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If you saw The favouriteyou have a very entertaining look at the life and reign of Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch. Yorgos Lanthimos's film has received no less than 10 Academy Award nominations. Olivia Colman, who played the lead role, won the Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Anne.
As war rages with France in the countryside, we take a look at another battle inside the palace – the one between the Queen's two closest advisers. In the end, a "favorite" named Abigail appears as Anne's favorite maid while Sarah, wife of the Duke of Marlborough, is banned from court.
It's a fascinating story that involves, among other things, an unexpected love triangle. Here is an overview of the aspects of the film that correspond to the historical record, and those that are not.
Queen Anne reigned from 1702 to her death in 1714.
Before digging deeper, viewers can rest assured that Anne, daughter of King James II and Mary's sister, became queen when William, Mary's husband, died in 1702. (Mary's death in 1694 had Anne in the line of fire.)
As described in the film, Queen Anne died childless after a series of miscarriages, stillbirths and children lost at an early age. William, his last surviving son, died in 1700 at the age of 11. He was the 18th child that Anne had (and had lost) with Prince George, who does not participate at all in the plot of The favourite.
Sarah Churchill, wife of Marlborough, was a trusted minister.
Queen Anne has definitely relied on the advice of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (played by Rachel Weisz) and a leading player in court. As in the film, the two men quarreled later in his reign, but before that, Sarah was his favorite.
Churchill's husband, the Duke of Marlborough, was a prominent military figure (a general) during Anne's reign. In this spirit, it is not difficult to see how Sarah had such an important influence on the queen.
Wars are raging on both sides of the Atlantic throughout Anne's reign.
While Marlborough and England's allies fought against France and Bavaria in Europe during the Spanish War of Succession (1701-14), another war took place in the colonies. This conflict bore the name of Queen Anne's war
(1702-13) and lasted almost the whole of his reign.
While several factions and monarchs were engaged in war in Europe, England and France were the main players in the North American fighting. That ended with England (then Britain) acquiring territories from France.
In the absence of Sarah, Anne was approaching a maid without education.
Several important political events occurred under the reign of Queen Anne. In 1707, England and Scotland united. That made Anne the first queen of Britain. Meanwhile, the emergence of the two-party system (Whigs vs. Tories) has further complicated matters.
Sarah Churchill had a lot to do for Anne. As a result, her absences became longer in the queen and the palace. Abigail (Emma Stone), an uneducated maid who was friends with Sarah, became Anne's favorite during this period.
Rumors of a sexual relationship between Anne and Abigail circulated at the time.
With regard to the love triangle the spectators enter The favourite, rumors certainly abounded on the subject during the reign of Queen Anne. In her 2014 biography on the Queen (quoted by Esquire), Anne Somerset reprinted a song written by the Queen's opponents about Abigail (nicknamed "The State Slut").
Oh! Abigail was his name
She is hungry and sewn well
But how did she break through this royal heart
No mortal man can say
However, for the service done
And causes of great weight
His royal mistress made it, Oh!
A minister of state.
Somerset notes that Sarah Churchill helped spread rumors about these "shocking things," in the words of the Queen. On the one hand, it is likely that Sarah and Anne never had a sexual relationship.
Nevertheless, this does not corroborate the rumor concerning Anne and Abigail. Nevertheless, if you took the liberty with a historical narrative, this subject would be considered a fair game for the filmmakers.
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