The Crown (2016–…): Season 2, Episode 5 - Marionettes - full transcript
After Elizabeth makes a tone-deaf speech at a Jaguar factory, she and the monarchy come under public attack by an outspoken lord.
[news vendor]
Queen's critic is at it again!
Peer attacks the Queen!
[man] Thank you.
Queen's critic!
Queen's critic is at it again!
-Good morning, Jack.
-Good morning, sir.
I'll take one of each
this morning, please.
-And the Sunday as well.
-Oh, a bit of light reading, eh?
That's right.
Queen's critic is at it again!
Peer attacks the Queen!
No, I shan't have anything.
Sorry, dear.
[chattering]
-I think he's right.
-Do you?
Yeah. Now I think about it,
she is a bit priggish.
-[couple laughs]
-[bell dings]
[chattering]
Here he comes, here he comes.
[man] There he is.
-[policeman] Please, gentlemen.
-[policeman 2] Don't push.
-Lord Altrincham?
-Yes.
[crowd gasps]
You traitor!
[crowd chattering]
[ticking]
Really?
Really?
Really?
Well, I shall certainly let
Her Majesty know. Thank you.
[ticking]
Time and tide, Mr. Conservator.
[chuckles] Wait for no man,
Private Secretary.
-[Adeane] Good afternoon to you.
-Good afternoon, sir.
[door opens]
[footsteps approaching]
[sighs]
[door closes]
What is it now?
Lord Altrincham has been struck.
Dumb, I hope.
Better than that, ma'am.
In the face.
Quite forcefully, I'm told.
By whom?
Which gallant and chivalrous individual?
Afraid we don't have
those details yet, ma'am.
The incident occurred
outside the television studios,
and the perpetrator is now on his way
to the Bow Street Police Station,
where we expect him to be released
without charge.
How very gratifying.
Yes. Very.
Which television studios?
The Independent Television
Network Studios, ma'am,
where Altrincham had
just recorded an interview.
For what?
A program appropriately called Impact.
When will it air?
Tonight, ma'am. Nine o'clock.
[clocks chiming]
[ Impact theme music plays on television]
[announcer on television] Tell the people.
Tell them on television.
Questions in the public mind,
answered by people in the public eye.
This is Impact,
the program that examines
the most important matters of the moment
-and brings the debate to you at home.
-[Philip] Sorry I'm late.
[announcer] Robin Day puts the questions.
It's just starting.
Tonight, we have a man who,
because of press activity in recent days,
probably needs no introduction,
Lord Altrincham.
In the space of just a few days,
his inflammatory
and deeply personal attacks on the Queen
in a periodical of which
he is also publisher,
have become the most pressing issue
of the day
and caused something
of a constitutional crisis.
So, I'd like to begin by asking
Lord Altrincham a simple question.
She's our head of state,
loved, respected and admired
throughout the world,
so why do you hate her so very much?
[news vendors shouting]
[news vendor] National
and English Review, two shillings!
Your National and English Review!
-Morning, Fred!
-Good morning, sir.
National and English Review,
two shillings!
[Altrincham] ...far too long.
People are beginning to notice,
and that is why the...
And that is why the ending
of doctrinal tests
and the introduction of women priests
is the only viable solution
for saving the Church of England,
an institution that is becoming
increasingly outdated and irrelevant
hour by hour.
Who's got a thousand words
for me on that?
-[Humphrey] Hello, Patricia.
-Would anyone like some toffee?
Bring it over here, Patricia darling.
-Oh, divine.
-Much like Patricia herself.
Come, come, my dear. Be seated.
Right. If no one's keen
on the church story,
I can knock something up.
Now, a piece on
reforming the House of Lords.
Dermot, you were going to look at that,
weren't you?
-Something nutty about it?
-Mm, molasses.
And Europe,
we need to work out our official stance.
Are we for or against
a single European market?
Are we in or out?
-Toffee, John?
-Oh, you must try some, John.
I'm afraid I have a thing against toffee.
Why didn't I know that?
You can't know everything about me.
It's not the taste I object to so much.
I just have... painful memories.
As a child, I was sitting
in a dentist's chair
because of a piece of toffee I ate.
Mm.
Oh, Lord.
Not again.
Sorry.
[mumbling] I've...
[Adeane] "Perhaps you don't understand
that on your steadfastness
and ability to withstand
the fatigue of dull, repetitive work,
and your great courage in meeting
constant small adversities,
depend, in great measure,
the happiness and prosperity
of the community... as a whole.
The upward course of a nation's history
is due, in the long run,
to the soundness of heart
of its average men and women."
Um...
Working men and women?
It has a touch more dignity, uh...
[Adeane] No, I think "average" is fine.
Thought you might be interested
to see this.
It's a draft of the speech the Queen's
going to give in a week's time.
I don't mind telling you
I felt a bit uneasy about it.
Sir.
[sighs]
[Adeane] Yes?
Sir, forgive me if I'm interfering
beyond my station...
-Tommy.
-Martin.
You were about to interfere
beyond your station.
Uh, [stutters] it's concerning the speech
the Queen is due to give next week
at the Jaguar car factory.
-What about it?
-[Charteris] I was just... wondering
if you were happy with it.
Well, obviously I'm happy with it,
or I wouldn't have shown it
to Her Majesty
for the approval
which she immediately gave.
-Did the Queen read it?
-[Adeane] She didn't need to.
She merely asked if I was happy.
I replied in the affirmative.
-That was good enough for Her Majesty.
-[Lascelles] Hm.
[Adeane] But I can see that
the really important question is,
is it good enough for Colonel Charteris?
You don't think it strikes
the wrong tone?
In which sense?
[exhales] In its... uh, paternalism.
May I?
Thank you.
[stuttering] I suppose
if I had a concern...
it would be that, post-Suez,
in this new climate...
in this new Britain...
the tone of the speech is... somewhat...
Somewhat what?
Old-fashioned.
And would leave her open to attack.
-[Lascelles] From whom?
-The newspapers.
People.
If I had a shilling for every time
someone of a progressive
or liberal disposition had warned
needlessly of a popular attack
against the Crown, I'd be a rich man.
The British people adore their sovereign.
It is what constitutes, indeed defines,
being British.
No, the worst I've ever encountered
is, uh, apathy,
where people simply accept
the King or Queen
as they accept
the sky above their heads.
But it's a long way
from apathy to insurrection.
