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It’s a big day for Anglophiles and fans of the British Crown. Today marks Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. She’s survived scandal and sorrow, World War II, the rise of the internet, and punk rock. Oh, and she can still drive a jeep and toss a back a gin with the best of them.
This current queen of England had also had to deal with an often uneasy relationship with the media. Unlike any British monarch before, she has had to face down the exacting scrutiny of the press and deal with seeing herself brought to life by actresses on stage and screen. This fall, Netflix is launching its most expensive series to date — The Crown — and it’s all about peeling back this current queen’s picture perfect facade.
We have to wait until November 4th to tear into The Crown, but we can still toast Queen Elizabeth’s big day on streaming. We’re counting down the ten most badass Queen Elizabeths on streaming. Some of these are wild interpretations of the reigning monarch, while others are romantic reimagining of her namesake, Queen Elizabeth I’. And then there are the two Elizabeths whose spunk and fire put them next to the throne and inspired future monarchs for generations to come. Still, they are all queens, all English, all named Elizabeth, and all badass. Oh, and you can catch them all on streaming.
Dame Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in ‘The Queen’
Helen Mirren has a history of playing British queens, but she won her first and only Academy Award for playing the reigning Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears’ The Queen. The quiet, contemplative drama digs into the monarch’s inner life in the wake of Princess Diana’s death. Though this version of the Queen isn’t all that spunky, she displays an inner spirit that can’t be tamed. [Where to Stream The Queen]
Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth (aka the Queen Mother) in 'The King’s Speech’
The current Queen Elizabeth would be nothing without the one who came directly before her: her mother. While this Queen Elizabeth was a consort, and not a reigning monarch, she did have a knack of ruling the household. The King’s Speech depicts her as a classy, yet sassy, woman determined to do what’s best for her country and the people she loves. [Where to Stream The King’s Speech]
Anne-Marie Duff as Queen Elizabeth I in ‘Masterpiece: Elizabeth I - The Virgin Queen’
The first Queen Elizabeth was one of the most compelling women in history and she remains an enigma that TV writers love trying to decipher. Case in point: The Masterpiece miniseries Elizabeth I – The Virgin Queen. Anne-Marie Duff plays Elizabeth like a nervous, horny thing who just happens to luck her way through her monarchy with bluster and wit. What makes her so badass? All she wants to do is bone Tom Hardy and his pearl earring. [Watch Elizabeth I – The Virgin Queen on Prime Video]
Dame Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth I in ‘Elizabeth I’
Helen Mirren can’t stop playing queens! The legendary actress played the OG QE in this HBO miniseries highlighting the later years of the queen. What were those like? Well, she was scorning engagements, trampling armadas, and lusting after Hugh Dancy. (She did a lot of lusting, that Virgin Queen.) [Watch Elizabeth I on Prime Video]
Dame Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I in ‘Shakespeare in Love'
For all her accolades and honors, Dame Judi Dench didn’t take home an Oscar until she wore the crown of Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare In Love. The role was so small that it was almost a cameo, but Dench ate up every second she was on screen. She presented an arresting version of the queen no one had seen before. [Watch Shakespeare In Love on Netflix]
Sarah Gadon as “Princess” Elizabeth in ‘A Royal Night Out’
Underneath all the pomp and circumstance, every queen is really just an ordinary girl. Once upon a time, Queen Elizabeth II wanted nothing more than a night on the town. A Royal Night Out is a blithe little comedy based on true events. During World War II, the then Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister snuck out of the palace to have a good time. 11.22.63‘s Sarah Gadon plays Elizabeth as a spirited young woman fighting the crush of pressure around her. [Where to Stream A Royal Night Out]
Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I in ‘Elizabeth’
Good Queen Bess was never so sublime, so sensuous, or so effervescent than when she was played by a young Aussie ingenue named Cate Blanchett. Even though Gwyneth Paltrow took home the Best Actress Oscar that year, Blanchett’s performance in Elizabeth heralded her arrival as one of the greatest film actresses of all time. Bow down. [Watch Elizabeth on Netflix]
Miranda Richardson as “Queenie” in ‘Blackadder’
Blackadder remains one of Great Britain’s most brilliantly absurd contributions to comedy. The anthology series stars Rowan Atkinson as a misanthropic opportunist trying to get ahead throughout history. In series 2, we find a version of the character in the court of Good Queen Bess. The twist? Miranda Richardson plays the monarch as a daffy girl who prefers to go by “Queenie.” [Watch Blackadder on Hulu]
Rebecca Ferguson as Elizabeth Woodville in ‘The White Queen’
Elizabeth is a big name in the British monarchy. It always seems to fit the nation’s most strong and indefatigable queens. Both famous monarchs can trace this spirit back to Queen Elizabeth I’s great-grandmother, Elizabeth Woodville. She started out as a Lancastrian widow, but her will gets her all the way to the throne. She bewitches the York King Edward and helps spur some of the bloodiest episodes in the War of the Roses. Rebecca Ferguson plays Woodville as a compelling and beguiling heroine in The White Queen. [Watch The White Queen on Prime Video]
Fred Armisen as Queen Elizabeth II on ‘SNL’
Of all the rumors swirling around the queen, our favorites are the ones that suggest that underneath those modest pearls and demure clothes, beats the heart of a rebel. Fred Armisen took this to the next level when he turned the monarch into a slovenly punk rock asshole on Saturday Night Live. Johnny Rotten has nothing on this bitch.
