a confrontation between the monarchy and the British government that played out on television like a morbid soap opera. Directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Peter Morgan, The Queen is a nuanced, masterfully told story about the past colliding with the present, of inherited power vs. elected power, and of children rebelling against their parents' traditions. All the historical persons depicted here – especially Helen Mirren in her Oscar-winning turn as Queen Elizabeth II – are real, flawed people and not the sketch comedy caricatures to which we’ve grown accustomed. Think of this film as Morgan’s proof of concept for The Crown.
Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story
Just one year after the 1981 wedding of Charles and Diana came this 1982 ABC docudrama, the very first movie to be made about the relationship between then-Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. It would be followed just three days later by the airing of CBS’s rival telepic The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, which fared better in the ratings. Caroline Bliss, who would go on to play Miss Moneypenny in the Timothy Dalton James Bond films, played Diana. And long before he was a Count (Dooku), Christopher Lee was a Prince, playing royal consort Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, and Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After
Actress Catherine Oxenberg played Diana twice in her career, the first time in 1982’s The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, which embraces a treacly, fairy tale approach to the couple’s courtship. That wasn’t the case when Oxenberg reprised the role 10 years later in the very soapy TV movie Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After, which was made shortly after Andrew Morton’s book Diana: Her True Story revealed all the behind-the-scenes drama in their relationship that is now widely known.
The King’s Speech
This 2010 Best Picture winner recounts how Prince Albert (Colin Firth) became King George VI and overcame his crippling stutter thanks to eccentric speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). The film emphasizes the characters’ humanity, exploring the bond that's forged between them despite their class differences, and the tension that builds to George VI's climactic radio address. Although it at times feels like a stage play that's been filmed (the project did actually originate as a play), The King's Speech dodges the curse of so many costume dramas and royal biopics by making you actually feel something for its subject. The film also shines a light on the private family life of Bertie and Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), including his relationship with his daughters, the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
A Royal Night Out
This 2015 romantic dramedy depicts a fictionalized take on a real event where teenage princesses Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and Margaret (Bel Powley) ventured out incognito to celebrate VE Day in London. The film sees the sisters separated from each other and their chaperones, leading to a series of adventures for both and a chance, even for just one night, to be themselves and enjoy their personal freedom.
Spencer
Kristen Stewart scored an Oscar nomination for her vivid portrayal of Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s 2021 psychological drama, which dramatizes Diana’s stay at the Queen's Sandringham estate during Christmas 1991. Diana is fracturing emotionally and psychologically under the strain of her failing marriage to Charles, his ongoing affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, and the overall stifling hold the royal family has on her. Over the course of this painful weekend – which depicts Diana’s eating disorder and even has her hallucinating about the doomed Anne Boleyn – Diana finds the coverage to finally end her marriage and escape the monarchy’s grip.
Diana: Her True Story
This 1993 TV movie adapted Andrew Morton’s notorious bestseller (Morton also penned the screenplay), which dished all the dirt on Diana’s failing marriage to Charles and his long affair with Camilla. Serena Scott Thomas played Princess Diana opposite David Threlfall as Charles.
Diana
Featuring an awkward performance from Naomi Watts in the title role, this critically panned 2013 film hones in on Princess Diana’s final two years, chronicling her relationships with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Lost’s Naveen Andrews) and billionaire Dodi Fayed (The Expanse’s Cas Anvar). Diana could have been a truly insightful exploration of one of the 20th century's most famous women, but instead it's just another sudsy biopic cashing in on the melodramatic trappings of its subject's life, complete with a poor script and stilted dialogue.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
In the comedy franchise’s first movie, Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) must stop a plot – by Ricardo Montalban! – to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Los Angeles. After his first attempt lands him on top of the Queen with her legs in the air and across the front pages of newspapers worldwide, Frank – “It’s Enrico Pallazzo!” – finally saves the day when possessed Angels player Reggie Jackson attempts to shoot the Queen.
The Queen’s Corgi
This 2019 animated family film follows Her Majesty’s “Top Dog” Rex, who gets loose from Buckingham Palace during a visit by President Trump. Without his collar and locked up in the pound, the pampered Rex has to survive life on the inside and find his way back home to the Queen. The Queen’s Corgi has the distinction of being one of the films with a 0% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Diana: Last Days of a Princess
Before the Naomi Watts film from 2013, this 2007 TV movie also covered the final two years of Diana’s life. It takes a docudrama approach, including real news footage and interviews. Genevieve O'Reilly (Mon Mothma in Star Wars) plays Diana. The script is largely based on the British Metropolitan Police’s Paget Report, which detailed the findings from their inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Diana’s death.
The Prince
This 2021 animated series, which ran for just one season on (HBO) MAX, took a satirical approach to the Windsors as seen through the eyes of eight-year-old Prince George. Family Guy writer Gary Janetti created the series and voiced George opposite a stellar voice ensemble that included Orlando Bloom, Sophie Turner, Dan Stevens, Alan Cumming, and Lucy Punch.
Whatever Love Means
The focus of this 2005 TV movie is on the long relationship between Prince Charles (Laurence Fox) and Camilla Shand (Olivia Poulet), from their meeting in 1971 until Charles’ 1981 wedding to Diana (Michelle Duncan). The movie takes its title from Charles’ infamous comment during a TV interview when a reporter asked him and Diana if they were in love and he replied, “Whatever ‘in love’ means.”
