Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) (2022) - full transcript

Members of
the Elizabeth Company,

this is your beginners call.
You'll begin this call.

Your call, please,
Joe Ayew, Catherine Hampton,

Peter Marius and Jane Pipe.

Summon please, lighting,
sound, stage management,

flies, costume,
weights and stage crew.

Your beginners call, thank you.

In the White Drawing Room.

- I have moved the furniture.
- Yes.

And I, um, have lit the fire

so that it looks quite
sort of friendly like.



- Do you think they're ready?
- Yes, ma'am, they are indeed.

Let me entertain you

Let me entertain you

Let me entertain you

Let me

Enter...

tain you

Let me

Enter...

tain you

Yeah, yeah

Yeah

- And a different sort of camera.
- Electronic camera.

And, uh, that's the teleprompter
which you will have...



- Is that far enough in for you?
- No.

- No?
- Because that's right in the way.

Oh, I see what you mean.

- It's for the radio version...
- For the radio, I see.

- And a run-through -of the words.
- Mm-hm.

Clothes wise, does it look
alright with the background?

Yes, it does.

I mean, jolly lucky. I'd
be awful if you'd said no

because I'd have to
find something else.

Yes, it's alright for this.

Whenever you're ready, ma'am.

Red and green should
never be seen, but never mind.

Over the years, I have dwelt
on the happier side of life

in my Christmas Broadcasts.

We need reminding of it,
particularly at Christmas time.

This year, there
have been, I hope,

times of happiness and
good cheer for most of us.

My family, for instance,
has been celebrating

my youngest
grandchild's christening.

Old
documentaries about the Queen

and the new documentaries,
her accent has changed.

She's more, you know...

Before it was,
like, "Oh, la-la-la,"

but these days it's
more like, "Ha-ha-ha-ha."

So it's more like a street
language, as if she's rapping.

Ladies and gentlemen...

I want to tell you all

throughout the ages...

and in grateful memory...

for our enjoyment...

it will not be easy...

But it is a fragile institution.

By merely dialing
the right number

up to a distance
of some 300 miles.

I feel that her own natural self

is not allowed to come through

And if she herself
were allowed to speak,

the effect would be wonderful.

Do you expect the Queen
to have qualities of a wit?

You would like her
to be a better orator?

You would like her
to be a TV personality,

in addition to being
a diligent, dutiful

and devoted monarch
and a mother?

What I was suggesting is,

is that spontaneity
should be the key note,

even if they're prepared

from seeming to be the sort
of speech that she would make.

That will teach you
to insult the Queen.

To terminate the interview,

I'm obliged to you for
answering my questions.

Next week, at this time, there
will be another edition of Impact.

Goodnight.

When speaking to the Queen

your first introduction should
be addressed as "Your Majesty".

From then on you should
address her as "ma'am".

- Ma'am.
- Yeah.

Your Majesty.

- Ma'am.
- Ma'am, right.

To go down on the
stool, very simple.

The conversation, you'll know
it's come to an end, handshake...

Put your left foot at the
left side, reverse back.

And bend the right knee.

And if the Ambassador
and the High Commissioners

can be on my right, their
spouse is on their right.

Grasp the handle
with your right hand.

If the President is on my right,

then you'll walk in two
paces or so and stop.

When the doors open, and
you're first there, little neck bow

or a little curtsey from the
ladies, if you feel that appropriate.

Right, I want your heels
on the edge of the curb.

Come forward. Get forward so
your heels are on the edge of the curb!

To, uh, make sure that the seating
provides the best possible mix

we color code the different sort
of people, uh, categories of people.

At what point will we
hand over the gifts?

There's no handing over
of gifts. It's simply a viewing.

They're really just on display.

These'll arrive in
advance of the...

- of the, of the visit, I would suggest.
- Yes.

Are laid out on a table.
And it's simply a walk past.

- There's no actual giving.
- Oh, I see.

She says nothing.

So, once you have received
the accolade, stand up,

and come round to the
left-hand side of the stool.

This lady
acts as the Queen's stand-in

at rehearsals for major events.

You've done Windsor,
you've done the Cenotaph.

State opening
of Parliament. VJ Day.

That was the best one because I rode
in her carriage around Trafalgar Square

on a lovely sunny afternoon.

Everybody was waving at me.

It's very hard to smile
for a long time, too.

It's quite difficult.

There you are.

Bless.

You did this last
year, didn't you?

No, I haven't
done it for about...

- I was Queen last year.
- Deborah last year.

- You did it last year?
- I did.

Duke of Kent. Prince of Wales.

The Duke of
Gloucester in the middle.

Right, gentlemen, the Queen
is coming down the stairs.

Good afternoon, Your Majesty.
Commander Henry Duffy.

Captain of HMS Liverpool.

Very nice to meet you,
Commander. Absolutely delighted.

Admiral, you need to
chit-chat with the Queen here, now.

- Sorry?
- You're gonna have to talk to the Queen.

- Small talk.
- Small talk.

I think it would
probably focus...

Talk about her
dogs. How are her dogs?

- No. Louise, stop getting surreal.
- Oh, sorry.

I once had a girl

Or should I say she once had me

She showed me her room

Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

Basically a
year's worth of insignia.

From terribly expensive
stuff, which is used very rarely,

to things like MBEs and OBEs, which we probably
get through a couple of thousand a year.

There you go. John
Winston Lennon.

