BlogtorWho joins the world in mourning the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth she has been a constant for over 70 years. Her death is a monumental moment in history.
Queen Elizabeth II has been frequently referenced in Doctor Who’s history. For instance, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II provided the setting for the Doctor Who story ‘The Idiots’ Lantern‘. Whilst in Windsor Castle during the story ‘Silver Nemesis‘ the Seventh Doctor and Ace almost crossed paths with the Monarch as she walked some of her corgis. Following the events of ‘Robot‘ an offer of dinner at Buckingham Palace was extended to the Fourth incarnation of the Doctor. The Silver Jubilee of 1977 also provided a backdrop for some of the action at Brendon Public School in ‘Mawdryn Undead‘.
During ‘The Christmas Invasion‘ Prime Minister Harriet Jones made a national address appealing for help from The Doctor. A framed photograph of the Queen was positioned on the desk. The Prime Minister also commented that the royal family were stood on the roof. On Christmas Day a few years later an alien replica of the Titanic almost crashed into Buckingham Palace, whilst the Queen was in residence. The Tenth Doctor contacted the Palace to evacuate the Queen and her staff. Her Majesty thanked the Doctor and wished him a happy Christmas as he managed to prevent the ship from crashing into the Palace. Perhaps that’s why the Queen didn’t mind when the Tenth Doctor parked his TARDIS in the gardens of the Palace in 2009 during the story ‘Planet of the Dead’. Queen Elizabeth II would also be referenced in several Doctor Who books, comics and audio adventures.
Queen Elizabeth II 1926 – 2022
Although Doctor Who is only a television programme, the reverence and respect for Her Majesty when she was referenced in the programme has been a reflection of the enormous regard that she was held in. She was of course an individual who delighted in crossing paths with fictional characters. As a part of the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony the Queen appeared with Daniel Craig as James Bond. Earlier this year Her Majesty filmed a segment with Paddington Bear as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. She is thought to have been a fan of Doctor Who, having followed the programme since 1963. It is difficult to comprehend that she won’t be watching the next broadcast of Doctor Who having been the reigning monarch for all the previous 870 episodes.