Now, as regards the newspapers,
the Crown can count on their support
for two reasons:
first, there is nothing to attack.
That's the advantage
of a constitutional monarchy.
They have no power
so there's nothing to complain about.
And even if they wanted to,
they'd always let us know first.
The palace would then
threaten them with a boycott
on the next major royal event,
causing the newspapers immediately
to back down.
Because the very people you fear
will hate the Queen
are the same ones who buy copies
in their millions.
Why? Because they love her.
So I'm worrying unnecessarily?
Martin, I shall leave the drawing
of that inescapable conclusion to you.
[sighs]
I'm going to take it in
a little shorter, ma'am,
-and rounder at the back.
-Lovely.
[Handel's "Zadok the Priest" playing]
♪ Zadok, the priest ♪
♪ And Nathan, the prophet ♪
♪ Anointed ♪
♪ Solomon king ♪
Thank you. I-- I... like it very much.
[train whistle blows]
[chattering]
[Elizabeth] Ah.
Thank you.
I thought you were hoping
for more children from me.
I am.
Then why on earth would you do
something like that to your hair?
What's wrong with it?
-[train whistle blows]
-I thought it was tidy and... sensible.
Adjectives to stir the loins.
Apparently it's very à la mode.
All the regimental wives
are wearing their hair like this now.
-[Philip] Really?
-Yes.
[Philip] Well,
it's certainly very practical.
And should you ever feel compelled
to ride a motorcycle,
it could always double as a helmet.
Well, I like it.
[Philip laughs]
[Philip] No, I have nothing
against it personally.
-[Philip laughs]
-Stop it.
Sure it will provide ample protection
against any falling masonry.
[laughing]
But... if enlarging the family
and enticing your husband
to procreate is the goal...
It is.
...then you might take a look
at Jayne Mansfield...
or Rita Hayworth.
Ooh, Rita Hayworth. [chuckles]
[clamoring]
[man] Sir William Lyons, Your Majesty.
-Welcome, Your Majesty.
-Thank you. Hello.
How do you do?
It's very, uh, spacious.
This is our research and development area.
[Philip] Splendid. Now we're talking.
May I introduce you, ma'am,
to Nigel Willoughby?
He sketches all of our prototypes.
You studied drawing, did you?
Lovely. Very good to see it.
-And that's the chassis.
-It is, indeed.
A finished MK-1, Your Majesty.
Ah. It's lovely.
With top speeds
of over 100 miles per hour.
Quite the thing.
I've always been interested
in the red leather.
Is it horse or cow?
Hello.
[Elizabeth] I wish first to express to you
my very great pleasure
at being here today.
My husband and I
have been most profoundly moved
by your hospitable welcome
and would like you to know
how very grateful we are to you all...
-Thank you.
-...for the work that you do.
We understand that in the turbulence
of this anxious and active world,
many of you are leading
uneventful, lonely lives...
where dreariness is the enemy.
[murmuring]
Perhaps you don't understand
that on your steadfastness and ability
to withstand the fatigue of dull,
repetitive work...
depend, in great measure, the happiness
and prosperity of the community
as a whole.
The upward course of a nation's history
is due, in the long run,
to the soundness of heart
of its average men and women.
May you be proud to remember
how much depends on you,
and that even when your life
seems most monotonous...
what you do is always of real value
and importance to your fellow...
[John Barry and The Seven's
"Let's Have a Wonderful Time" playing]
[chuckling]
♪ Come on, everybody
Let's have a wonderful time ♪
Lord Altrincham?
Evening edition! News Chronicle!
Evening edition!
Ah. I need a favor, some typing.
Oh, you're going home.
I don't need to be.
I've just heard a ridiculous speech
by the Queen,
and I want to write an immediate response.
No, I'll... I'll find someone else.
No, no, it's no trouble.
I had nothing else planned.
Thank you.
[upbeat music playing]
[typewriter clattering]
-I've had another thought.
-Super.
A rather heretical thought.
I got the idea
from something Walter Bagehot said
about the first duty of royalty
being to inspire.
[train whistle blows]
[bagpipes playing]
[clamoring]
[crowd cheering]
Hello.
I trust you had a safe journey,
Your Majesty.
-Yes, very lovely.
-Good to be back.
[Elizabeth] Well, let's hope
it brightens up later.
[stags grunting]
[clicks]
[gunshot]
[stag grunts]
Good shot, ma'am.
[news vendor] National and English
Review! National and English Review!
Thank you. Two shillings
for National and English Review.
Thank you, sir. Morning.
-Thank you, madam.
-[coins clink]
National and English Review.
Two shillings, thank you very much.
There we go, sir.
Thank you very much. Two shillings.
I see.
Right.
Well, thank you.
[car door closes]
Sorry to disturb, Your Majesty,
Your Royal Highness.
Just to say it might be worth
avoiding certain newspapers this morning.
Why? What's your sister done now?
Nothing to do with
Princess Margaret, sir. Uh...
It's an article written
by Lord Altrincham.
Never heard of him. You?
Taken originally
from his own publication...
The National and English Review.
Never heard of that, either.
Which several newspapers have chosen
to run, partially or in full.
What kind of article?
It's quite a critical article, ma'am.
What gives him the right?
Tell me honestly, Mommy...
is there any part of you
that agrees with him?
Certainly not.
And that's not just your mother
saying that.
The palace press secretary called me
an hour ago to say
the vast majority of the country
not only disagrees with Altrincham
but is disgusted by him.
It's an irrelevant article
written by an irrelevant man
for an irrelevant publication...
only picked up because it's August,
people are on holiday,
government is in recess,
and there's nothing to write about.
Today, 85% of the country
is against him.
By tomorrow, it will be 95%.
That man's going to wish
he'd never been born.
[crowd shouting]
-[man] Traitor!
-[man 2] Coward!
[crowd shouting]
[Humphrey] Excuse me!
Excuse me. Thank you.
Excuse me. Excuse me. Thank you.
I asked you to come because
I had a phone call an hour ago
from a television producer,
inviting me to record
an interview this afternoon.
Which program?
Impact. With Robin Day.
I wish it weren't Day.
We all wish it weren't Day,
he's terrifying.
[Patricia] Don't be silly.
The fact that it's Day
is what makes it valuable.
You don't think I'm walking into a trap?
You walked into the trap
when you wrote the article.
Now you're the most unloved individual
in Britain.