He came to an investiture at Buckingham
Palace on the 26th of October, 1965.

And on the 26th of November,
1969, he returned it to us...

for various reasons.

And then she said
it's time for bed

The Queen was very much
part of our lives as we were growing up.

My mum liked the Queen.

You know, there was that
sense of the Commonwealth

and the mother country.

And she came from
Jamaica in the 50s.

She literally had this idea

that the Queen had invited
her to come to Britain to work.

Now the end
of their journey is near.

What will they find in the land
they regard as an El Dorado?

Well, what do
you consider are the dangers

of an increasing
colored population?

There are many immediate
evils of the colored invasion,

but in our opinion,
the most important

is the long-term one
of mass inter-breeding.

When I did the
Royal Variety the first time,

and my mum being there on the
same tier at the London Palladium

waving at her constantly.

"Hello, that's my son."

And my mum's here tonight.

Did the Queen wave back?

I think...

I think she might
have called security.

Coming up the
river to the pool of London...

seeing Tower Bridge opening.

And we had the Prime Minister,
Sir Winston Churchill, with us.

And, uh, one saw this dirty
commercial river as one came up,

and he was describing
it as the silver thread

which runs through
the history of Britain.

He saw things in a very
romantic and glittering way.

So, perhaps one was looking
at it in a rather too mundane way.

And then to come up
the river in a small boat

with all the sides of
the river completely...

people on each side.

Wonderful.

And so this day of days
most memorable comes to an end.

And with it begins a new
era. The new Elizabethan Age.

An age in which the love and faith
and hope of all the Commonwealth

rests on the slim shoulders of the
beautiful Queen who has just been crowned.

Long may she reign.

Part of Great Britain,
capital city of a former empire

that embraced a quarter of the
world's population and land area.

An empire, they said, upon
which the sun never set.

But recently it has set.

Now it is part of
the Commonwealth.

Some doubted
whether this organization would succeed,

but she has
assiduously supported it.

Growing it from just seven
members in 1952, to 53 today.

She has played the leading role in
building a unique family of nations

that spans every continent,
all the main religions,

and nearly a third of
the world's population.

We are no longer
citizens of, uh, Rome, so to speak.

But we are, many
of us, still alive

who were once citizens of Rome.

I was a British subject.

And, uh, we share
a certain background

which makes us
understand each other.

And she represents that
continuity and change.

Because her role
has changed, too.

In this modern age,

the strength and unity of
the Commonwealth family

does not lie in bonds
forged by formal instruments

nor in common ancestry,

nor in pursuing the
same political line.

It springs from the knowledge

that we all share a lively
concern for individual freedom

and all the machinery
which makes this possible.

There are several
expressions of this unity.

As the Head of the
Commonwealth I am one.

The Commonwealth
will survive without the Queen

because I think it's
got its own rationale,

its own internal
dynamic that justifies it.

On the other hand, she
does serve a function

because there are large sections,
firstly of the Commonwealth,

who do look positively
towards the symbolism

that is bound up
in the monarchy.

And, in any case, she
is very fine at her job.

I mean, you know, she really is
very good at going to countries,

going to heads of government,
conferences, talking to people,

and being knowledgeable
about their problems

and knowledgeable
about world affairs.

I have no doubt that she
does that job very well.

I see the balloons
are still stuck in the tree there.

Yes, we were trying to get the keeper
of the Privy Purse to take a shotgun out.

But there's
horrible bits of shredded rubber.

- Yes.
- They hit the trees and exploded.

And the garden's absolutely
full of dead balloons.

It's very, very disagreeable.

Very nice. Very nice.

Nobody
stands in front of the Mona Lisa.

Everybody stands,
as it were, inside it.

We're enveloped
in its reproductions

from the moment of our birth.

There are millions
of Mona Lisa's

printed on everything from
postcards to tea towels,

from soap to sweatshirts.

It passes the final
test of celebrity.

It is famous for being famous.

It's called the Mona Lisa, though we
don't know who the sitter actually was.

The Mona Lisa, smiling enigmatically
away there, kept her secret.

Do you smile to tempt
a lover Mona Lisa?

Or is this your way

To hide a broken heart?

Many dreams have been
brought to your doorstep

They just lie there

And they die there

Are you warm?

Are you real, Mona Lisa?

Or just a cold and lonely...

which the Louvre will
not allow to be filmed or photographed

under any circumstances.

It is, in fact, a very bad

19th century copy of it.

Does it indeed matter that
I'm not standing in the Louvre

but in the middle
of a film studio?

I don't think so.

It's all a game with the media.

And in Artisan life,

you either enjoy the
fiction or you don't.

You think you know me

Know what I do

But all you think about
is what it all means to you

I got so much so much to give

All you gotta do is
be ready ready to live

You think you know a
lot about my kinda woman

But you don't know
nothing 'bout me

Part woman...

and part god.

Have I read your riddle, Sphinx?

Nowadays, of course,
they don't even do sketches.

They take photographs, then
take them home and copy them.

I think that's cheating.

Yes, the portrait everybody likes
best does look like a photograph.

The Annigoni. Yes,
I like that one, too.

Portraits are supposed to be
frightfully self-revealing, aren't they?

Show what one's really
like. The secret self.

And that's the very first
Landseer of Queen Victoria.

She apparently sat
in the library for that.

That's an idea,
isn't it? Hadn't thought of that.

