Why are Queen Anne’s rabbits so important in the film?

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What the Rabbits Symbolize

1. Grief and Loss Anne says she lost 17 children—some born alive, others miscarried or stillborn—and in the movie she keeps 17 rabbits, one for each child she never lived to mother. They become physical stand-ins for her motherhood that never fully was; a private, constant reminder of what she’s lost. SOURCE: Comments from NY Review, Nylon, History Workshop, Film Colossus

2. Vulnerability and Innocence Rabbits are innocent creatures, fragile and defenseless. In contrast to the ruthless political maneuvering around her, Anne's affection for these gentle creatures underscores her emotional exposure and the aspects of her identity that are tender and human. Like children, the rabbits depend on care; their vulnerability highlights Anne’s own fragility. SOURCE: Analysis of film’s motifs, contrasting Sarah’s reaction and Abigail’s performative tenderness with Anne’s real mourning; NY Review, Senses of Cinema

3. Power Dynamics and Betrayal The rabbits also become a touchstone for the power play between Sarah and Abigail. Early in the film, bonding over them earns Abigail credit with Anne. Later, Abigail cruelly presses her foot on one rabbit—an act that signals a betrayal of that bond and pushes Anne to realize Abigail’s true nature. It’s a tipping point where affection turns into cruelty. SOURCE: Scenes described in Ringer, Film Colossus

4. Symbol of Persistence Beyond Human Control Despite all the court intrigue, loss, manipulation, and shifting loyalties, the rabbits endure. They are beyond politics; they live, die, perhaps multiply, but they persist. For Anne, they are a tether to life outside the reach of power, reminding that some suffering and some beauty transcend even royal status. SOURCE: Senses of Cinema, Nylon, Labyrinth Production analysis

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What the Rabbits Do in the Story

• They serve as emotional currency: Abigail uses her interest in them to ingratiate herself with Anne; Sarah’s visceral discomfort around them reveals her lack of sensitivity to Anne’s inner world. SOURCE: Ringer, Senses of Cinema

• They mark motifs of motherhood and absence throughout the film, reinforcing Anne’s identity not just as queen, but as a woman haunted by loss. SOURCE: Film Colossus, History Workshop

• In the final confrontation, the rabbit crushed under Abigail’s shoe becomes a visual and moral rupture—this act shatters the illusion of Abigail’s compassion and forces Anne to reclaim authority, even as she’s physically and emotionally compromised. SOURCE: Ringer, Film Colossus

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What’s True Historically

• Queen Anne did suffer seventeen pregnancies between 1684 and 1712, all of which ended in death either before or shortly after birth. SOURCE: History Workshop, Wikipedia summary
• However, she did not keep pets—or rabbits—as memorials. At that time, rabbits were not commonly kept as pets; they were considered either pests or sources of meat. The rabbits in the film are a fictional device, deliberately chosen for symbolic impact rather than historical accuracy. SOURCE: Time piece on factual accuracy, Wikipedia, History Workshop

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In short, Anne’s rabbits are more than decoration: they are emotional linchpins. They embody her losses, expose the tenderness versus cruelty of the people around her, and punctuate the shifting tides of power and betrayal. The film uses them to make Anne’s private sorrow visible and to remind us how history, royalty, and power never shield one completely from human suffering.