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The True Historical Events Behind The Favourite

The deliciously catty goings on of The Favourite's court are drawn straight from the real-life world of Queen Anne.

by | December 12, 2018 | Comments

The Favourite

(Photo by © Fox Searchlight Pictures)

If you thought your office’s politics were petty, just be glad you weren’t part of the English royal court at the turn of the 17th Century. Personality struggles were a major and – in good news for filmmakers – extremely dramatic part of court intrigue, as seen in the new critically acclaimed comedy-drama, The FavouriteThe film, from The Lobster’s Yorgos Lanthimos, depicts a three-way power struggle between England’s Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) and her two power-hungry frenemies, Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and Abigail Masham, nee Hill (Emma Stone). As with most things involving the British crown, the backstory behind this tale is complicated, slightly absurd, and incredibly juicy. Here are the five historical events that led up to the events of The Favourite.


Queen Anne becomes an unlikely (and not especially good) queen.

The Favourite

(Photo by © Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Queen Anne, played by Colman in a turn that’s already won her a Golden Globe nomination and is generating Oscar heat, began her rule in 1702 thanks to a somewhat odd line of succession. A former monarch, her uncle King Charles II, died without an heir, which meant that Anne’s father, James II, took the throne in 1685. However, he fled England during the Glorious Revolution three years later, and the crown fell to Anne’s older sister, Mary, who ruled alongside her husband William of Orange. Mary ruled until her death in 1694, and William’s reign continued until his death in 1702. After all that, it was time for Anne to take the crown.

Thing is, Anne was not especially good at being a queen. Especially, and tragically, when it came to the job of providing an heir. Though she had 17 children with her husband George, only one survived past infancy, and that boy died at age 11. That meant that there was another succession headache looming, and Anne, who had a nasty case of gout throughout her rule, wasn’t especially shrewd when it came to ruling in the meantime. As control of the country began to shift away towards politics, and away from the monarchy, with the Whig and Tory parties vying for control, Anne was just kind of… there.   


Sarah Churchill becomes Anne’s friend, confidant, and bully.

The Favourite

(Photo by © Fox Searchlight Pictures)

In 1671, when the future Queen Anne was just six years old, she met a girl named Sarah Jennings and took a liking to her. Dynamic, confident, and older than Anne, Sarah was wise enough to know she should take advantage of this potentially beneficial friendship. Sarah, who would change her last name Churchill upon marrying John Churchill, the First Duke of Marlborough, wielded immense power in the court, as it became widely known that she was the person to approach if you wanted the Queen to do something.

Though Sarah and Anne were very close (a romance between the two has never been confirmed), it wasn’t always a kind relationship. Historians recount that Sarah berated Anne, driving her to tears and bossing the monarch around on several occasions. But, as Anne’s old “friend,” official head of the private royal treasury and bookkeeping, and courtly favorite, Sarah had that kind of power. Or at least, she did.


Abigail Hill joins the court and rises in the ranks.

The Favourite

(Photo by © Fox Searchlight Pictures)

The bulk of The Favourite follows the power struggle between Churchill and a new contender for the throne (or at least, the throne’s confidence). Abigail Hill, played by Stone in the film, was Sarah’s cousin, but her branch of the family had fallen on hard times. Sarah brought Abigail, who had been working as a servant, into her personal employ before getting her a gig as a lady of bedchamber for Anne, a decision Sarah would soon come to regret.  

Though generally thought to have not been as mercenary as Sarah, Abigail was shrewd, and when Anne started to rely on Abigail for the emotional support Sarah never really gave her, the newcomer was happy to oblige. Queen Anne knew all about Abigail’s marriage to a courtier named Samuel Masham, while Sarah was on the outs and increasingly irritated by Abigail’s rising standing within the court. We won’t say who ultimately won the Queen’s favor, or how – you will need to see the film for that particularly delicious chapter of the story.

(Worth noting, while we’re on the subject, that there’s no concrete evidence that Anne and Sarah or Abigail were lovers in real life).


The Whigs and the Tories also have a go at it.

The Favourite

(Photo by © Fox Searchlight Pictures)

The relationship between Anne, Sarah, and Abigail is the titillating part of the story, but the Queen’s rule was marked by political conflict as well (which is actually quite titillatingly laid out in the film). The Favourite plays more fast and loose with the political aspect of the story than it does with the three women’s relationships, as it would have it, but the gist is that both parties were becoming more powerful in the wake of the Glorious Revolution that overthrew Anne’s father. The queen largely identified with the Tories, since they were more royalist; Sarah, meanwhile, wanted to push Anne into supporting the Whigs, who were more capitalistic puritans. This was the period when England’s two-party system really clicked into place, and it did so as Sarah, Anne, and Abigail were subtly wrestling for influence.


Winston Churchill is involved (sort of!)

The Favourite

(Photo by © Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Winston Churchill is not in The Favourite, since the World War II leader wouldn’t be born until more than a century and a half after Anne’s reign ended. However, he was a descendant of Sarah Churchill’s. Sarah would die at the ripe old age of 84, outliving both the queen and her younger rival Abigail. She wrote a book, An Account of the Conduct of the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, from her First Coming to Court to the Year 1710, that did not portray Anne in a favorable light. Her characterization of Anne as a feeble and weak leader endured, and it wasn’t until much later that historians reevaluated Anne and her reign. But, history, as the old saying goes, is written by the winners. Or at least the longest-livers. Even now, centuries later, The Favourite is still indebted to Sarah’s accounting of the events, even if the Duchess of Marlborough probably would’ve had some objection to the film’s depiction of her.


The Favourite is in theaters now