Keira Knightley’s name is Irish Gaelic for ‘dark’, but as one of the highest earning actresses in Hollywood it’s a fair bet that her life is pretty sunny at present. After all, she’s achieved what wannabes on ‘X Factor’ describe as their dream – cracking America.

Keira†s but one British artist who’s successfully crossed the pond in recent years, one of a swarm of British invaders. Despite the notorious difficulties British musicians face in gaining popularity in the US, Amy Winehouse and Duffy are doing nicely. On screen, Hugh Lawrie has been stockpiling Emmys for his role as Dr. Gregory House in ‘House’ and a Brit is the new Bionic Woman. This is quite a feat. Rainn Wilson, the star of the American version of ‘The Office’, described Brits in today’s Guardian newspaper as ‘pot-bellied weirdos’. (Ricky Gervais - there’s another notable British invader and, coincidentally, pot-bellied. And weird.)

But how long will Keira remain queen? We’ve seen her in three recent movies: the acclaimed film version of Ian McEwan’s masterly ‘Atonement’, ‘The Edge of Love’, a movie (scripted by her mum) about the poet Dylan Thomas’ women, and now ‘The Duchess’, in which she plays an eighteenth century aristocrat. Before that, it was 'Pirates of the Caribbean’, ‘King Arthur’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

Is it the classic features that earn Knightley roles in period dramas? Is it the accent? We’ve seen her in contemporary roles, in ‘Bend it like Beckham’ and ‘Love Actually, but those ventures into the present appear to be in the minority.

Keira can act as well as look like a glamorous creature from another age and sound like an aristocrat. Unless she gets some meaty roles that don’t typecast her as a woman of yesteryear, will her rule persist?