- Have the horse indoors?
- Mm.

It was one of what I call my
"all walks of life" luncheons.

Today, we had the head of
the CBI, an Olympic swimmer,

primary school headmistress,

a general in the Salvation
Army and Glenda Jackson.

It's a bit sticky.

I've been to one, ma'am.
That was a bit sticky, too.

The trouble is,
whenever I meet anyone,

they're always on
their best behavior.

And when one's on
one's best behavior,

one isn't always at one's best.

Ow!

what some
call a royal watcher

and a keen one.

She left her Sussex
home yesterday

to grab a prime position
in Bradford today.

This is the most
important bit of the day

because this is where we
need to make a commitment

to where we're going to stand.

Okay, right, think
this through logically.

You've gotta be standing
this side of those barriers,

so logic says she's gonna
get out of the car at one end,

in front of that building.

We have lots
of tiny, small school children.

If it's at all possible, if you can allow
the children closer to the barriers...

Oh, get out of it!
Just because they...

There already are
children at the front!

Well, they'll have to come
and move us, then, won't they?

You may have detected a...

A special air of excitement.

Well, that's because we've
had our most distinguished guest

ever in our studio here.

We're deeply honored to say,

Your Majesty,
welcome to Crackerjack.

For a start, you have to...

you have to tussle
with that whole idea of,

"Will you curtsey, won't you
curtsey? Will you curtsey?"

And I decided before,
"No, look, curtseying, it's...

No, I'm not going to bow
down for royal, I'm not going to."

And then immediately you do.

Immediately you curtsey
far too much, too low.

There was a group of
about four of us around her.

And she says a very
small thing, you know...

"So, are you
enjoying the evening?"

And everybody goes like this.

So, the Queen...

I think people are just nervous
or they're eager to please,

don't want to be
beheaded or something.

So, the Queen, I'm sure, must think
that she's a great comedian or something.

I was doing it.

Why was I doing
it? I don't know.

She actually
thought I was someone else.

I gave her a big
smile and she said,

"Were you the
gentleman on the wires?"

I was like, "No."

I am the Queen.

She said, "Have you
been working hard?"

And I said, "No, we're
having a holiday,"

you see, because I
couldn't think what to say.

Because I swam the Channel.

- The Channel?
- I swam the Channel for Sport Relief.

I filled her in why I was here,

which I thought was
a helpful thing to do,

because there was a
long queue of people.

She asked me how
much money was raised.

She asked me if I
was covered in lard.

- It was lard...
- Lard?

But it's not as much
fun as you think.

Immediately you walk in,

and you feel you're in
the presence of power.

It's kinda weird when you
meet someone that famous,

there's almost a kind of
glow around them anyway.

And for her especially
because she's an icon.

So when you actually see her,
you can't quite believe it's really her.

God save our gracious Queen

Long live our noble Queen

God save the...

First garden party of the year

has been given by
Her Majesty the Queen

in the Palace grounds.

Here come the toppers
and the debutantes.

Attending the first of the
season's afternoon parties...

Commonwealth
and Empire, as well as from Britain

numbered about 7,000.

Happily the weather was
nice and bright when the Queen

and members of the Royal
Family came out across the...

Last week there
were 37 casualties, or something.

Yes, 37.
Thirty-seven treatments.

- You may be busy.
- Thirty-seven treatments, shall we say,

- as opposed to casualties.
- Yes.

But people come so unsuitably
dressed, that's the other thing.

They'll probably frizzle
by the time they get here.

And the new shoes, of course.

Well, that's rather hazardous.

- What do you do?
- I'm a hairdresser.

- Hairdresser?
- Yeah.

So, what are you involved with?

I'm just along here as a friend.

Are you? Yes.

Did you get to see the Queen?

Oh, yes. As near to
her as your cameraman.

Yes, yes.

- Yeah. It was worth the wait.
- Mmm.

- Well, she's the same age, born on the same day.
- Yeah, same date.

I was born the same day
as the Queen, you see.

In Britain, it
chose this moment to rain.

Pretty well the first rain
in London for a month.

Shelter at once became
the most important thing.

Thousands and
thousands of umbrellas

and the crowd got
thicker and thicker.

And then there's this big
scrum outside the tea tent.

And out from behind the
silver urns, and the gladioli,

came cups of tea,
beautifully presented.

Beautifully presented sandwiches

which were not cut in triangles,
they were cut straight across.

So, for anyone
who wants to know,

that's the way to cut sandwiches
to be really fashionable.

And then we had one, Vicky
had a wobbly when Jim said,

"Shall... would you like another
cup of tea?" So I said, "Yes".

So he went back and came
back with two cups of tea.

"Got one for her?" And she
went charging through, you know.

And I had to rush after
her and say to the lady,

"Could she have a
cup of tea, please?"

Would you like a cup
of tea, Your Majesty?

No, not at the moment.
I've just-just had lunch.

- And out she came.
- Well, about "out she came."

I mean, Jim was standing
there and suddenly...

- Well, you could see they all clapped...
- stopped.

- And cheered and things.
- And you peered, and he said,

"There she is. Orange
dot. The top of the stairs."

