James Bond no longer works for her majesty’s secret service. Fleming started writing Casino Royale 11 days after E2’s coronation.
Even the novels, Bond has always served in HER Majesty’s Secret Service, never HIS Majesty’s. The first James Bond novel was published two months after Elizabeth II ascended the throne.
Elizabeth II reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom for the entire history of James Bond @007. She ascended to the throne on Feb. 6, 1952. Ian Fleming began writing the first Bond novel, Casino Royale — at his Jamaican home, Goldeneye — on Feb. 17, 1952.
There’s a great paper to be written about how James Bond couldn’t have existed without The Queen on the throne. Ian Fleming’s novels apart from anything else are a commentary on post-war Britain and its place in the world. Her Majesty’s reign is key to this.
Fleming’s novels in a sense were primarily (covertly) about WWII and how critical the well-developed culture of espionage had been to the outcomes. Fleming (himself a spymaster) transposed a lot of stories known in the spy community to the Cold War setting (more)…
At one point Sean Connery as 007 said he did his job “for King and Country.” He didn’t have a King. He had a Queen. But it wasn’t macho to say “for Queen and Country.”
Now SHE works for HIS majesty’s secret service.
The new 007 should be Lashana Lynch.
I’d love to see Mirren as M.