Ironically, Day is the one person
who could help you.
Why? [scoffs]
You've seen how he interviews people.
He dismembers them.
Tears them to shreds.
Yes, but keep your cool
under his scrutiny...
make your case politely,
respectfully, intelligently.
It could turn people around.
[Altrincham] Thank you very much.
[reporters chattering]
-Lord Altrincham. How do you do?
-How do you do?
-Shall we?
-Yes.
[producer] This way. Thank you for coming.
[Altrincham] Not at all.
How long do we have until we start?
[producer] We'll pop into makeup quickly.
We should start in ten minutes.
-Just here, if you will.
-Right.
-Help yourself to water.
-[Altrincham] Thank you.
[producer] Shouldn't be too long.
-All good?
-[cameraman] All good.
[producer] He's standing by, sir.
-[Day] And he's prepared?
-[producer] Ready as he can be.
[Day] Let's make a start.
You've been told how all this works?
Recording now, transmission tonight?
-[floor manager] Stand by, studio.
-Yes. Thank you.
-[bell rings]
-[floor manager] Five, four, three...
[Day] Tonight, we have a man who,
because of press activity in recent days,
probably needs no introduction.
Lord Altrincham.
In the space of just a few days,
his inflammatory
and deeply personal attacks on the Queen,
in a periodical of which
he is also publisher,
have become the most pressing issue
of the day
and caused something
of a constitutional crisis.
So, I'd like to begin by asking
Lord Altrincham a simple question.
She's our head of state,
loved, respected and admired
around the world,
so why do you hate her so very much?
I... I don't.
Then why criticize her like this?
[stutters] That's like asking
an art critic why he criticizes art.
I'm a passionate monarchist
who believes constitutional monarchy
is Britain's greatest invention.
[scoffs] Do you, indeed?
Yes, I do.
I believe that monarchy provides clarity.
A symbolic head of state,
transcending the self-serving interests
of the egocentric
and self-motivated politicians
who go in and out of office,
who, as King Lear wonderfully says,
"ebb and flow by the moon."
But when working at its best,
monarchy can rise above such matters
and unify a society.
It can set the tone and become
the embodiment of the nation,
of national character.
But the problem is, at the moment, it's--
It's not doing that.
It's doing very little right,
as far as you're concerned.
No, that's not true.
You would like to see Her Majesty
endowed with superhuman powers.
It's not superhuman
to be a little spontaneous.
Judging from your article,
you'd like the Queen to have
the qualities of a wit, you'd like her
to be a better orator, a TV personality,
in addition to being a diligent,
dutiful and devoted monarch and a mother.
All I'm suggesting is that,
in her public speeches
and in her appearances,
she should be more, uh, natural.
Her style of speaking is, quite frankly,
a pain in the neck.
She sounds strangled.
I had the misfortune of hearing
one of the Queen's speeches
in a dental waiting room recently.
I was horrified
by the indifference and inertia
with which the speech was greeted.
[Day] But you'd accept that being Queen
and head of the Church of England
is not an easy job or a simple one?
If you'll forgive me,
it's arguably a harder job
than editing a small periodical.
[laughs] No, I quite agree. Her Majesty
has a seemingly impossible task.
She has to be ordinary and extraordinary,
touched by divinity and yet one of us,
but being ordinary doesn't have to mean
bland or ineffectual.
Or forgettable.
[Day] And against whom do you lay
the main charge? Her courtiers?
[Altrincham] Well, in the end, if the
court is wrong, if the setup is wrong,
you have no choice
but to criticize the boss.
The Queen?
Yes, because only the boss
can get rid of the bad servants.
She hires them.
She alone can fire them.
Now, they may be bad, I believe
some of them at the moment are.
They're quite dreadful, but it is
her responsibility, it's not theirs,
in the sense that they
are just hired hands.
And so the personal attack
on the monarch continues.
[Altrincham] Let me just say this.
To criticize the monarchy,
to criticize Her Majesty, personally,
gives me no satisfaction.
But we have to remember that,
since the Second World War,
since Suez, Britain has changed
beyond recognition.
And yet the monarchy continues
its pre-war routines
as though nothing has happened.
I believe it would serve the Queen
and her courtiers well to remember
that until recently, monarchies were
the rule and republics the exception,
but today, republics are the rule
and monarchies very much the exception.
[Day] Lord Altrincham, I have
to terminate the interview.
I'm obliged to you
for answering my questions.
Next week at the same time,
there will be another edition of Impact.
Good night.
That went very well.
-Thank you again, Lord Altrincham.
-Thank you. Good day.
Thank you.
I thought he was even scarier
in real life than I, uh...
-Lord Altrincham?
-Yes.
[crowd gasps]
You traitor!
[man laughing]
-[man] Is that him? It is, isn't it?
-[man 2] Well done.
-[man 3] Congratulations.
-[man 4] Well done. Well done, sir.
-[Altrincham] A glass of white?
-[man 5] Well done.
Or something stronger?
What about a brandy?
Why not?
Well done.
Humphrey.
Well done. You looked incredibly calm.
-Really?
-Man of the hour. Really.
-Your Majesty.
-Yes, what is it, Michael?
There have been some reactions
in the newspapers
to last night's television interview,
and to the assault upon Lord Altrincham.
[stuttering] I'm afraid it's not quite
as we'd hoped.
[Elizabeth] Why not?
Uh, well, the man that
struck Altrincham, it turns out,
is a member of the extreme right
League of Empire Loyalists,
which is a pressure group that campaigns
against the dissolution of the Empire
and has a clear doctrine
of English racial supremacy.
Oh, dear.
And it seems that most people
have decided,
having watched Altrincham
on the television,
that he is eminently reasonable.
Now, almost half the country appears
to agree with his sentiments,
and there are new polls to support this.
Letters to the Daily Mirror
are running at four to one
in Altrincham's favor...
and even the normally conservative
Daily Mail...
changed its tune this morning.
Um, in addition,
and this, I believe,
reflects on his growing concern
at some of the telephone calls
he has been receiving...
the Prime Minister has suggested that
he come up a week earlier than planned,
in order to discuss it all
with you in person.
Goodness! A constitutional crisis.
Well, I hope you're going
to apologize to Mr. Macmillan, too.
[Adeane] Ma'am?
You're not going to deny this whole mess
springs from a badly written speech
which I gave, unquestioningly,
because I trusted you.
Perhaps Altrincham's right.
