Goofs

When Elizabeth walks to mass after Walter Raleigh lays his coat down, Bess Throckmorton is right behind the queen. In the next shot, she's at the end of the line, then behind the queen again.

When Philip walks with Isabella towards the balcony of the Escorial, then stands back, the position of Jordi Mollà's left hand changes abruptly between shots.

The real Babington Plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth at the altar was thwarted in the planning stages.

Walter Raleigh was not in the battle against the Armada. In 1588 he was in Ireland, out of favor with Elizabeth I. The movie conflates his role with that of Admiral Francis Drake, who organized the fire ship attack that dispersed the Spanish Armada.

William Cecil, dismissed by Elizabeth at the end of Elizabeth (1998), actually remained a close adviser of the Queen during the events depicted in the film.

Eric XIV is said to be King of Sweden in 1585. In fact, he was murdered by poison in 1568. It was his half-brother Johan III who ruled Sweden from 1568 to 1592.

English Admiral Lord Howard said he was losing ships and outgunned by the Spanish. However, the English ships outgunned the Spanish, and no ships were lost to either side.

Mary Stuart speaks with a Scots accent; she actually spoke with a French accent throughout her life.

In the DVD commentary, the director explains that it was a choice the actress made after discussing the options.

Walter Raleigh says he has set up a colony in Virginia in 1585. American schoolchildren are taught that England's first colony in Virginia was Jamestown in 1607.

The land Raleigh called Virginia is actually modern-day North Carolina. After his original "Roanoke, Virginia" failed due to the Spanish embargo (resulting in the "Lost Colony" mystery which has inspired many books and movies), the names Virginia and Roanoke were transferred to new locations further north.

The trees chopped down in large numbers to build King Philip's fleet are clearly some kind of coniferous wood, which is highly unsuitable for building ships. They would have used oak instead.

Numerous European oak forests were destroyed to build ships. However, the masts of ships in that era were made of pine, which is a conifer, and unlike oak, they creak before they break. So pine produces a recognizable sound and, thus, the crew of a ship is warned before a mast breaks and collapses. Therefore, picturing a pine forest is plausible.

Elizabeth and Mary Stuart are referred to as cousins when Elizabeth is Mary's father's cousin. In kinship terminology, a "cousin" is someone who shares a common ancestor. To be specific, Elizabeth is Mary's first cousin once removed, a term rarely used today and never used in the 16th century. Calling Mary and Elizabeth cousins is correct.

One of the most stirring lines in Elizabeth's speech to her solders on the eve of the destruction of the Spanish Armada was omitted, whether for reasons of political correctness or film timing, although the entire actual speech was quite short. The omitted line is: "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king - and of a King of England!" In general, this film is far less historically accurate than its predecessor, Elizabeth (1998), also starring Cate Blanchett and directed by Shekhar Kapur.

However, a filmmaker's decision on what to include, or not include, in their film is their choice and, therefore, not a Goof. Historical accuracy is often altered for for dramatic effect and artistic license.

When Elizabeth is supposed to be galloping side-saddle, she is actually astride her horse. A false right leg dangles on the horse's side.

When Elizabeth speaks with another character with a fireplace in the background, blue gas flames are visible at the bottom of the fire, notably in the bottom right corner.

(at around 1h 27 mins) Elizabeth's leg armor is clearly a front plate with stretchy silver fabric underneath.

(at around 38 mins) Elizabeth walks through a curtain, runs out of stage area, and continues to walk in the same spot.

Bess Throckmorton became pregnant in summer 1591, three years after the Spanish Armada. Elizabeth was unaware of the pregnancy and didn't discover Bess and Raleigh's secret marriage until 1592, several months after their child, Damerei, was born. The infant died very soon after, during Walter Raleigh's imprisonment in the Tower of London.

A prisoner is executed by the "long drop" hanging method; the length of rope, type of knot, and height of the drop are all calculated according to the victim's weight and height, so that their neck is broken instantly. That method was developed in 1872. Before that, people due to be hanged were stood upon a cart, horse, stool, ladder, or something similar, which was moved out from under them, leaving them to die by strangulation.

When the priest replies to a letter from Mary, Queen Of Scots, he uses a modern quill pen with a ball-point tip.

Several times, Elizabeth's nails are manicured in 18th-century French style.

Queen Mary's dog is a West Highland White (Westie), which first appeared in Scotland in the 19th century.

Before each scene in Fotheringhay, where Mary, Queen of Scots is imprisoned, the castle is surrounded by high, snow-capped Scottish mountains. Fotheringhay is in Northamptonshire, one of the flattest counties in England.

The fire ship battle took place off the coast of France, not England. No Spanish ship caught fire or was lost, but the use of fire ships caused the Spanish fleet to disperse and become disorganized prior to the final Battle of Gravelines.

Queen Elizabeth watches the Armada burn from a cliff near her camp at Tilbury. Tilbury is in the Thames Estuary, far from where the action seems to be taking place and a long way from anywhere with the dramatic jagged rocks Elizabeth stands on.