9. Wrong: Whilst both Queens were polite and courteous towards one another, maintaining at best a cordial relationship, Mary, Queen of Scots at times ahistorically exaggerates the affection between the pair
Upon her return to Scotland in 1561, where Mary, Queen of Scots begins Mary’s story, the young widow understood the political difficulties facing her. A Catholic, and a foreigner in the eyes of many, in a newly Protestant country bordered by a Protestant England, Mary was compelled to adopt a degree of congeniality and friendliness towards her cousin. Similarly, Elizabeth sought to ensure Scotland remained a stable neighbor and, most importantly, Protestant. With a Catholic Scotland posing a genuine threat to herself, Elizabeth likewise was forced to adopt an accommodating posture towards her relation.
However, Mary was equally combative and disruptive towards Elizabeth and it would be inaccurate to depict either as anything more than polite rivals. During her residency in France and marriage to Francis, his father, Henry II, had declared Elizabeth unfit and proclaimed Mary the rightful Queen of England. Maintaining this claim throughout her husband’s brief reign, Mary’s public attempt to usurp Elizabeth’s crown precluded any sisterly bond as depicted in the film. Elizabeth’s concerns for Mary, depicted as genuine and legitimately traumatizing for the English monarch, were exaggerated, with Elizabeth and Mary’s familial bond muted at best.