PT How much was Padame's decoy used in TPM?

I've been wondering this since I re-watched TPM a few days ago. We know that she was the actual queen when talking to the viceroy, and at the senate, but besides that, how much was her, and how much was her decoy? She doesn't strike me to be as irresponsible as to use her to handle day-to-day politics, while she's off somewhere else, (I don't know if I could say the same if I was in her shoes) but you get my question

 

The swap was mostly for emergency situations:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sabé

 

Basically. When the Federation and the Droid Army was entering Theed, we see Padme watching and this is the last time we see her in that guise. The next time, she and Sabe have quickly switched places with Sabe taking the lead in order to take any blaster bolt meant for Padme. When she and Padme keep looking at each other, and Padme says what she says about being brave and loyal, that is a signal in acknowledgement that the best course of action is to follow the Jedi. Later on when Dorme is left behind while Padme returns home, her purpose is to simply walk around the apartment and serve as bait in case the assassin returns. Jar Jar takes Padme's place in the Senate.

 

Sabe is in the queen's costume in the following scenes:

--When Nute escorts her down the stairs
--When the Jedi rescue the party
--When they steal the ship
--All scenes on Tatooine
--When they first arrive on Coruscant
--When Padme reveals herself to Boss Nass
--During the battle in Theed Palace

Padme is in the queen's costume in the following scenes:

--Holocommunication with Nute
--In the Theed Palace throne room
--Watching the invasion through the palace window
--Private meeting with Palpatine
--Telling Anakin that Padme isn't here right now
--Addressing the Senate
--Deciding to go back to Naboo
--Sending Nute off to be arrested
--Qui-Gon's funeral
--Ending ceremony

 

From the First Draft:

Fake Queen Sabe: "You girl, clean this Astromech droid. NOW!"
Real Queen Padme: "Yes, my Queen." (but says quietly to herself as takes the droid) "Looks like someone is going to the Spice Mines of Kessel"

 

Yeah that scene is quite funny once you know the decoy is ordering the Queen to go do some dirty cleaning

 

I vaguely remember reading Star Wars Journals: Queen Amidala (a decade or so ago) and noting that the Queen thought Sabe was taking just a little too much relish in giving that order.

 

And who could blame Sabe? It's not every day you get to order a king/queen around.

 

Good to know who was doing what when.

 

When it's Keira, it's Sabe; when it's Natalie, it's Padme. Easy-peasy.

 

Oh yeah, so easy their own mothers couldn't recognize them together on the set at various points during filming. Easy indeed!

 

I found it easiest when watch TPM in subsequent viewings to remember which costumes Padme' wore and which costumes Sabe' wore. Made it a ton easier.

These 2 are always Sabe'. The rest are always Padme' if I remember correctly.

 

It's Sabe from the minute we see her with Nute on the staircase to when they disembark the ship on Courscant. And then again en route to Naboo and in the swamps.

 

They even sound different.

 

What confuses me is how Sabe disguised as the Queen openly referred to Padme in the handmaiden guise as... well, Padme. And Padme openly introduced herself as Padme at least once.

Did the public not know Padme's first name?

 

Yeah, this confused me, too. Early tie-in material even seemed to imply that "Padme" was a made-up name.

Perhaps the original intention was for Padme's real name to be Amidala, but then Lucas changed his mind.

 

Everyone on Naboo knows her as Padme Naberrie which was her birth name. She takes Amidala as a name for when she's Queen. Hence she is Queen Padme Naberrie Amidala. Nute Gunray does not know her first name. Hence he and Rune refer to her as either Queen Amidala or the Queen. Palpatine does the same thing as Darth Sidious when talking to them. Nute and Rune know of the decoy system, but believe that Padme didn't switch when they seized control. Meanwhile, the Jedi know that Padme is pretending to be the handmaiden when they first meet.

"Throughout the film, I have been playing with the fact earlier on that Qui-Gon knows that Padme is the queen, and he uses that, especially when they go on Tatooine, he taunts her a couple of times, and in the podrace he taunts her a couple of times because he is having fun with her because he knows she’s the queen but the others around her don’t. So he’s been waiting for her to step forward and reveal herself. Anakin is completely surprised but Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon aren’t."

--George Lucas, TPM DVD Commentary.