"I don't think I shall ever understand what happened this summer."

Rating: 8/10 (18 October 2017)

What I'd like to know is what really, really went on behind the closed doors of Buckingham Castle following the death of Princess Diana. I think the movie probably got a lot of it right. If one followed the history of Diana and her fairy tale wedding to Prince Charles, then you surely were aware of the aftermath when the marriage fell apart and the 'former' Princess took on humanitarian causes and quite inadvertently embarrassed the Royal Family with her post-marital associations. The positive reviewers for this film found a nobility in Queen Elizabeth's (Helen Mirren) attempt to stay above the public fray during the week following Diana's death, but for others, like myself, I can't imagine how she and the rest of The Royals so misjudged the public mood with their tone deaf response. All of this is brought forth successfully by the picture, as well as the ameliorating effect the new Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) had on Elizabeth after a number of head butts against a wall of Royal bashers. Of course, the press took to their usual voyeuristic initiative to paint a grim picture of the Royal Family, eventually leading to some acquiescence on the part of The Queen. In her role, Helen Mirren is quite extraordinary, quite deserving of the 2007 Best Actress recognition, though I question whether the film makers selected a proper title for this film. In many respects, it plays more like 'The Queen's Tantrum'.