Elizabeth Shakespear Nel (née Layton; 14 June 1917 – 30 October 2007) was a personal secretary to Winston Churchill from 1941 to 1945.

Who played Churchill's typist in darkest hour?

Lily James says she had become “obsessive” with using the typewriter to prop for her role of Elizabeth Layton in the World War II drama, “The Darkest Hour”. The 28-year-old actor, who played personal secretary to Gary Oldman’s Winston Churchill in the film, said she took typing lessons for six weeks.

What happened to Churchill's secretary?

Elizabeth Nel, née Layton, was personal secretary to Winston Churchill, 1941-1945. This is a photograph of her taken at some time during that period. She was born on 14 June 1917 and died in her sleep on 30 October 2007, aged 90.

Is the darkest hour based on a true story?

The True Story Behind the Winston Churchill Biopic Darkest Hour. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivering his first radio broadcast as Prime Minister on May 13, 1940. Many know British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as a legendary wordsmith who delivered some of history’s most famous speeches.

Who is Miss Layton in darkest hour?

Darkest Hour (2017) – Lily James as Elizabeth Layton – IMDb.

How realistic is darkest hour?

The short answer is no; Winston Churchill is not accurately portrayed in Darkest Hour. In the film, he is an inspiring, confident leader of a beleaguered country and humanity’s last hope against Hitler and the Nazis.

Is the movie Churchill historically accurate?

Actually very much wanted ‘Churchill’ to succeed, considering that it is based on an important historical figure and his incredible story. … This is true, but ‘Churchill’ has more wrong with it than just historical inaccuracy and for now will be judged on its own as a film.

Did Winston Churchill and King George get along?

Yet by the time of the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, the monarch and his premier were firm friends. After Churchill made his famous “finest hour” speech on 18 June 1940, the King wrote: “He looked tired and was depressed over France.

Who is Winston Churchill's wife?

Who was Clementine Churchill? Born in 1885, Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill (née Hozier) was far more than just Winston’s wife. She was a keen promoter of social and humanitarian causes, often in defiance of Winston, including women’s rights.

Did Winston Churchill's secretary get run over?

But tragically, she falls victim to the Great Smog of 1952 and is run down by a bus as she rushes to Downing Street. After visiting her body Churchill is spurred on to tackle the smog after days of inaction. … The speech saved Churchill from the chop.

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Did one of Churchill's staff died in the smog?

In reality, there was never a Venetia Scott and none of Churchill’s secretaries or other staff died from the smog. She was most likely a character inspired by a number of people who worked for Churchill, with her death acting as a catalyst rousing Churchill to take action in the episode.

Was Elizabeth Layton real?

Typist-secretary Elizabeth Layton (brilliantly played by Lily James) did exist, but her appearing in 1940 is dramatic license. The real Elizabeth actually didn’t join Churchill’s staff until May 1941.

Was Lily James in Churchill?

It stars Gary Oldman as Churchill, alongside Kristin Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill, Lily James as Elizabeth Layton, Stephen Dillane as Viscount Halifax, Ronald Pickup as Neville Chamberlain, and Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI.

Did Gary Oldman win an Oscar for Churchill?

Gary Oldman has won best actor for his role as Winston Churchill. Gary Oldman’s Oscar-winning performance for the film “Darkest Hour” is inextricably linked to his jaw-dropping transformation into Winston Churchill, which required almost three hours in the makeup chair.

Who opposed Churchill?

The Right Honourable The Earl of Halifax KG OM GCSI GCMG GCIE TD PCIn office 21 February 1938 – 22 December 1940Prime MinisterNeville Chamberlain Winston ChurchillPreceded byAnthony EdenSucceeded byAnthony Eden

Who was prime minister after Churchill?

The Right Honourable The Earl of Avon KG MC PCPreceded byWinston ChurchillSucceeded byHarold MacmillanLeader of the Conservative PartyIn office 6 April 1955 – 10 January 1957

When did Churchill say darkest hour?

The phrase In his ‘finest hour’ speech, on 16 June 1940, Churchill described the collapse of France following the German invasion as “the darkest hour in French history”; he had used similar terms when meeting with members of the Supreme War Council a week earlier.

Is there a Darkest Hour 2?

Darkest Hour Part II: Soldado.

Did Winston Churchill cry a lot?

Churchill’s wilderness years, when he was out of office in the 1930s, saw him in tears much more than before. … The Labour leader Clement Attlee recalled “the tears pouring down his cheeks one day before the war in the House of Commons, when he was telling me what was being done to the Jews in Germany”.

Who were Churchill's parents?

Winston’s father was the British Lord Randolph Churchill, the youngest son of John, the 7th Duke of Marlborough. Lord Randolph’s ancestor John Churchill made history by winning many successful military campaigns in Europe for Queen Anne almost 200 years earlier. His mother was the American Jennie Jerome.

Who is Winston in England?

Winston Churchill was an inspirational statesman, writer, orator and leader who led Britain to victory in the Second World War. He served as Conservative Prime Minister twice – from 1940 to 1945 (before being defeated in the 1945 general election by the Labour leader Clement Attlee) and from 1951 to 1955.

How was Princess Diana related to Winston Churchill?

Princess Diana was related to a lot of prominent people in history. However, looking at the Spencer family tree, the Princess was also related to Winston Churchill. … The couple were Winston Churchill’s great-great-great-great-great-grandparents and Princess Diana’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents.

How old was King George VI when he died?

The King failed to recover from a lung operation, and died in his sleep on 6 February 1952 at Sandringham; he was aged 56. After lying in state at Westminster Hall, the King’s funeral was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where he lies buried.

Did the King of England like Winston Churchill?

Andrew Roberts, Churchill’s latest biographer, wrote that during the war the King and Churchill formed a bond “that was eventually to become as strong as any Churchill enjoyed in public life.”1 Sir John Wheeler-Bennett, George VI’s official biographer, cited Churchill as “the man with whom he was to work in later years …

Did Churchill have children?

Randolph Churchill Randolph was born in 1911 and died in 1968 aged 57, of a heart attack. He was Churchill’s only son. Randolph was given an MBE and worked as a journalist, writer, solider and later went onto become a Conservative politician. He also had two children.

What pills does Stan take in the professional?

Throughout the film, he takes a drug in capsule form that appears to be Librium, an early benzodiazepine.

Is the fog in the crown real?

Everything to Know About the Great Smog of 1952, as Seen on The Crown. A tugboat on the Thames near Tower Bridge in heavy smog, 1952. … But the Great Smog of 1952, also known as the Big Smoke and The Great Pea Soup, was a real — and terrible — event that claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.

Did Churchill's father died of syphilis?

Winston’s father, Lord Randolph Churchill, most likely died from syphilis, while his thrice married, convention-flouting mother, American heiress Jennie Jerome, took up with much younger men.

What caused the fog in the crown?

In the show, government officials explain that an anticyclone is pushing air over the city downward, trapping air pollution from coal burning.

Did Churchill visit the hospital?

Churchill is spurred on to tackle the weather issue after days of inaction once he visits his assistant’s body in hospital, being visibly moved.

Why did Lady Churchill burn the portrait?

After its public presentation, the painting was taken to his country home at Chartwell but not displayed. After the death of Lady Spencer-Churchill in 1977, it became known she had the painting destroyed to relieve her husband’s frustration some months after it was delivered.