Today marks the anniversary of VE Day, May 8 1945, when the forces of good defeated Nazi tyranny and the British Army helped teach Hitler a lesson for pointing those giant arrows at us in Dad’s Army. Seventy years ago even Princess Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) was out on the tiles, doing whatever the royal equivalent of selfies was (one-sies?) and cutting loose with her future subjects for the one and only time. At least, that’s the premise for A Royal Night Out. Liberties have been taken with some of the facts, but, as this new featurette shows, real-life events served as inspiration for this alt-fairy tale.
On princess duties alongside **Maps To The Stars **actress Gadon is Bel Powley as the flighty, effervescent Margaret. The pair are given a night's pass by King George (Rupert Everett) and the future Queen Mother (Emily Watson), on condition that they’re closely chaperoned and home in good time for royal duties, with failure to comply resulting in instant pumpkin-ification.
Of course, they do fail to comply and Princess Elizabeth soon falls reluctantly in with AWOL airman Jack Reynor. Together the pair brave teeming crowds, boozy speakeasies and the tantalising possibility of a Cinderella ending.
It’s all overseen by Becoming Jane’s Julian Jarrold. There’s plenty more on the film in next week’s Empire Podcast when Gadon steps into the podbooth for a yarn. **A Royal Night Out **is previewing in selected cinemas today before making its theatrical bow on May 15.