In the middle of our

Our house it has a crowd

There's always
something happening

And it's usually quite loud

Our mum she's so house-proud

Nothing ever slows her down
and a mess is not allowed

Our house

In the middle of our street

Our house

In the middle of our

Our house

In the middle of
our street our house

Something tells you that
you've got to move away from it

Father gets up late for work

Mother has to iron his shirt

Then she sends
the kids to school

Sees them off with a small kiss

She's the one they're
going to miss in lots of ways

Our house

In the middle of our street

Our house in the middle of our

I remember way back then when
everything was true and when

We would have
such a very good time

Such a fine time

Such a happy time

And I remember how we'd
play simply waste the day away

Then we'd say nothing
would come between us

Two dreamers

Windsor Castle is getting
ready for its big event of the year.

A three day state visit by a former
shipyard electrician from Gdansk,

now the President of
Poland, Lech Walesa.

But he's amazed by the size of
everything, that's what amuses me.

- What, the rooms?
- Yes.

His only two English words
are quite interesting words.

And he... and he goes round looking,
you know, at everything, so sweet.

"Good heavens" he
could manage, could he?

Well, it's better
than that, but...

Good evening.

Draw swords!

At last.

His Majesty was accompanied by

Princess Elizabeth and
the Duke of Gloucester

when he rode from Buckingham
Palace to the Horse Guards Parade

for the birthday ceremony of Trooping
the Colour. The heiress presumptive...

A hand, cool and
steady, like a Grenadier on parade,

is needed for the last
finishing touches of paint.

Yes, it's the ceremony of Trooping
the Colour on the King's birthday

with Princess Elizabeth...

He just stepped backwards,
took about a half step backwards

and raised it up
in his right hand

and then, you know, held
it, police marksman style

and fired about
four or five shots.

It was absolutely incredible.

It bought it home to us how
terribly vulnerable she is.

If that had been a real gun, there's no
doubt that she would have been dead

and that probably a lot of the
crowd would have been, as well.

Heaven

They're off!

I'm in heaven

On the wrong leg.

Look, it's on the wrong leg.

No wonder it can't
go round the corner.

That I can hardly speak

And I seem to find

The happiness I seek

When we're out together

Dancing cheek to cheek

Heaven

I'm in heaven

And the cares that
hung around me

Through the week

Seem to vanish like a
gambler's lucky streak

When we're out together

Dancing cheek to cheek

Do you know
that I haven't watched

from a pair of
binoculars for ages?

Look at it. I'm
pouring with tears.

- Oh, dear.
- I always watch on television.

- It's the emotion, perhaps.
- No, no, I watch on television.

No, Mummy, if you look
into the wind like that.

It's like looking for deer.

Dancing cheek to cheek

Oh, I'd love to go out fishing

In a river or a creek

But I don't enjoy
it half as much

That's my... my horse.

I've got money on the sweep.

Many congratulations.

Thank you very
much. What do I get?

Well...
you get 16, ma'am.

- Sixteen pounds?
- Sixteen pounds.

Gonna celebrate her...

- twenty-five years.
- Yes.

And she's gonna
celebrate her Silver Jubilee.

How will she
celebrate that, do you think?

Have tea.

June the 6th, 1977,

and the many months
of worrying and planning

are put to the test
in Sheila's street.

And they kicked off with
one of the best line-ups

of fancy dress I've
ever come across.

Judges, what are we looking for?

Yeah, but what
are we looking for?

Well, basically, the ones that
have been made of paper, you know,

there's lots of
work gone into...

What are you
looking for, my dear?

Originality, I suppose,

and also the work
that's gone into them

and, and general effect of
the whole, the whole outfit.

Pretty good, really.

Nice to see you, dear.

Well, we must have
the oldest in the street,

mustn't we?

- Am I the oldest?
- Well, that's what...

You know you're the oldest.

- How old are you, darling? I shouldn't...
- Nearly 90.

We shouldn't really ask a
lady her age, should we?

Oh, I don't mind.

You are sweet.

Does she have her flowers?

Oh, you've had your
flowers, have you?

Darling, I don't...
Can you hear me, love?

Have you got a
message for the Queen

you'd like to give as the
oldest person in the street?

I hope she'll be always healthy.

That is the main
thing, your health.

God bless her.

Happy and glorious

Long to reign over us

God save the Queen

Hey, hey!

No... the Queen, the Queen.

Turn the Queen the other
way, you bloody Communists.

Get her up that. The
right way up, the Queen!

Behave yourself.
Don't be saying things like that.

She ain't done a
day's work in her whole life.

Why do we have
a Queen, do you think?

Um...

Anyone know, please?

- I know.
- You know.

So she can look
after our country.

Yeah.

And then, when we need help,

she can give us help.

I've had one
interview, 160 turned up.

And they only want 14.

Fourteen vacancies.

There wasn't much
chance with that.

And I got the letter yesterday

to say that I've
not been accepted.

Today, the Royal Family

spend a lot of time
encouraging industry.

Queen's award, royal visits.

The balance has shifted from
armies to defend the Empire,

to exports to defend the pound.

To the works of
the English Steel Corporation.

Her Majesty and the Duke
watched with keenest interest

many of the operations in this large
steel-making and engineering plant,

at which some 10,000
people are employed.