King Charles III
The BBC adapted Mike Bartlett’s 2014 blank verse play into a TV film in 2017. Set in the then-future, Charles (Tim Piggott-Smith) finally attains the throne following the death of his long-reigning mother. This Shakespearean tale sees the ghost of Diana appear to both Charles and their son William, advising each they will become Britain’s greatest king. A feud with Parliament threatens Charles with having to abdicate to William to restore order. The play was penned before Meghan Markle’s relationship with Prince Harry became public in late 2016, and yet Harry is presciently depicted as starting a relationship with a commoner and wanting to leave the royal family to be with her.
The Windsors
This ongoing British sitcom thrusts Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Harry and Meghan into an absurdist soap opera. Camilla schemes to start her own royal dynasty, Meghan likens everything to something that happened to her character in Suits, Wills gets advice from a portrait of Alfred the Great, Charles meets his minutes-older identical twin … nothing is too wacky for The Windsors.
William & Kate: The Movie
This was the first of two TV movies aired in 2011 about the romance between the future Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate Middleton (played here by Tomb Raider voice actor Camilla Luddington). A ratings success – it aired just 11 days before their wedding – Lifetime would later go on to produce three movies about the relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Serena Scott Thomas, who previously played the title role in Diana: Her True Story, portrays Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton.
William & Catherine: A Royal Romance
Airing just a few months after Lifetime’s version of the same story, Hallmark Channel’s telling recalls Will's (Dan Amboyer) and Kate’s (Alice St. Clair) school days, their breakup, getting back together, and their intent to marry. The Flash and Alias actor Victor Garber plays Charles opposite award-winning veteran Jane Alexander as the Queen.
Lifetime’s Harry & Meghan Trilogy
Lifetime, the cable network behind so many ripped-from-the-headlines and “women in peril” TV movies, cashed in on both of their usual approaches with not one but three telepics about the relationship between Harry and Suits actress-turned-Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. 2018’s Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, 2019’s Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal, and 2021’s Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace chronicled the media-friendly “fairy tale” romance of a biracial American actor joining the British royal family and then the power couple’s even more headline-generating breakup with the House of Windsor. Different actors played Harry and Meghan in each film, with IGN’s own occasional host Tiffany Smith cast as Meghan in Becoming Royal.
Princess in Love
Based on the 1994 book of the same name, this 1996 TV movie depicts the romance between Princess Diana (Julie Cox) and her horseback riding instructor, British cavalry officer Captain James Hewitt (Christopher Villiers), as her marriage to Prince Charles steadily deteriorates.
Diana: The Musical
This filmed performance of the Broadway stage musical – which streamed on Netflix in late 2021 to savage reviews – dramatizes, through song, Diana’s life, from Charles’ courtship to their bitter divorce and her death. Even Queen Elizabeth gets to sing here! The Netflix release won five Razzies, including Worst Actress for Jeanna de Waal as Diana.
Walking the Dogs
Emma Thompson played Elizabeth II in a 2012 episode of the TV series Playhouse Presents. It depicts a real 1982 incident where an intruder (Eddie Marsan) spends a half-hour talking with Her Majesty in her bedroom at Buckingham Palace. This event was also later depicted in Season 4 of The Crown.
The Queen and I
This 2018 comedy sees the monarchy abolished after a General Election vote. The royal family is evicted from Buckingham Palace and moved into public housing. Now known as simply Mrs. Windsor, Elizabeth (played by another Miss Moneypenny actress, Samantha Bond) and her family struggle to adjust to their new lives as poor commoners.
Minions
Set in 1968, this 2015 Despicable Me spinoff sees Queen Elizabeth II (voiced by Jennifer Saunders) unintentionally dethroned by Bob the Minion after he draws the Sword in the Stone. His reign as king is short-lived and he and his pals Stuart and Kevin help defeat the wicked Scarlet Overkill and restore Elizabeth to power. Elizabeth is shown drinking beers with commoners in a pub after Bob dethrones her.
The Queen (TV Series)
Seven years before The Crown launched on Netflix, this five-episode British docudrama series depicted Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family played by different actors at various stages of their lives. Leslie Manville, who portrays the elderly Princess Margaret on The Crown, plays Margaret Thatcher in the third episode, while Samantha Bond, who also played Elizabeth II in 2018’s The Queen and I, first played the role in the second episode of this series.
Her Majesty
This isn’t a biopic but rather a small drama about what Queen Elizabeth II meant to some of her subjects. This 2001 release, set in New Zealand in 1953, tackles colonialism and race relations through the prism of a coming-of-age tale. It follows an adolescent girl also named Elizabeth who idolizes the Queen. Her dream of one day meeting her becomes a real possibility when it’s announced that the Queen will be visiting their town during her trip to New Zealand. However, Elizabeth’s newfound bond with Hira Mata, an old Maori woman whose home is on the royal parade route, prompts the youth to stand up for what’s right even if it means forsaking her dream.
What are your favorite movies and shows about Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and the royal family? Let us know in the comments.
And be sure to read our The Crown, Season 5 review and find out what our picks are for the Top 100 TV Series of all time before The Crown’s final season debuts November 16 on Netflix.
