It’s no secret that the film isn’t entirely historically accurate, with several aspects altered in the name of dramatic license. For example, the huge climactic scene between Mary (Saoirse Ronan) and Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) likely never happened, as it’s believed that the two actually never once came face-to-face. There’s also a moment at the very end of Mary’s story that has been altered a little for the big screen.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Mary Queen of Scots. And British history.
As many will already know, Mary was ultimately executed, at the official order of Elizabeth (although that’s a long story, too).
But what the film doesn’t show is just how gruesome her death was.
History tells us that Mary’s beheading didn’t go entirely smoothly – and in fact it took three strikes to complete the job.
The first blow missed her neck and struck the back of her head, and the second severed the neck except for a small bit of sinew.
It wasn’t until the third strike that her head was completely detached from her body.
Then, when the executioner held her head aloft and declared “God save the Queen”, it is believed that it fell to the floor as her wig came off in his hands – revealing that she actually had very short, grey hair.
Given how unsettling all this would be to a modern audience, it’s unsurprising that the death doesn’t quite play out like this in the movie.
Speaking on ITV’s This Morning, Ronan recently explained why some of history was changed for the film – including the scene in which the two women meet.
“If an audience has stuck with a film for an hour and a half, two hours, and followed these two stories and these two women in their lives – you need that payoff,” she said.
“I just think, from a dramatic point of view, it made sense to have the two of them in the room.
“Elizabeth in that scene is a complete shell of her former self. She’s completely non-human. Mary is bloody and dirty and she’s just come from battle in our film. So you’re watching these women being pushed to their limit.”
Mary Queen of Scots is out now.