I can't pretend to
be a great celebrity

But still I'm quite
important in me way

The job I have to do may
not sound much to you

But all the same
I'm very proud to say

I'm the girl that
makes the thing

That drills the hole
that holds the ring

That drives the rod
that turns the knob

That works the thingummy bob

I'm the girl that
makes the thing

That holds the
oil that oils the ring

That takes the shank
that moves the crank

That works the thingummy bob

It's a ticklish sort of job

Making a thing for
a thingummy bob

Especially when you
don't know what it's for

But it's the girl that
makes the thing

That drills the hole
that holds the ring

That makes the thingummy bob

That makes the engines roar

And it's the girl
that makes the thing

Hello. I'd like
to take some time

to give each of us an individual
and collective guidance

to each of our roles
and collective roles

on Friday of this
week, on the 13th

when we receive Her Majesty
the Queen and the Chairman

and each of their parties.

At 10:25, Her Majesty
the Queen and Chairman Lee

will simultaneously switch
on both the microwave

and the monitor
production lines.

They will then walk down
the first production line

where they may pause
to talk to some employees.

At an appropriate time,

everyone will be moved
to a position that lines

the official route
of the royal party.

Union and Korean
flags will be distributed.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman
Lee and Mr. Vice-Chairman Kim

for your welcome to Samsung.

Samsung have been operating
in Teeside for some time.

And the success of this venture
is based firmly on a partnership

between your company
and the people of this area.

If you are unsure about
any of the details that you've just seen

for your guidance this program
will be repeated every day

until Her Majesty's and
Chairman Lee's visit.

Britain will
no longer have a royal yacht.

When Britannia
completes her final journey

the government will end hundreds
of years of maritime history

by confirming that
Britannia will be the last

and that there's no money
to keep her in service.

We are gathered together

to commemorate the paying
off of the Royal Yacht Britannia.

After more than 43 years
of distinguished service

to Her Majesty the Queen.

At John
Brown's Yard on Tyneside,

the 4,000-ton royal yacht

is ready for launching
by Her Majesty.

For many months, there
has been speculation

about the name of the new yacht.

And there's an air of expectancy
as Her Majesty steps forward

to perform the actual
launching ceremony.

I name this ship Britannia.

I wish success to her
and to all who sail in her.

Soon the
Britannia will become a home

for the Queen, the
Duke and their children.

We've been able to use Britannia

as our traveling
home, so to speak,

and have been able to
go to many more places

than would ever have
been possible without her.

I mean, crossing
the Pacific in a ship,

which one never does nowadays,

was an experience in itself.

Three weeks at sea.

I stuck in all pictures
and photographs

in my photograph album, which
I'd never have done otherwise.

One, two, three.

Thank you, ma'am.

Look at the girl she's
like a dream come true

Ah, look at that girl can
blue eyes be so blue?

Look at the way she walks

Listen when she talks

With each word
my heart just skips

Oh, if I could kiss those lips

Look at that girl she's
like a dream come true

I don't believe it
they're making it up

Look at that girl can
blue eyes be so blue?

But if I'm dreaming
please don't wake me up

We were like, what, 14.

Very formative teenage years.

And the Queen was
sort of 24, or something.

So, to us, she was a babe.

So we were...

There was a certain
lustfulness in us teenagers.

That's what we used
to say in Liverpool.

"God, look at the heave on her".

And, uh, so we grew
up loving the Queen.

So, how do you go about changing
actresses appearances as to wardrobe?

The first thing I do is to
get acquainted with the actress.

I actually met Miss Hepburn
and made this wardrobe test.

And as you'll see,
it's pretty successful.

This is a
transformation as the princess.

You see, we don't do any
tricks or give her a crown.

But we give her a regal dress.
A simple dress of real lace.

In other words, the type of dress
that a real princess would wear.

This is even more
of a regal costume.

This is one of the
princess's ball gowns

for the opening of the film.

We had two costumes
from which to choose

and we took this one
with silver brocade

because it was a little more
photographic, a little gayer.

Now, you notice what
she's going to do now.

She is turning
around in the picture

because the producer,
William Wyler, said,

"It's too long, she
can't possibly dance".

Now Audrey, who is
an accomplished dancer,

said, "Just watch
me". And that is why...

I am so happy
that on this, my third visit,

my future husband is by my side.

My husband and I...
My husband and I...

My husband and me...
Me and my husband...

Philip and me...
My husband and I...

Prince Philip and I...
My husband and I...

My husband and I...
My husband and I...

I think everybody
really will concede

that on this of all days,

I should begin my
speech with the words

"My husband and I."

I'm leaning on a lamp

I know I look just like a tramp

Or you may think I'm
hanging round to steal a car

But, no, I'm not a crook

And if you think
that's what I look

I'll tell you why I'm here
and what my motives are

I'm leaning on a lamp post
at the corner of the street

In case a certain
little lady comes by

Oh me, oh my

I hope the little lady comes by

I don't know if she'll get away

She doesn't always get away

But anyhow I
know that she'll try

Oh me, oh my

I hope the little lady comes by

There's no other
girl I could wait for

But this one I'd
break any date for

I won't have to ask
what she's late for

She wouldn't leave me
flat she's not a girl like that

Oh, she's absolutely beautiful

And marvelous and wonderful

And anyone can understand why

I'm leaning on a lamp post
at the corner of the street

In case a certain
little lady passes by

But is
it... Is it still as heavy?

Yes, it is. Yes,
it weighs a ton.

And it is impossible to tell

which is front and
back, I suppose.

Very unwieldy.

Fortunately, my father and I

have about the same
sort of shaped head.

And you can't look
down to read the speech,

you have to take the speech up.

Because if you did, your neck
would break, or it would fall off.

