Who knows what happened on May 8, 1945 when Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen, and sister Princess Margaret went on to the streets of London to celebrate Victory in Europe (VE) Day. I doubt events unfolded quite as director Julian Jarrold portrays in this lighthearted, rather charming film, but it certainly conveys the genuine feel of the dawning of a new era.
It's hard to imagine an unrecognisable royal - especially one who is heir to the throne - so accepting the princesses had been "cloistered like nuns" for six years and were unrecognisable, is the first hurdle to overcome with this coming-of-age story.
Princess Elizabeth (Gadon) convinces her father to let the sisters experience some rare freedom by claiming she'll be able to tell him what people really think of his VE Day speech.
As you'd expect from a British period piece, humour as well as class are pillars of the story, with the distance between the royal family and their people highlighted in a scene when Elizabeth stands outside the gate of Buckingham Palace watching her parents wave to the crowd.
Social structures are also expressed through Elizabeth's relationship with Jack, a young republican airman (Jack Reynor), who she recruits to help her around London.
