Mirren is royalty personified as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who maintains her regal authority while dealing with her gossip-prone family and those annoying politicians. The timeline begins in 1997 with the election of Tony Blair (Sheen) as Labor prime minister and moves onto what happens when Princess Diana is killed in that car crash a few months later. Frankly, the Queen can't understand the fuss but, thanks to her professionalism, when she realizes the effect the tragedy has on the country, its politics, and, ultimately, her family, she rallies to put the best royal face on the public grief.