Perhaps I should surround myself
with younger, more dynamic people
with one foot in the real world!
Thank you, ma'am.
And you believe it's now
a government matter?
I do, ma'am.
Ambassadors from all around the world
have been calling me, concerned.
Her Majesty will hardly need reminding
a great many other countries
have overthrown their monarchies
and become republics in recent years.
Egypt, Bulgaria, Italy,
Tunisia only last month.
Of course we're not at that point.
Not at a red light.
We're not even at an amber.
But we'd hate it to become amber.
And so, it is my view,
the government's view,
that it would be wise
to contain this as soon as possible.
-And do what?
-The obvious thing.
Altrincham is a fire
which needs to be put out.
[Charles] Got you! [laughs]
-[both laughing]
-Got you!
[Charles] Got you!
The palace has offered up
a chap called Charteris.
To meet. I looked him up.
He used to be
her principal private secretary.
-Well, there you are.
-Before the King died.
-When she was princess.
-And now?
He's assistant private secretary,
so not quite a pawn,
but certainly not a bishop
or knight, either.
Go.
Go, in order to be fobbed off?
Go in the spirit of openness
and wanting to work together.
If they wanted to work together,
-they would have sent someone higher up.
-Go.
All right.
And take a list of suggestions.
Recommendations.
Don't go empty-handed.
Not yet! John!
Your tooth! John!
Sorry.
[clamoring]
-[reporter] Do you have a comment, sir?
-Sorry.
[reporter 2] Lord Altrincham!
Lord Altrincham?
-Yes.
-[equerry] This way, please.
Good to know I'm seeing the top man.
In one sense.
Here we are, Lord Altrincham.
Colonel Charteris
will be with you shortly.
-Thank you.
-Sir.
[door opens, closes]
I see we have something in common.
[Elizabeth] And what would that be?
Your Majesty.
[stuttering] I was referring to the photos
of Eton and Sandhurst.
Hm. Which you attended too, I gather.
Yes.
Going on to become
an Officer of the Guards
at both St James's Palace
and Windsor Castle.
It doesn't quite fit the profile
of a revolutionary.
It's the assumption everyone has made.
Because I dare offer an opinion,
I must be trying to burn the temple down.
On the contrary,
I'm trying to make sure it survives.
Well, those of us in the temple
are very much looking forward
to hearing what it is we must do
in order to survive.
Shall we begin?
[Altrincham laughs]
Is my voice all right?
You can understand me?
-[stutters] Yes.
-Not too strangled?
Not too much a pain in the neck?
-No.
-Good.
So, what is it that
you'd have me change?
It's not so much
what I'd have you change,
just an acknowledgment
that it has changed.
-What?
-Everything.
And to prepare yourself for the fact
we now live in a time where...
people like me--
-Can say exactly what they think.
-Yes.
-In any way they want.
-Yes.
And, remind me, why is that, exactly?
Because the age of deference is over.
And what is left without deference?
Anarchy?
Equality.
How can it be equality
when I cannot return the fire?
You can.
But I struggle to think of a moment
in history where it has worked
to a monarch's advantage
to return fire on their own people.
But you have managed to think
of how this monarch
might do something to her advantage.
I have.
And that same monarch
is sitting before, forgive me...
a failed politician
and an unrecognized journalist...
and taking his advice
on how to do her job.
The situation is as baffling to me
as it is to you, Your Majesty.
-Ah. You've got a list.
-I do.
As you might know from my article,
I made a series of observations,
recommendations of things to change,
but for the purposes of this meeting,
I chose to limit those recommendations
to, um, six.
Six?
Three things to start
and three things to stop.
-Well, let's start with the "stops."
-Very well.
Ah, yes. Putting an end
to the debutantes' ball.
The idea that young women of a certain
class are presented to the sovereign,
and women who are not of that class
are not presented to the sovereign
and somehow not acceptable.
This is the sort of inequity
that should have died out
with our grandparents' generation,
certainly after the war.
Next.
Uh...
Allow divorced people to move more freely
in royal circles.
Why?
The sovereign is head
of the Church of England,
and the Church does not recognize
divorced persons.
It's unkind. Discriminatory.
Quite possibly unlawful.
Next.
Uh...
I would recommend getting rid
of an entire generation of courtier.
The old school, stuck in the past.
Ostriches with their heads buried
in the sand.
They're stopping the palace evolve
in keeping with the rest of the world.
Those "ostriches" provide
an indispensable function of monarchy:
the preservation of tradition.
You asked for my recommendations,
ma'am.
I'm respectfully passing them on.
What would you have me start?
Open up, ma'am.
Lower the drawbridge.
Let people get to know you.
I don't wish to be known.
Televise the Christmas speech.
Become more transparent, accessible.
-And finally...
-Oh, finally.
...spend time with normal people.
Not just courtiers
or the great and the good,
but real people, average people.
Working people.
Open the doors.
Make it more inclusive and egalitarian.
Let normal people get to know you, too.
Would you mind stepping out
into the corridor for a moment?
[stutters] Not at all.
And would you ask
my private secretary to come in?
Of course.
Your Majesty.
[door closes]
[Altrincham] Colonel Charteris?
[Charteris] Your Majesty.
[door closes]
[door opens]
Lord Altrincham. Please.
[door closes]
[Altrincham] When I went back
into the room, she was gone.
Vanished into thin air.
Do sit down.
[Altrincham] Charteris then went on
to tell me that
no one can ever know that I met the Queen,
and that should I ever claim that I did,
the palace would robustly deny it.
They will, however,
concede that I had an appointment
with Her Majesty's
assistant private secretary,
and that concessions might be made
to one or two of my recommendations.
May I ask which ones?
Let's get these lights in.
Quickly. Easy with that camera.
[man] Right-o.
[producer] This one next. Well done.
Now, let's have the rest of the cables.
[sighs]
I feel like an actress.
A common little showgirl.
Don't be silly.
In what way am I different?
Memorizing lines and remembering angles,
wearing makeup?
Well, you're the Queen
of the United Kingdom for one thing.
[Elizabeth] Yes, who's memorizing lines
and remembering angles
and wearing makeup.
[knock on door]
[producer] Your Majesty.
Right.
-Where do you want me?
-This way, please, ma'am.
[producer] Ma'am.
[inaudible dialogue]
[floor manager] Five, four, three...
Happy Christmas.
