REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
Olivia Colman
Born: January 30, 1974 Birthplace: Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK | Queen Anne
Born: February 6, 1665 Birthplace: St James's Palace, Westminster, England Death: August 1, 1714, Kensington Palace, England (stroke) Image: Portrait by Michael Dahl, 1705 |
Rachel Weisz
Born: March 7, 1970 Birthplace: Westminster, London, England, UK | Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Born: June 5, 1660 Birthplace: St Albans, England Death: October 18, 1744, Marlborough House, England Image: Portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1702 |
Emma Stone
Born: November 6, 1988 Birthplace: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA | Abigail Masham
Born: c. 1670 Birthplace: London, England Death: December 6, 1734, England Image: Portrait by Unknown Artist, c. 1700 |
Nicholas Hoult
Born: December 7, 1989 Birthplace: Wokingham, Berkshire, England, UK | Robert Harley
Born: December 5, 1661 Birthplace: Covent Garden, England Death: May 21, 1724, Westminster, England |
Mark Gatiss
Born: October 17, 1966 Birthplace: Sedgefield, England, UK | John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
Born: May 26, 1650 Birthplace: Ashe House, England Death: June 16, 1722, Windsor Lodge, England (stroke) Image: Portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller, c. 1702 |
The Favourite true story reveals that Anne Stuart became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland following the death of King William III in 1702. William's wife (who was also his first cousin), Queen Mary II, had died eight years earlier in 1694. William and Mary were not Anne's parents. Anne's father, King James II, had been removed from the throne in 1688 by William of Orange, his son-in-law, during the Glorious Revolution.
King James II was deposed on religious grounds. He had been previously converted to Catholicism by his wife, Anne's mother. After her mother's death, James married the catholic princess Mary of Modena and they bore a son, James. This changed the line of succession from Jame's daughter Mary, a protestant, to his newly born son, a catholic. The protestants of England saw this as a threat that would inevitably lead to the formation of a Roman Catholic dynasty across the kingdoms. Anne defied her father and took the protestant side of William and her sister, Mary. Upon his removal, James fled to France with his wife and son, and William and Mary ascended to the throne. Anne was next in line.
Yes, and tragically, 12 of the 17 times she was pregnant she either miscarried or had stillborn births. Of her five children who survived birth, four died before their second birthday and her only remaining child, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, died in 1700 at age 11. -Mirror Online
No. The real Queen Anne didn't keep 17 pet rabbits as stand-ins for the children she lost due to miscarriages, still births and premature death. The movie's historical consultant, Hannah Greig, has admitted this is fiction, stating, "Pet rabbits would never have been found lolloping around a royal bedchamber: They were an early 18th-century foodstuff and pest." -History Extra
Anne met Sarah Churchill (née Jennings) in the court of Anne's uncle, King Charles II, when she was around the age of 8 and Sarah was 13 (Vanity Fair). Sarah's father had been friends with Anne's father, James II, when he was still Duke of York. Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, was maid of honor to Jame's second wife, Mary of Modena. Not long after, Sarah became close friends with Anne in 1675.
They remained close and Sarah became Lady of the Bedchamber when Anne married Prince George of Denmark in 1683. After Anne's ascension to the throne in 1702, their friendship deepened and Lady Sarah was made Mistress of the Robes (the top rank for a woman in the royal court), Keeper of the Privy Purse, Groom of the Stole, and Ranger of Windsor Great Park. By that time, the pair had long referred to each other by pet names. Sarah was "Mrs. Freeman" and Anne "Mrs. Morley".
Yes. The Favourite true story confirms that not only did the attractive Sarah control Queen Anne's finances and circle of friends, she had a reputation for being brutally honest with Anne. Sarah's advice was sought regarding everything. This may have been in part due to the fact that Anne's education was "astonishingly inadequate", according to one biographer. Anne was also shy and found impromptu conversation a challenge, unlike the more outspoken and intelligent Lady Sarah (It was even said that when Anne found herself out of her element in a conversation, she would sometimes move her lips and pretend to continue speaking). It is believed that Sarah largely used her friendship with Anne for personal gain more than anything else. She once commented that she'd rather be "in a dungeon" than in a conversation with the tedious royal. -Vanity Fair
Queen Anne's reign was marked by three major developments: the establishment of a two-party Parliamentary system, England's role in the War of the Spanish Succession, and the 1707 Act of Union which unified England and Scotland as one kingdom under the name "Great Britain". The last development is not depicted in the movie.
