The film adheres to strict heteronormative structures typical of 16th-century settings. No non-cisnormative identities or same-sex intimacy are depicted, focusing instead on the historical romance between Mary Stuart and Lord Darnley.

Mary Stuart serves as a central female monarch navigating a male-dominated political landscape. The film grants her significant intellectual weight and agency, avoiding purely submissive tropes while exploring the vulnerabilities of her position.

The cast is predominantly white and European, reflecting the demographic homogeneity of the 16th-century Scottish court. There is no evidence of color-blind casting or non-Anglo-Saxon characters.

The narrative focuses on historical tensions between Catholicism and Protestantism within traditional Western structures. It portrays monarchical and religious institutions through a lens of legitimacy rather than critique.

There are no prominent characters depicted with visible or invisible disabilities. Disability is not utilized as a narrative device or a tool for characterization in this production.