So there are some
disadvantages to crowns,

but otherwise they're
quite important things.

That's the last lesson.

Next Tuesday, we'll all watch
the real thing on television.

I shan't, Miss Stokes.

My parents are
taking me to London.

I'll really see the real thing.

You're a very lucky girl.

Never mind. I expect we'll all
get a much better view in the end.

God save
the Queen. God save the Queen.

I

I will be king

And you

You will be Queen

And nothing

Will drive them away

We can beat them

Just for one day

We can be heroes

Just for one day

And you

You can be mean

Though nothing

Will keep us together

We could steal time

Just for one day

We can be heroes

Forever and ever

We want
the Queen. We want the Queen.

As this day draws to its close,

I know that my abiding
memory of it will be

not only the solemnity
and beauty of the ceremony,

but the inspiration of
your loyalty and affection.

You'll be my royal highness

Queen bee with
a little sting to ya

You'll be my royal highness

My lady with a
little freak to ya

You'll be my you'll
be my royal highness

You'll be my, you'll be my

Royal highness royal highness

It will come along
without you knowing

It's like finding a
needle in a haystack

It will come along
without you knowing

It's like finding

Royal highness royal highness

It is of great
value to a Prime Minister

every Tuesday evening, to go
and talk to someone with experience,

but who is above
the political battle.

The Prime
Minister, Your Majesty.

So it's
a very frank conversation

about everything going
on in the world that week.

I've been listening to
the fact that you've been

visiting factories and things.

Yes, that's right. The
Deputy Prime Minster and I

went to a tractor
factory in Basildon.

As you explain a particular
problem that the government has,

sometimes you find it
is all becoming clearer

as you explain it to this one
incredibly experienced person.

Because you're
always very conscious

that she's been listening
to this stuff for 60 years.

Then I would tell her things.

Things that I've
never told anyone.

Things that are
locked deep in here.

And then as I talk to her

I would want her to hold
out a soft white hand and say:

"Poor thing. You
poor, poor thing."

There are only
two people in the world, frankly,

to whom a Prime Minister can say what
he likes about his Cabinet colleagues.

One's the wife
and the other's the Queen.

But I have had
quite a lot of Prime Ministers,

starting with Winston.

And some stayed
longer than others.

They unburden themselves,

or they tell me what's going
on, or if they've got any problems.

And sometimes one
can help in that way, too.

Are you supposed to be looking
as if you're enjoying yourself?

Yes.

You helped our nation celebrate
its bicentennial in 17... in 1976.

Wrong year.

She gave me a look that only
a mother could give a child.

Ow, that's my foot
you're standing on.

- Oh! Now, shall we go that way?
- Yes.

- We want to go in the sun.
- That way.

- Is that more fun?
- That way.

- Come on, Smokey.
- Come on.

In 1949, Elizabeth proudly
presented Prince Charlie to the world.

He was the first baby
born to a British heir...

Your Majesty.

Mummy.

- How do you feel about her?
- Um...

she's like...

I don't know, the
mother, say of...

Was there a bit of
a tear to the eye as she sailed?

- Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
- Really?

Yeah...

What is that special thing

that gives British
people in particular?

I think it's the family thing.

I think you belong to a family.

In a sense, does she feel like

your mother or grandmother?

Yes. I think that's...
That is the feeling I feel...

In the male-dominated
world of the mud men,

the idea of an all-powerful
woman is impossible to grasp.

So they know their
sovereign as Mrs. Quinn,

with much
incomprehension or wrang.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth she's
the girl next door

But she's a little bit

Yeah, to me she's
a little bit more

When I'm with her
then I feel like a king

Yes, I feel like a king

To be in her grace
I would do anything

I would do anything

I would go down on my
knees down on my knees

Down on my knees down on
my knees down on my knees

Down on my knees down on
my knees down on my knees

Down on my knees down
on my knees down on my

Oh, Queen Elizabeth

You're the one
that I wanna be with

My Queen Elizabeth

Give it up, give it up

Give it up just a little bit

Oh, Queen Elizabeth

You're the one
that I wanna be with

You're the one that
I wanna be with now

You're the one that
I wanna be with now

Elizabeth

I am here at your beck and call

And in a little bit

I'll have you climbing
the castle walls

All the king's horses
and all the king's men

Can't keep me away keep me away

I'll be your knight
any time of the day

Any time of the day

I will go down on my
knees down on my knees

Down on my knees down on
my knees down on my knees

Down on my knees down on
my knees down on my knees

Down on my knees down
on my knees down on my

Oh, Queen Elizabeth

You're the one that
I wanna be with now

Don't let's be beastly
to the Germans

When our victory
is ultimately won

It was just those nasty Nazis
who persuaded them to fight

the forthcoming visit of the King and
Queen, to Canada and the United States

stands out as one of the few
peaceful signals on the horizon.

Just as among the changing institutions
of this world, British monarchy endures.

The King and Queen are leaving England on
May the 6th for their tour in the New World.

And who should be more interested
in where their Majesties are going

than the small daughters
whom they leave behind?

Well, you've all
read your papers,

and you know that Ribbentrop
signed a non-aggression pact

with Stalin yesterday.

As I see it, that
means war next week.

To get this ship ready to sail.

None of us'll turn in, or take our
clothes off, or sling our hammocks

for the next three days and
nights till the job's finished.

Then we'll send Hitler
a telegram saying,

"The Torrin's ready,
you can start your war".