No. Our fact-check of The Favourite movie revealed that costume designer Sandy Powell's stunning outfits are not typical of the era. In the film, the leading ladies wear monochrome popping with vivid patterns and African-inspired prints. Court servants are dressed in recycled denim. It's not accurate historically and is symbolic of the film's tendency to paint outside the lines when it comes to the truth. "Some of the things in the film are accurate and a lot aren't," director Yorgos Lanthimos told The Hollywood Reporter.
No, this is highly unlikely. While there have been rumors of sexual relationships between both Queen Anne and Lady Sarah, and Queen Anne and Abigail Hill, most historians and biographers reject this notion. The movie uses the fictionalized love triangle to heighten the drama and add another dimension to the rivalry between Anne and Sarah. It also omits Anne's husband, Prince George of Denmark, with whom she had a prolific sexual history that resulted in 17 pregnancies, which are noted in the movie. Biographers cite that Anne was a woman with a strong sense of Christian morality who was devoted to her husband. She shared a room with him and did not ever leave his bed in all his years of dwindling health. Thus, it would have been logistically very difficult for Anne to carry on extramarital affairs.
Sarah (aka the Duchess of Marlborough) realized she was no longer Queen Anne's favourite in 1707 after she learned that Abigail had married Samuel Masham, a groom in the bedchamber of Anne's husband. The once-destitute Abigail had become Lady Masham. Sarah was furious over Anne and Abigail's closeness, and became more upset after she learned that the Queen had attended her chambermaid's wedding and gave the couple a dowry of £2000 paid from the Privy Purse, which Sarah managed. -Mirror Online
Yes, but it was attempted more for political reasons than personal ones. Sarah, who had aligned herself with the Whigs, wanted to remove Abigail and her Tory sympathies from the court, knowing they would influence Queen Anne. Sarah treated Anne's emotional defense of her chambermaid Abigail as an indication of a lesbian affair, which made Anne even more upset. Sarah hoped the rumors she was spreading would cause the Queen to remove Abigail from her service, realizing that it threatened her reputation. It instead did the opposite and led to Sarah's falling out with Anne. When asked what ended their friendship, the Queen would later say that the main reason was Sarah "saying shocking things" about her and to her. -Vulture
No. In exploring The Favourite true story, we discovered that the rivalry did not reach the life and death stakes seen in the movie. Much of the rivalry was born out of the fact that Sarah and Abigail opposed each others politics. As Abigail wielded more influence over Queen Anne, she started urging the Queen to embrace her natural Tory inclinations. The Whig-minded Sarah saw Abigail as a threat to the political agenda of the Whig Party.
No. A fact-check of The Favourite movie reveals that this is fiction. There is no historical evidence to suggest that Abigail poisoned Sarah. -Vulture
Yes. Lady Sarah and her family returned to England on the afternoon of Queen Anne's death on August 1, 1714. It was rumored that Anne had asked for them to come back. With Anne's passing, the Tories fell from power, and the Whigs, including Sarah's husband, became the ruling majority again.
Queen Anne was succeeded by George of Hanover. King George got along splendidly with Sarah and her husband, and they became great friends. Sarah passed away in 1744 at age 84, but not before she had again become a favourite of a Queen, this time King George II's wife, Queen Caroline. However, Sarah's fiery disposition led to a falling out with them too.
After Sarah was removed from the royal court, Abigail took her place. Anne was more cautious with Abigail, not wanting to be domineered as she had been with Sarah. She didn't want to elevate Abigail's status too much, for fear that Abigail would leave her.
Upon Anne's death from a stroke on August 1, 1714, Abigail Masham and her husband Samuel were evicted from their palace homes. Abigail left the court and retired into private life. Samuel purchased a manor house not far from Windsor. They were by no means poor. Abigail lived in their country house until her own passing in 1734. -Vanity Fair
Yes. Lady Sarah Churchill's lineage guaranteed an enduring foothold in British politics. Her most famous descendant is Winston Churchill, who helped to save Britain from the hands of the Nazis during World War II. Sarah is also related to Lady Diana Spencer (Princess Diana) through her daughter, Anne Churchill, whose married name was Spencer.
Watch our episode below that fact-checks The Favourite for historical accuracy. Then watch our video explaining the significance of the bunnies, and finally, check out the movie's trailer.