Chronological TV and Movie Depictions of English and British Monarchs
This list is by no means exhaustive. I tried to focus on more recent productions and on ones in which they are or are close to the main character. Also, except for The Hollow Crown, I saved Shakespeare depictions for elsewhere.
Scottish monarchs will be on a separate list.
Scottish monarchs will be on a separate list.
List activity
39 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
51 titles
- StarsAlexander DreymonEliza ButterworthArnas FedaraviciusAs Alfred the Great defends his kingdom from Norse invaders, Uhtred--born a Saxon but raised by Vikings--seeks to claim his ancestral birthright.(Alfred the Great, Edward the Elder, Æthelflæd, Ælfweard, Æthelstan)
- StarsIan HolmMike BaileyFrancis MageeDespite earlier promises to pass his crown to one of his Flemish, Viking, or Norman relatives, English King Edward the Confessor dies in 1066, leaving his crown to Anglo-Saxon Harold Godwinson, causing a bloody succession war.(Edward the Confessor, Harold Godwinson)
- DirectorFrédéric CompainStarsVincent DeniardEric ChallierGéraldine MartineauBlending drama with the explanations of passionate historians and specialists, this enriched historical reconstruction traces 60 years in the life a man who transformed the Middle Ages and laid the foundation of modern Europe, William The Conqueror.(William I/ William the Conqueror)
- StarsIan McShaneMatthew MacfadyenEddie RedmayneSet against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart.(Henry I, Stephen, Matilda, Henry II)
- StarsJane LapotaireJohn DuttineChristopher GableHenry Plantagenet (later King Henry II), sees his opportunity to seize the crown of England and create a kingdom of law and order.(Stephen, Matilda, Henry II, Henry the Young King, Richard I, John)
- DirectorPeter GlenvilleStarsRichard BurtonPeter O'TooleJohn GielgudKing Henry II of England comes to terms with his affection for his close friend and confidant Thomas Becket, who finds his true honor by observing God's divine will rather than the King's.(Matilda, Henry II, Henry the Young King)
- DirectorAndrey KonchalovskiyStarsGlenn ClosePatrick StewartJonathan Rhys MeyersKing Henry II meets with Eleanor of Aquitaine at Christmastide 1183 to choose one of his sons as his successor.(Richard I)
- DirectorAnthony HarveyStarsPeter O'TooleKatharine HepburnAnthony Hopkins1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.(Richard I, John)
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweCate BlanchettMatthew MacfadyenIn twelfth-century England, Robin Longstride and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power.(Richard I, John)
- DirectorJonathan EnglishStarsPaul GiamattiJason FlemyngBrian CoxIn thirteenth-century England, a Knights Templar and a few of the Barons men fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John.(John)
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsChris PineStephen DillaneRebecca RobinA true David vs. Goliath story of how the 14th century Scottish 'Outlaw King' Robert the Bruce used cunning and bravery to defeat the much larger and better equipped occupying English army.(Edward I, Edward II)
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsMel GibsonSophie MarceauPatrick McGoohanScottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.(Edward I, Edward II, Edward III)
- StarsBen ChaplinCharlotte RileyNora WaldstättenThe English town of Kingsbridge works to survive as the King leads the nation into the Hundred Years' War with France while Europe deals with the outbreak of the Black Death.(Edward II, Edward III)
- StarsAnton LesserSimon Russell BealeTom GeorgesonA mini-series of adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays: Richard II, Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V.(Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII)
- DirectorDavid MichôdStarsTom Glynn-CarneyGábor CzapTom FisherYoung Henry V encounters deceit, war and treachery after becoming King of England in the 15th century, in the aftermath of his brother's death.(Henry IV, Henry V)
- StarsAneurin BarnardRebecca FergusonAmanda HaleThree different, yet equally relentless women vie for the throne in 15th-century England.(Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII)
- DirectorJustin HardyStarsMark UmbersJohn CastleRoger HammondSixteen years after the presumed deaths of the two boy princes held captive in the Tower, Perkin Warbeck makes his claim to the throne as the rightful King Richard. Did the younger brother survive? Is he an impostor? Or is he, as he says, King Richard?(Henry VII)
- StarsJodie ComerRebecca BensonJacob Collins-LevyBased on the Philippa Gregory book of the same name, the story of Elizabeth of York, the White Queen's daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII.(Henry VII, Henry VIII)
- CreatorEmma FrostMatthew GrahamStarsLaura CarmichaelAaron CobhamCharlotte HopeSpanish princess Catherine of Aragon navigates the royal lineage of England with an eye on the throne.(Henry VII, Henry VIII)
- StarsMark RylanceDamian LewisClaire FoyAfter the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, his secretary, Thomas Cromwell, finds himself amongst the treachery and intrigue of King Henry VIII's court and soon becomes a close advisor to the King, a role fraught with danger.(Henry VIII, Mary I)
- CreatorMichael HirstStarsJonathan Rhys MeyersHenry CavillAnthony BrophyEpic series reveals the scandalous life of a young king whose affairs and obsession with producing a male heir changed marriage, the church, and the world.(Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I)
- DirectorTrevor NunnStarsHelena Bonham CarterCary ElwesJohn WoodThe story of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for only nine days.(Jane Grey)
- DirectorShekhar KapurStarsCate BlanchettLiz GilesRod CulbertsonThe early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.(Mary I, Elizabeth I)
- StarsAnne-Marie DuffSienna GuilloryIan HartFrom teenage princess to accomplished queen, torn between duty and personal longing, the reign of Elizabeth I is exposed in this lavish drama filmed against a backdrop of some of Great Britain's most beautiful houses and landscapes.(Mary I, Elizabeth I)
- DirectorShekhar KapurStarsCate BlanchettClive OwenGeoffrey RushA mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.(Elizabeth I)