Campaigns do not
wait on weather.

Ships must be kept in
line by the escort vessel,

less they drop behind
and crash into isolation.

But while at Denham
Studios, the King and Queen,

accompanied by the Princesses,

visited the set of the Noel
Coward palladium drama

In Which We Serve.

Get down, everybody!

The royal
party met actors and crew

before staying to watch
some of the filming.

Look at the Huns, sir.

They're jumping overboard
in full marching order.

Oh, look at that. Come
in, the water's lovely.

Open fire!

Convoys do not
retreat when the enemy attacks

or withdraw to new positions.

The convoys sail on,

having no choice
and wishing no others.

The whole country is
growing food in this fourth year of war,

from the small backyard
to the big estate.

At Sandringham, the
King's country estate,

the entire park has
been ploughed up,

including the
private golf course,

which is now
producing oats and rye.

The King, with his subjects,
has enormously stepped up..

These are some of the girls
who are doing their bit for victory.

They're taking the place of the men
who have joined the fighting services,

and they're doing a great job.

And what would you like to do?

- I'd like to join the ATS.
- Why the ATS?

Well, plenty of variety,

and I shall be doing my
bit to help my country.

And what would you like to do?

Well, I'd like to help
to build Spitfires.

My boy is in the RAF,
and I feel I'm helping him.

If you individually succeed,

you will have delivered
the most devastating blow

against the very
vitals of the enemy.

Let him have it,
right on the chin.

That was how Air Marshal Harris,

Commander-in-Chief Bomber
Command gave his instructions

for the largest air raid
the world has ever known.

The target is Dresden.

The Queen has been
jeered by demonstrators in Dresden

on the first day of her
state visit to Germany.

She was there for a
service of reconciliation

to commemorate the wartime
bombing raid on the city

which killed as many
as 40,000 people.

There was some applause among
the catcalls, but the banners refer to

the statue recently erected
in London to Bomber Harris,

blamed here for all that
happened to the city.

What is the actual protocol

when you decide to
get married, ma'am?

Whose permission
do you have to ask?

He asked my father.

He was very kind
to me, actually.

I was petrified beforehand.

Did he ask
you what your prospects are?

What sort of prospects?

Is Princess Anne's gift

to her husband,
Captain Mark Phillips.

A set of dress studs,
cufflinks and buttons.

Well, somewhere
else I spotted a tool-kit

for Captain Mark Phillips.

I don't know how much
of a handyman he is.

Twelve dozen coat hangers.

Now there is a very
imaginative and a very clever gift

for a couple who've just got married.

Yes, what a difficult question.

What do you
think we've got in common?

Sense of humor?

Um, every outdoor activity,

except I don't ride.

- Um...
- Soon remedy that.

Lots of things, really.

And, I suppose, in love.

Of course.

- Whatever "in love" means.
- Yes.

Well, obviously
means two very happy people.

The Prince had been
up since the early hours yesterday,

organizing and taking part
in a vastly complicated event

involving four members
of the Royal Family,

and some 50 international stars.

- Have you been watching it?
- Yes.

Yeah. What did you think of it?

- Thanks.
- I thought it was brilliant.

- Great!
- Then the royal walkout.

He's reported to have
said, as he left Alton Towers,

"One of these days you lot are
going to have to learn some manners".

Centuries old Windsor
Castle, one of the Queen's residences

has been consumed by fire for much
of the day. A hundred and fifty-five...

They've announced from
Buckingham Palace, that with regret,

the Prince and Princess of
Wales have decided to separate.

Their Royal Highnesses
have no plans to divorce...

Duchess of York have begun
discussions about a formal separation.

A statement issued by the Queen
said talks were not yet complete

and nothing more would be said.

Buckingham
Palace announced today

that the Princess
Royal and her husband,

Captain Mark
Phillips, are to separate

after nearly 16
years of marriage.

The statement said the couple
had decided to part...

with the
sweating, um, because, uh,

I-I have a peculiar medical
condition, which is that I don't sweat,

um, or I didn't
sweat at the time.

And that was, uh...

Yes, I didn't sweat
at the time because I...

Can't
sweat. I bet the Queen was like,

"What the fuck is he doing?!"

Philip, are you getting this!

Our son's an absolute moron!

I know.

He makes Charles
look like Stephen Fry.

That Oprah Winfrey conducted

with Prince Harry
and Meghan Markle.

Buckingham Palace issue
is a symbiotic relationship

between the Palace
and the British Press.

So then Harry said, "There is this
invisible contract behind closed doors

behind the institution
and UK tabloids."

No institution, city,
monarchy, whatever,

should expect to be free
from the scrutiny of those

who give it their
loyalty and support,

not to mention those who don't.

And that scrutiny,

by one part of another,

can be just as effective

if it is made with a
touch of gentleness,

good humor and understanding.

Increasingly
today, much of the anger

which was at first
directed at the paparazzi

has been focused on
the royals themselves.

For the past five days,

most of the Royal Family,

including the Queen,

have been 521 miles
away at Balmoral

leaving the Palace
empty, with no flag flying.

I feel like everyone
else in this country today,

utterly devastated.

She was a wonderful,
warm human being.

Very disgraceful I
find their behavior.

Disgusting that they have
not appeared or said a word.

I think they must be very, very
cold-hearted not to have a flag up.

I think it's a disgrace on
the whole Royal Family.

