Question: Were they meant to be the same entity?

If they weren't, does this imply that Borg have distinct "hives"?

Out-of-Universe, the actresses playing the roles were all mixed up, but sounds like Paramount originally wanted the same actress implying it was the same Queen (or merely that all Queens are 'clones'?):

From <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0860749/> (Susanna Thompson):

> 
> **Trivia**: Got the role of the "Borg Queen" on Star Trek: Voyager only
> because Alice Krige (who played the role in the movie Star Trek: First
> Contact) refused to reprise her role.
> 
> 
> For the final episode, Susanna Thompson was not available (because of shooting *Once and Again*) so Alice Krige played the Borg Queen in the final episode.
> 
> 
>

Answer: 
The Borg hive mind stores everything that is entered into it. Seven of Nine mentioned that even though she is no longer connected to the Borg, she will, in a way, live forever. The Borg collective is so large, even if one Borg queen body is destroyed, as long as the collective is around, she can always be downloaded into a new body later.
IMO it seems that the Borg Queen would have a mechanical "backup" say she does die she can just replace herself through the hive drones. There's no background to confirm this just my opinion
on what just seems logical. Since nothing ever really dies in the hive.