Early Life and the Fateful Painting

Jeannette Charles was born in 1925 in London, England. In the mid-1940s, she married Ken Charles, and they lived in Essex for many years. In 1972, after returning from Libya, where they had lived for some time, Charles decided to commission a painting of herself for her husband’s birthday. She chose local artist Jane Thornhill to create the masterpiece.

Thornhill was so impressed with Charles’s resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II that she asked if she could submit the painting to the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition in London. Much to her surprise, the venerable institution returned the picture, believing it to be a portrait of the Queen and having been told by Buckingham Palace that the monarch had not sat for it.

An Uncanny Resemblance

The mix-up at the Royal Academy was just one of many incidents that would highlight Charles’s uncanny resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II. With her regal bearing, piercing blue eyes, and signature hairdo, she was a dead ringer for the British monarch. It was a resemblance that would eventually lead to a long and successful career in film and television.

Charles first appeared on screen in a minor role in the 1970 film “Anne of the Thousand Days.” However, it was her performance as the Queen in the 1982 television series “Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story” that made her a household name. Over the next few decades, she would go on to portray the Queen in numerous other productions, including “The Crown,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” and “Spencer.”

A Legacy of Royal Impersonation

Jeannette Charles passed away in 2017 at the age of 91. But her legacy as the Queen’s most famous lookalike lives on. She was a talented actress who brought nuance and dignity to her portrayal of the British monarch. Her work helped to shape the public’s perception of the Queen and played a significant role in the royal family’s continued popularity.