Prior to his untimely death in September 2021, director Roger Michell (“Notting Hill,” “Tea With the Dames”) wanted to make good use of his time spent cooped up in COVID-19 isolation. So, he called on a few fellow brilliant minds and got to work on a documentary about Elizabeth II. But…how to make a documentary…
Last Friday’s premiere of “Emily in Paris” on Netflix might have been nothing like Kate’s royal trip to the city of lights in 2017 (for one, I don’t think Patricia Fields, the show’s costume designer, edited HRH’s wardrobe). And yet, here I am flipping through a few of Kate’s looks and thinking how, like any…
Today, the second official trailer for Netflix’s original series, “The Crown” was released, delving further into the early days of Elizabeth II’s reign. The preview opens in February 1952 with a royal aide asking Her Majesty what her “regnal name” will be as monarch. “Let’s not overcomplicate matters unnecessarily,” Elizabeth, played fantastically by Claire Foy,…
On September 18th, the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles. Among the nominees was Dame Maggie Smith, who played the Dowager Countess on Downton Abbey for six seasons. At the start of the show, host Jimmy Kimmel made up a new rule for any winner who wasn’t present to receive his…
It seems like only yesterday when I awoke before 4am ET to cover the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. April 29th will mark five years since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge married in a spectacular ceremony, seen by 2 billion people worldwide. On April 18th at 10pm ET, REELZ Channel will premiere…
Last night, the highly-anticipated ITV documentary on Her Majesty aired in the UK, and now international audiences are able to watch it in full. Well, whoever can find it, I guess. Members of the royal family spoke affectionately about the Queen, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of…
Cousin Violet is a sage and stable port in the storm, according to me. When we were first introduced to the Dowager Countess in 2010, many of us saw a stuffy, outdated old broad who was too stuck in her ways. Not so, we’ve discovered. Her Ladyship was perhaps one of the show’s most forward-thinking…
On March 12th, 2015, the Duchess of Cambridge visited Ealing Studios, where the ITV hit, Downton Abbey was filming its sixth and final season. Joanne Froggatt, who played lady’s maid Anna Bates, recalled meeting Her Royal Highness to Conan O’Brien on January 21st. Everything was going well, Froggatt explained, until she unwittingly made a remark…
Earlier today, Netflix debuted a trailer for their newest series, “The Crown,” based on the early reign of Elizabeth II. The trailer opens with the young queen (played by Claire Foy) testing out St. Edward’s Crown ahead of her June 1953 coronation while her children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne watch. Charles once said that his…
Once upon a time on Instagram I started following Chris Schleicher, a writer on one of my favorite shows, “The Mindy Project” (season 3 now streaming on Hulu). After scrolling through every one of his photos (a tribute to Her Majesty, reviews of “Grace of Monaco”), I decided to track Schleicher down for an interview. It’s…