Twenty-five years ago,
my grandfather broadcast
the first of these Christmas messages.
Today is another landmark,
because television has made it possible
for many of you to see me in your homes
on Christmas Day.
My own family often gather round
to watch the television,
as they are at this moment,
and that is how I think of you all now.
I very much hope that this new medium
will make my Christmas message
more personal and direct.
It is inevitable that I should seem
a rather remote figure to many of you,
a successor to the kings
and queens of history,
someone whose face may be familiar
in newspapers and films
but who never really touches
your personal lives.
But now, at least for a few minutes,
I welcome you into the peace
of my own home.
That it is possible for some of you
to see me today
is just another example of the speed
at which things are changing
all around us.
I would like to read a few lines
from Pilgrim's Progress.
'"And though, with great difficulty,
I am got hither,
yet now I do repent me
of all the trouble I have been at
to arrive where I am.
My sword I give to him
that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage
and my courage and skill
to him that can get it.
My marks and scars I carry with me
to be a witness for me
that I have fought his battles
who now will be my rewarder."
I hope that 1958 may bring you
God's blessings
and all the things that you long for.
And so I wish you all, young and old,
wherever you may be,
all the fun and enjoyment and peace
of a very happy Christmas.
[producer] And we're off air.
Congratulations, ma'am.
[chattering]
-[Margaret] Ah, hello.
-My, my.
You look pretty. I like the dress.
-Thank you.
-And the hair.
-Very unregimental.
-Mm, yes.
Tony knew the top person, of course.
The only stylist who could be trusted.
Does he have a name, this stylist?
I want to say Victor Gabon,
but that's not quite right.
Um...
Vidal Baboon?
-Vidal Baboon?
-Yes, I think.
Well, anyway, he talked endlessly
about hair as a geometric art form.
-It looks jolly pretty.
-Thank you.
If you happen to have a number for this
Baboon, I might pass it on to my wife.
Is that appropriate, by the way,
that a red-blooded man
should know the correct hairdresser
for a woman?
There's almost nothing
that's appropriate about Tony,
but he's made it his mission in life
to improve me.
[Philip] Mm.
-Your very own little Altrincham.
-Yes.
Just rather better in bed, I suspect.
-Oh, dear God.
-Look at them.
[chattering]
-There it is.
-[man] Thank you very much.
Who do you suppose that is?
It could be Mr. David Smith, a car dealer.
-[Elizabeth] And that?
-[Queen Mother] I believe...
that is Harry "The Hammer" Jones.
A boxer from the Old Kent Road.
Rounding up the numbers,
we have a local restaurateur,
a bus driver,
a bank clerk...
and a woman policeman.
All to open things up.
Yes.
Bring us more in line with the real world.
Democratize us.
And so it goes.
The stings and bites we suffer
as it slips away.
Bit by bit, piece by piece.
Our authority, our absolutism,
our divine rights.
[footsteps approaching]
[footman clears throat] Ma'am?
[Queen Mother] The history
of the monarchy in this country
is a one-way street of humiliation,
sacrifices and concessions
in order to survive.
First, the barons came for us,
then the merchants, now the journalists.
Small wonder we make such a fuss
about curtsies, protocol and precedent.
It's all we have left.
The last scraps of armor as we go
from ruling to reigning to--
-To what?
-To being nothing at all.
Marionettes.
-Right, gloves on.
-Ah.
I told the master of the household
to rotate the guests between courses,
so if you get a dud, don't worry,
it'll be 15 minutes at worst.
[Queen Mother sighs]
Mr. and Mrs. David Smith.
-Ah, David. Lovely to meet you.
-Ma'am.
-Hello.
-Very nice to meet you.
-Mr. and Mrs. Patel.
-[Elizabeth] Hello there.
Thank you for coming.
-Mr. Harry "The Hammer."
-[Elizabeth] I've heard so much about you.
-Thank you for coming.
-You look absolutely beautiful.
Mr. Martin Jones.
[speaking indistinctly]
-Sergeant Ethel Danmyer.
-Ah, hello there.
-Such a pleasure to have you here.
-[corgis barking]
Oh, here they come, dog-dogs.
There they go. [laughs]
Queen's critic is at it again!
Peer attacks the Queen!
[man] Thank you.
Queen's critic!
Queen's critic is at it again!
-Good morning, Jack.
-Good morning, sir.
I'll take one of each
this morning, please.
-And the Sunday as well.
-Oh, a bit of light reading, eh?
That's right.
Queen's critic is at it again!
Peer attacks the Queen!
No, I shan't have anything.
Sorry, dear.
[chattering]
-I think he's right.
-Do you?
Yeah. Now I think about it,
she is a bit priggish.
-[couple laughs]
-[bell dings]
[chattering]
Here he comes, here he comes.
[man] There he is.
-[policeman] Please, gentlemen.
-[policeman 2] Don't push.
-Lord Altrincham?
-Yes.
[crowd gasps]
You traitor!
[crowd chattering]
[ticking]
Really?
Really?
Really?
Well, I shall certainly let
Her Majesty know. Thank you.
[ticking]
Time and tide, Mr. Conservator.
[chuckles] Wait for no man,
Private Secretary.
-[Adeane] Good afternoon to you.
-Good afternoon, sir.
[door opens]
[footsteps approaching]
[sighs]
[door closes]
What is it now?
Lord Altrincham has been struck.
Dumb, I hope.
Better than that, ma'am.
In the face.
Quite forcefully, I'm told.
By whom?
Which gallant and chivalrous individual?
Afraid we don't have
those details yet, ma'am.
The incident occurred
outside the television studios,
and the perpetrator is now on his way
to the Bow Street Police Station,
where we expect him to be released
without charge.
How very gratifying.
Yes. Very.
Which television studios?
The Independent Television
Network Studios, ma'am,
where Altrincham had
just recorded an interview.
For what?
A program appropriately called Impact.
When will it air?
Tonight, ma'am. Nine o'clock.
[clocks chiming]
[ Impact theme music plays on television]
[announcer on television] Tell the people.
Tell them on television.
Questions in the public mind,
answered by people in the public eye.
This is Impact,
the program that examines
the most important matters of the moment
-and brings the debate to you at home.
-[Philip] Sorry I'm late.
[announcer] Robin Day puts the questions.
It's just starting.
Tonight, we have a man who,
because of press activity in recent days,
probably needs no introduction,
Lord Altrincham.
