Born within a year of each other, Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were the two women who had the biggest impact on Britain in the 20th century. Olivier Award-winning comedy Handbagged speculates on what happened when they met behind closed palace doors.
It’s at Richmond Theatre from November 23 to 28.
With the two powerful women facing-off on stage, we pitted them together Top Trumps-style. Who wins, you decide.
Queen Elizabeth II
Born: April 21, 1926
Died: Still going
Job: The Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Head of the Commonwealth
Years in office: 63 years and counting
Elections won: Zero
Likes: Corgis and horses
The Good: Britain’s longest serving monarch, impressive popularity.
The Bad: Her Annus Horriblis in 1992 with her sons’ marriage breakdowns, Diana’s memoirs, a fire at Windsor Castle and being forced to pay income tax and capital gains tax for the first time.
The Ugly: She copped a lot of flak over Diana.
Margaret Thatcher
Born: October 13, 1925
Died: April 8, 2013
Job: Prime Minister
Years in office: 11 years (1979 to 1990)
Elections won: Three
Likes: Capitalism, Reagan
The Good: The Iron Lady. Arguably improved social mobility. Championed the free market economy.
When she died, David Cameron said: “Margaret Thatcher didn’t just lead our country; she saved our country. She was the patriot prime minister, and she fought for Britain’s interests every step of the way.”
The Bad: ‘Margaret Thatcher milk snatcher’, Geoffrey Howe’s resignation in 1990, the disastrous poll tax, the minors’ strikes, inner city riots.
The Ugly: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead went to number two in the charts when she died. Ousted by her own party while still PM.
Handbagged is at Richmond Theatre from November 23 to 28. Go to atgtickets.com/richmond
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here