The film follows the Queen's remarkable life, from her youth – when few expected she'd ever wear the crown – to her uncle Edward VIII's stunning abdication, her father's coronation as King George VI, her experience during World War Two, her own sudden ascension to the throne, and her eventful reign of more than 60 years. She has defined the role of a modern monarch, leading the Royal Family and her subjects through the challenges of post-war reconstruction, decolonization, conflicts in South Africa, Northern Ireland and The Falklands, and the emotionally charged days after Princess Diana's death.Among those interviewed are former Prime Minister Sir John Major, actor Sir Ben Kingsley, biographer Sally Bedell Smith, Oscar-winning screenwriter David Seidler (The King's Speech), director Stephen Frears (The Queen), historian John Julius Cooper, Kamalesh Sharma (Secretary General of the Commonwealth), and the Queen's cousins Margaret Rhodes and Lady Elizabeth Anson.