In the space of just a few days,
his inflammatory
and deeply personal attacks on the Queen
in a periodical of which
he is also publisher,
have become the most pressing issue
of the day
and caused something
of a constitutional crisis.
So, I'd like to begin by asking
Lord Altrincham a simple question.
She's our head of state,
loved, respected and admired
throughout the world,
so why do you hate her so very much?
[news vendors shouting]
[news vendor] National
and English Review, two shillings!
Your National and English Review!
-Morning, Fred!
-Good morning, sir.
National and English Review,
two shillings!
[Altrincham] ...far too long.
People are beginning to notice,
and that is why the...
And that is why the ending
of doctrinal tests
and the introduction of women priests
is the only viable solution
for saving the Church of England,
an institution that is becoming
increasingly outdated and irrelevant
hour by hour.
Who's got a thousand words
for me on that?
-[Humphrey] Hello, Patricia.
-Would anyone like some toffee?
Bring it over here, Patricia darling.
-Oh, divine.
-Much like Patricia herself.
Come, come, my dear. Be seated.
Right. If no one's keen
on the church story,
I can knock something up.
Now, a piece on
reforming the House of Lords.
Dermot, you were going to look at that,
weren't you?
-Something nutty about it?
-Mm, molasses.
And Europe,
we need to work out our official stance.
Are we for or against
a single European market?
Are we in or out?
-Toffee, John?
-Oh, you must try some, John.
I'm afraid I have a thing against toffee.
Why didn't I know that?
You can't know everything about me.
It's not the taste I object to so much.
I just have... painful memories.
As a child, I was sitting
in a dentist's chair
because of a piece of toffee I ate.
Mm.
Oh, Lord.
Not again.
Sorry.
[mumbling] I've...
[Adeane] "Perhaps you don't understand
that on your steadfastness
and ability to withstand
the fatigue of dull, repetitive work,
and your great courage in meeting
constant small adversities,
depend, in great measure,
the happiness and prosperity
of the community... as a whole.
The upward course of a nation's history
is due, in the long run,
to the soundness of heart
of its average men and women."
Um...
Working men and women?
It has a touch more dignity, uh...
[Adeane] No, I think "average" is fine.
Thought you might be interested
to see this.
It's a draft of the speech the Queen's
going to give in a week's time.
I don't mind telling you
I felt a bit uneasy about it.
Sir.
[sighs]
[Adeane] Yes?
Sir, forgive me if I'm interfering
beyond my station...
-Tommy.
-Martin.
You were about to interfere
beyond your station.
Uh, [stutters] it's concerning the speech
the Queen is due to give next week
at the Jaguar car factory.
-What about it?
-[Charteris] I was just... wondering
if you were happy with it.
Well, obviously I'm happy with it,
or I wouldn't have shown it
to Her Majesty
for the approval
which she immediately gave.
-Did the Queen read it?
-[Adeane] She didn't need to.
She merely asked if I was happy.
I replied in the affirmative.
-That was good enough for Her Majesty.
-[Lascelles] Hm.
[Adeane] But I can see that
the really important question is,
is it good enough for Colonel Charteris?
You don't think it strikes
the wrong tone?
In which sense?
[exhales] In its... uh, paternalism.
May I?
Thank you.
[stuttering] I suppose
if I had a concern...
it would be that, post-Suez,
in this new climate...
in this new Britain...
the tone of the speech is... somewhat...
Somewhat what?
Old-fashioned.
And would leave her open to attack.
-[Lascelles] From whom?
-The newspapers.
People.
If I had a shilling for every time
someone of a progressive
or liberal disposition had warned
needlessly of a popular attack
against the Crown, I'd be a rich man.
The British people adore their sovereign.
It is what constitutes, indeed defines,
being British.
No, the worst I've ever encountered
is, uh, apathy,
where people simply accept
the King or Queen
as they accept
the sky above their heads.
But it's a long way
from apathy to insurrection.
Now, as regards the newspapers,
the Crown can count on their support
for two reasons:
first, there is nothing to attack.
That's the advantage
of a constitutional monarchy.
They have no power
so there's nothing to complain about.
And even if they wanted to,
they'd always let us know first.
The palace would then
threaten them with a boycott
on the next major royal event,
causing the newspapers immediately
to back down.
Because the very people you fear
will hate the Queen
are the same ones who buy copies
in their millions.
Why? Because they love her.
So I'm worrying unnecessarily?
Martin, I shall leave the drawing
of that inescapable conclusion to you.
[sighs]
I'm going to take it in
a little shorter, ma'am,
-and rounder at the back.
-Lovely.
[Handel's "Zadok the Priest" playing]
♪ Zadok, the priest ♪
♪ And Nathan, the prophet ♪
♪ Anointed ♪
♪ Solomon king ♪
Thank you. I-- I... like it very much.
[train whistle blows]
[chattering]
[Elizabeth] Ah.
Thank you.
I thought you were hoping
for more children from me.
I am.
Then why on earth would you do
something like that to your hair?
What's wrong with it?
-[train whistle blows]
-I thought it was tidy and... sensible.
Adjectives to stir the loins.
Apparently it's very à la mode.
All the regimental wives
are wearing their hair like this now.
-[Philip] Really?
-Yes.
[Philip] Well,
it's certainly very practical.
And should you ever feel compelled
to ride a motorcycle,
it could always double as a helmet.
Well, I like it.
[Philip laughs]
[Philip] No, I have nothing
against it personally.
-[Philip laughs]
-Stop it.
Sure it will provide ample protection
against any falling masonry.
[laughing]
But... if enlarging the family
and enticing your husband
to procreate is the goal...
It is.
...then you might take a look
at Jayne Mansfield...
or Rita Hayworth.
Ooh, Rita Hayworth. [chuckles]
[clamoring]
[man] Sir William Lyons, Your Majesty.
-Welcome, Your Majesty.
-Thank you. Hello.
How do you do?
It's very, uh, spacious.
This is our research and development area.
[Philip] Splendid. Now we're talking.
May I introduce you, ma'am,
to Nigel Willoughby?
He sketches all of our prototypes.
You studied drawing, did you?
Lovely. Very good to see it.
-And that's the chassis.
-It is, indeed.
A finished MK-1, Your Majesty.
Ah. It's lovely.
With top speeds
of over 100 miles per hour.
Quite the thing.
I've always been interested
in the red leather.
Is it horse or cow?
Hello.