- I can't understand the Queen doing it, really.
- No.

Looks as
though the Queen is about to...

She is, she's getting
out of the car, Wes,

and is going to talk to people.

It's extremely unusual.

This is almost unprecedented.

I think perhaps the last time...

What I say to you
now, as your Queen

and as a grandmother,
I say from my heart.

First, I want to pay
tribute to Diana myself.

She was an exceptional
and gifted human being.

I don't think he believes me.

Prince Andrew.

No.

There's another one
there with a plaque.

Prince Andrew, 1969.

- That one?
- I think so, yes.

You-you said...

You said that was Andrew.

- Can't both be.
- No, that's Andrew.

Oh dear, oh dear.

Edward.

- That's Edward.
- Yeah.

There will be all kinds of
different trees growing here

- in another 50 years maybe.
- Might easily be, yes.

I won't be here, though.

I was going to say, a sundial
neatly planted in the shade.

Isn't it good, yes.

Had we thought of that?

That it was planted
in the shade?

It wasn't in the shade
originally, I'm sure.

But, um...

Maybe we could move it.

Well, it depends whether you
want to know the time or not.

Through your family records.

- Yes.
- And I've found an entry here

for your
great-great-grandmother.

And what was her name?

Queen Victoria.

And what did she do?

She was the Queen.

You're joking.

And their grandson

was your grandfather,
King George V.

And he had two sons,

the younger of whom
was King George VI.

Shove off.
From The King's Speech?

- That's correct, your father.
- My father's Colin Firth?

No. Colin Firth
played your father in the film.

So one isn't
related to Colin Firth?

- No.
- Oh, that's a shame.

Three Kings occupied
the British throne in a single year.

King George departs,
beloved after 25 years of rule.

And walking behind his coffin, in
the sad procession, is the new King,

who is the beloved
Prince of Wales.

God save the King.

And even while
the proclamation still rings,

King Edward stands
beside Mr. and Mrs. Simpson

in the windows of his
apartments at St. James's Palace.

Soon he is to tell the
world of the woman I love

and for her renounce the throne.

Then comes the year's third King

with his Scottish wife
and their two children.

King George VI and
Queen Elizabeth.

And the little
Princess Elizabeth,

who may one day be Queen.

But, you see,
nobody writes anymore.

I keep a diary, but
it's not really a diary

like Queen Victoria's, you
know, or as detailed as that.

It's quite small.

But you write
it in your own hand?

- Oh, yes.
- Yes, I think that's terribly important.

I can't write any other way.

Definitive edition of
the plays of JM Barrie.

Peter Pan.

- He was the most wonderful storyteller.
- Yeah.

As children we used to go to tea

and he'd tell the
most wonderful stories.

- Did he?
- Yes.

He just happened to
be the sort of person

that could tell
children's stories.

It didn't matter if you were
just sitting at the tea table.

And, of course, boringly, one was
a small child, one didn't realize...

- Yeah, quite.
- What a good storyteller

one was listening to.

If only one had known.

Oh, Mother, we are back.

- Back?
- All except the Lost Boys.

They weren't quite ready.

- Lost B... ready?
- To grow up.

That's why they went
back to Neverland.

Neverland?

- Yes, but I am.
- Am?

Uh, ready to grow up.

Searchin' every
corner of my mind

Lookin' for the
answers I can't find

I have my reasons
and life has its lessons

I tried to be grateful and
count all my blessings

But heavy is the head
that wears the crown

Amen, in Jesus'
name yes, I declare it

Any little seed I
receive I have to share it

Bruddas wanna break
me down I can't bare it

But heavy is the head
with the crown I still wear it

You can't hold me
down I still cope

Rain falling down at
the BRITs I'm still soaked

Tried to put a hole in
our shit we'll build boats

Two birds with one
stone I'll kill both

Pray I never lose and
pray I never hit the shelf

Promise if I do that you'll
be checkin' on my health

If it's for my people
I'll do anything to help

If I do it out of love
it's not to benefit myself

the Queen
Mother and Princess Margaret

enter their carriage,

and there begins the sad
last journey of King George VI.

Searchin' every
corner of my mind

Search every corner
look for the answers

Lookin' for the
answers I can't find

No, I can't find
'em no silver lining

I have my reasons
and life has its lessons

I tried to be grateful and
count all my blessings

But heavy is the head
that wears the crown

In a way, I
didn't have an apprenticeship,

my father died much too young,

and so, it was all a very
sudden kind of taking on,

and making the best job you can.

It's a question

of maturing into something
that one's got used to doing.

And accepting the fact that
here you are and it's your fate.

God save the Queen.

- Hip hip...
- Hooray.

- Hip hip...
- Hooray.

The crown is
an idea more than a person.

Heavy is the head
that wears the crown

My sister is by my side

and we are both going
to say goodnight to you.

Come on, Margaret.

Goodnight, children.

Goodnight
and good luck to you all.

Two.

"Her Majesty" take one.

Her majesty's...

Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl

But she doesn't have
a lot to say

Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl

But she changes from day to day

I wanna tell her
that I love her a lot

But I gotta get
a bellyful of wine

Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl

Someday I'm gonna
make her mine, oh yeah

Someday I'm gonna make her mine

- Do you wanna hear it?
- Yeah.

[rhythmic clanging
to "God Save the Queen"

Long live our

God save our Queen

[vibrating to
"God Save the Queen"