Her Majesty

Set in 1953, HER MAJESTY is a widely appealing coming of age story about a young girl who realizes her lifelong dream when Queen Elizabeth comes to visit her small hometown. Carefully woven into this deceptively simple tale is a rich and engaging tapestry of universal themes and ideas — tolerance and truth, love and friendship, courage in the face of adversity. The delightful result is a timeless parable about race relations and identity which seamlessly transcends age, gender and culture. The heroine is Elizabeth Wakefield, a 13-year old New Zealand girl who lives in the quaint, and somewhat quirky town of Middleton. With her idol, Queen Elizabeth, scheduled to make a visit, and everyone in town, including her father, jockeying to curry favor with the royal entourage, Elizabeth suddenly finds herself thrust into an unlikely friendship with an old Maori woman, Hira Mata, whose house - a sore spot with the matrons of the town - is directly on the parade route past which the Queen will travel. Elizabeth's true character is tested when she must choose between marching in the ceremonial parade of her dreams with a chance to personally meet the Queen and her loyalty to Hira, whose defiant insistence on maintaining and defending her home against all odds, teaches Elizabeth the importance of standing up for what she believes in.