[Elizabeth] I wish first to express to you
my very great pleasure
at being here today.
My husband and I
have been most profoundly moved
by your hospitable welcome
and would like you to know
how very grateful we are to you all...
-Thank you.
-...for the work that you do.
We understand that in the turbulence
of this anxious and active world,
many of you are leading
uneventful, lonely lives...
where dreariness is the enemy.
[murmuring]
Perhaps you don't understand
that on your steadfastness and ability
to withstand the fatigue of dull,
repetitive work...
depend, in great measure, the happiness
and prosperity of the community
as a whole.
The upward course of a nation's history
is due, in the long run,
to the soundness of heart
of its average men and women.
May you be proud to remember
how much depends on you,
and that even when your life
seems most monotonous...
what you do is always of real value
and importance to your fellow...
[John Barry and The Seven's
"Let's Have a Wonderful Time" playing]
[chuckling]
♪ Come on, everybody
Let's have a wonderful time ♪
Lord Altrincham?
Evening edition! News Chronicle!
Evening edition!
Ah. I need a favor, some typing.
Oh, you're going home.
I don't need to be.
I've just heard a ridiculous speech
by the Queen,
and I want to write an immediate response.
No, I'll... I'll find someone else.
No, no, it's no trouble.
I had nothing else planned.
Thank you.
[upbeat music playing]
[typewriter clattering]
-I've had another thought.
-Super.
A rather heretical thought.
I got the idea
from something Walter Bagehot said
about the first duty of royalty
being to inspire.
[train whistle blows]
[bagpipes playing]
[clamoring]
[crowd cheering]
Hello.
I trust you had a safe journey,
Your Majesty.
-Yes, very lovely.
-Good to be back.
[Elizabeth] Well, let's hope
it brightens up later.
[stags grunting]
[clicks]
[gunshot]
[stag grunts]
Good shot, ma'am.
[news vendor] National and English
Review! National and English Review!
Thank you. Two shillings
for National and English Review.
Thank you, sir. Morning.
-Thank you, madam.
-[coins clink]
National and English Review.
Two shillings, thank you very much.
There we go, sir.
Thank you very much. Two shillings.
I see.
Right.
Well, thank you.
[car door closes]
Sorry to disturb, Your Majesty,
Your Royal Highness.
Just to say it might be worth
avoiding certain newspapers this morning.
Why? What's your sister done now?
Nothing to do with
Princess Margaret, sir. Uh...
It's an article written
by Lord Altrincham.
Never heard of him. You?
Taken originally
from his own publication...
The National and English Review.
Never heard of that, either.
Which several newspapers have chosen
to run, partially or in full.
What kind of article?
It's quite a critical article, ma'am.
What gives him the right?
Tell me honestly, Mommy...
is there any part of you
that agrees with him?
Certainly not.
And that's not just your mother
saying that.
The palace press secretary called me
an hour ago to say
the vast majority of the country
not only disagrees with Altrincham
but is disgusted by him.
It's an irrelevant article
written by an irrelevant man
for an irrelevant publication...
only picked up because it's August,
people are on holiday,
government is in recess,
and there's nothing to write about.
Today, 85% of the country
is against him.
By tomorrow, it will be 95%.
That man's going to wish
he'd never been born.
[crowd shouting]
-[man] Traitor!
-[man 2] Coward!
[crowd shouting]
[Humphrey] Excuse me!
Excuse me. Thank you.
Excuse me. Excuse me. Thank you.
I asked you to come because
I had a phone call an hour ago
from a television producer,
inviting me to record
an interview this afternoon.
Which program?
Impact. With Robin Day.
I wish it weren't Day.
We all wish it weren't Day,
he's terrifying.
[Patricia] Don't be silly.
The fact that it's Day
is what makes it valuable.
You don't think I'm walking into a trap?
You walked into the trap
when you wrote the article.
Now you're the most unloved individual
in Britain.
Ironically, Day is the one person
who could help you.
Why? [scoffs]
You've seen how he interviews people.
He dismembers them.
Tears them to shreds.
Yes, but keep your cool
under his scrutiny...
make your case politely,
respectfully, intelligently.
It could turn people around.
[Altrincham] Thank you very much.
[reporters chattering]
-Lord Altrincham. How do you do?
-How do you do?
-Shall we?
-Yes.
[producer] This way. Thank you for coming.
[Altrincham] Not at all.
How long do we have until we start?
[producer] We'll pop into makeup quickly.
We should start in ten minutes.
-Just here, if you will.
-Right.
-Help yourself to water.
-[Altrincham] Thank you.
[producer] Shouldn't be too long.
-All good?
-[cameraman] All good.
[producer] He's standing by, sir.
-[Day] And he's prepared?
-[producer] Ready as he can be.
[Day] Let's make a start.
You've been told how all this works?
Recording now, transmission tonight?
-[floor manager] Stand by, studio.
-Yes. Thank you.
-[bell rings]
-[floor manager] Five, four, three...
[Day] Tonight, we have a man who,
because of press activity in recent days,
probably needs no introduction.
Lord Altrincham.
In the space of just a few days,
his inflammatory
and deeply personal attacks on the Queen,
in a periodical of which
he is also publisher,
have become the most pressing issue
of the day
and caused something
of a constitutional crisis.
So, I'd like to begin by asking
Lord Altrincham a simple question.
She's our head of state,
loved, respected and admired
around the world,
so why do you hate her so very much?
I... I don't.
Then why criticize her like this?
[stutters] That's like asking
an art critic why he criticizes art.
I'm a passionate monarchist
who believes constitutional monarchy
is Britain's greatest invention.
[scoffs] Do you, indeed?
Yes, I do.
I believe that monarchy provides clarity.
A symbolic head of state,
transcending the self-serving interests
of the egocentric
and self-motivated politicians
who go in and out of office,
who, as King Lear wonderfully says,
"ebb and flow by the moon."
But when working at its best,
monarchy can rise above such matters
and unify a society.
It can set the tone and become
the embodiment of the nation,
of national character.
But the problem is, at the moment, it's--
It's not doing that.
It's doing very little right,
as far as you're concerned.
No, that's not true.
You would like to see Her Majesty
endowed with superhuman powers.
It's not superhuman
to be a little spontaneous.
Judging from your article,
you'd like the Queen to have
the qualities of a wit, you'd like her
to be a better orator, a TV personality,
in addition to being a diligent,
dutiful and devoted monarch and a mother.
