“I’m no fan of the royals but I am a fan of great acting and this play has many gems in its crown.”
Con Nats
4.5 Crowns
NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: Opens June 4th 2026
Betty Windsor used to meet the Prime Minister every Tuesday evening at 6:30pm for 20 minutes to be briefed on the week’s events. After building a rapport these meetings turned into something more meaningful.
Peter Morgan’s (The Crown) script takes these chats beyond policy updates. (The one time it sticks to policy, the Queen falls asleep.) Prime Ministers open up about their doubts, their fears and even mental health challenges.
It was the success of this play in 2013 which led to the development of the Netflix series, The Crown.
The Queen’s inner doubts are highlighted through flashbacks to a young, feisty Elizabeth (Nell Williams) fearful of being pushed into a role she didn’t choose.
The PMs are not all rolled out in chronological order. The first is John Major (Paul Ritter) before a switch to her first meeting with Winston Churchill. (Edward Fox). It was interesting to see that the Queen needed a PM’s approval for their surname of Windsor.
Only seven or eight PMs appear. (Tony Blair is missing which is a shame as she apparently couldn’t stand him.)
Some of the most notable are the scenes with Harold Wilson (Richard McCabe), the working class Labor PM who goes from combative to her favourite. He elicits applause with almost every exit.
There is also an electric scene with Maggie Thatcher (Haydn Gwynne) which is the longest and most powerful. It follows the Palace leaking against Thatcher during the miners strike which infuriated her. The Queen is seen praying before her arrival.
The play looks at the difficult balance Lizzy needed to take between personal opinion and supporting the government, even when she disagreed at key points during the UK’s history. And there is resonance with Chamberlain’s secret support of Israel against Egypt with today’s folly.
At the centre of this play is Helen Mirren’s performance. All those PMs have the privilege of acting against a brilliant actress who is armed with great lines. Mirren shows the mix of duty, compassion and frustration that a symbolic monarch holds. And some of her costume changes are so seamless, they bring applause.
Stephen Daldry’s (Billy Elliot) direction is a nice mix of humour and gravity as each character is treated respectfully. There isn’t a weak link to be seen.
I’m no fan of the royals but I am a fan of great acting and this play has many gems in its crown.
4.5 Crowns 
Con Nats, On The Screen
