When the late historian Sir Ben Pimlott commenced his 1996 biography, his colleagues expressed amazement that he should think Queen Elizabeth II worthy of serious study at all. Yet Pimlott’s analysis proved right and, although few academics have followed his path, the political function of the monarchy has received careful consideration in the creative arts.

Stephen Frears’s 2006 film, The Queen, highlighted her difficulty following the

loss of Princess Diana; Peter Morgan’s stage drama The Audience featured the monarch’s monthly meetings with her prime ministers.

And she has been depicted in a largely favorable and compassionate light by both Netflix’s blockbuster drama series The Crown and even in Mike Bartlett’s speculative play King Charles III, concerning the challenge her successor might have in filling her shoes.