A scene from “Unfinished Business”

Harold Wilson: Uh, well, I suppose I should kick things off with an apology.

Queen Elizabeth II: Whatever for?

Harold Wilson: Well, winning. I'm aware of your affection for my predecessor and doubtless you'd have preferred him to have continued in office.

Queen Elizabeth II: It is my duty not to have preferences.

Harold Wilson: Well, we all do though, don't we? We can't help it. It's human nature. And I can see the attraction of someone like "Posh Alec." Someone you can chat with about the racing, someone well-bred, highborn, who knows how to hold his cutlery, as opposed to a ruffian like me.

Queen Elizabeth II: Hardly.

Harold Wilson: Still, the country said otherwise. They'd had enough of the mess those Conservatives left us and the havoc they wreaked. Soaring land and house prices, race riots, sex scandals, large-scale unemployment, rejection from the EEC, and an annual trade deficit of £800 million.

Queen Elizabeth II: Yes, it's an unenviable legacy. What will you do about the balance of payments? Will you devalue?

Harold Wilson: No, m-ma'am. A Labour government devalued the pound once before, with little success, and my party cannot risk being seen as the party of devaluation. It is also a matter of national pride. This is still a great country, and the pound is a powerful symbol.

Harold Wilson: Can't have been an easy one to get used to.

Queen Elizabeth II: What's that?

Harold Wilson: Well, you being part of that symbol. Your face on every coin and banknote.

Queen Elizabeth II: No. I remember seeing my father's face on a shilling for the first time and thinking how odd it looked. At the same time realizing I would probably, one day, have to look at my own face. But one never knows what destiny has in store for one.