All I'm suggesting is that,
in her public speeches
and in her appearances,
she should be more, uh, natural.
Her style of speaking is, quite frankly,
a pain in the neck.
She sounds strangled.
I had the misfortune of hearing
one of the Queen's speeches
in a dental waiting room recently.
I was horrified
by the indifference and inertia
with which the speech was greeted.
[Day] But you'd accept that being Queen
and head of the Church of England
is not an easy job or a simple one?
If you'll forgive me,
it's arguably a harder job
than editing a small periodical.
[laughs] No, I quite agree. Her Majesty
has a seemingly impossible task.
She has to be ordinary and extraordinary,
touched by divinity and yet one of us,
but being ordinary doesn't have to mean
bland or ineffectual.
Or forgettable.
[Day] And against whom do you lay
the main charge? Her courtiers?
[Altrincham] Well, in the end, if the
court is wrong, if the setup is wrong,
you have no choice
but to criticize the boss.
The Queen?
Yes, because only the boss
can get rid of the bad servants.
She hires them.
She alone can fire them.
Now, they may be bad, I believe
some of them at the moment are.
They're quite dreadful, but it is
her responsibility, it's not theirs,
in the sense that they
are just hired hands.
And so the personal attack
on the monarch continues.
[Altrincham] Let me just say this.
To criticize the monarchy,
to criticize Her Majesty, personally,
gives me no satisfaction.
But we have to remember that,
since the Second World War,
since Suez, Britain has changed
beyond recognition.
And yet the monarchy continues
its pre-war routines
as though nothing has happened.
I believe it would serve the Queen
and her courtiers well to remember
that until recently, monarchies were
the rule and republics the exception,
but today, republics are the rule
and monarchies very much the exception.
[Day] Lord Altrincham, I have
to terminate the interview.
I'm obliged to you
for answering my questions.
Next week at the same time,
there will be another edition of Impact.
Good night.
That went very well.
-Thank you again, Lord Altrincham.
-Thank you. Good day.
Thank you.
I thought he was even scarier
in real life than I, uh...
-Lord Altrincham?
-Yes.
[crowd gasps]
You traitor!
[man laughing]
-[man] Is that him? It is, isn't it?
-[man 2] Well done.
-[man 3] Congratulations.
-[man 4] Well done. Well done, sir.
-[Altrincham] A glass of white?
-[man 5] Well done.
Or something stronger?
What about a brandy?
Why not?
Well done.
Humphrey.
Well done. You looked incredibly calm.
-Really?
-Man of the hour. Really.
-Your Majesty.
-Yes, what is it, Michael?
There have been some reactions
in the newspapers
to last night's television interview,
and to the assault upon Lord Altrincham.
[stuttering] I'm afraid it's not quite
as we'd hoped.
[Elizabeth] Why not?
Uh, well, the man that
struck Altrincham, it turns out,
is a member of the extreme right
League of Empire Loyalists,
which is a pressure group that campaigns
against the dissolution of the Empire
and has a clear doctrine
of English racial supremacy.
Oh, dear.
And it seems that most people
have decided,
having watched Altrincham
on the television,
that he is eminently reasonable.
Now, almost half the country appears
to agree with his sentiments,
and there are new polls to support this.
Letters to the Daily Mirror
are running at four to one
in Altrincham's favor...
and even the normally conservative
Daily Mail...
changed its tune this morning.
Um, in addition,
and this, I believe,
reflects on his growing concern
at some of the telephone calls
he has been receiving...
the Prime Minister has suggested that
he come up a week earlier than planned,
in order to discuss it all
with you in person.
Goodness! A constitutional crisis.
Well, I hope you're going
to apologize to Mr. Macmillan, too.
[Adeane] Ma'am?
You're not going to deny this whole mess
springs from a badly written speech
which I gave, unquestioningly,
because I trusted you.
Perhaps Altrincham's right.
Perhaps I should surround myself
with younger, more dynamic people
with one foot in the real world!
Thank you, ma'am.
And you believe it's now
a government matter?
I do, ma'am.
Ambassadors from all around the world
have been calling me, concerned.
Her Majesty will hardly need reminding
a great many other countries
have overthrown their monarchies
and become republics in recent years.
Egypt, Bulgaria, Italy,
Tunisia only last month.
Of course we're not at that point.
Not at a red light.
We're not even at an amber.
But we'd hate it to become amber.
And so, it is my view,
the government's view,
that it would be wise
to contain this as soon as possible.
-And do what?
-The obvious thing.
Altrincham is a fire
which needs to be put out.
[Charles] Got you! [laughs]
-[both laughing]
-Got you!
[Charles] Got you!
The palace has offered up
a chap called Charteris.
To meet. I looked him up.
He used to be
her principal private secretary.
-Well, there you are.
-Before the King died.
-When she was princess.
-And now?
He's assistant private secretary,
so not quite a pawn,
but certainly not a bishop
or knight, either.
Go.
Go, in order to be fobbed off?
Go in the spirit of openness
and wanting to work together.
If they wanted to work together,
-they would have sent someone higher up.
-Go.
All right.
And take a list of suggestions.
Recommendations.
Don't go empty-handed.
Not yet! John!
Your tooth! John!
Sorry.
[clamoring]
-[reporter] Do you have a comment, sir?
-Sorry.
[reporter 2] Lord Altrincham!
Lord Altrincham?
-Yes.
-[equerry] This way, please.
Good to know I'm seeing the top man.
In one sense.
Here we are, Lord Altrincham.
Colonel Charteris
will be with you shortly.
-Thank you.
-Sir.
[door opens, closes]
I see we have something in common.
[Elizabeth] And what would that be?
Your Majesty.
[stuttering] I was referring to the photos
of Eton and Sandhurst.
Hm. Which you attended too, I gather.
Yes.
Going on to become
an Officer of the Guards
at both St James's Palace
and Windsor Castle.
It doesn't quite fit the profile
of a revolutionary.
It's the assumption everyone has made.
Because I dare offer an opinion,
I must be trying to burn the temple down.
On the contrary,
I'm trying to make sure it survives.
Well, those of us in the temple
are very much looking forward
to hearing what it is we must do
in order to survive.
Shall we begin?
[Altrincham laughs]
Is my voice all right?
You can understand me?
-[stutters] Yes.
-Not too strangled?
Not too much a pain in the neck?
-No.
-Good.
So, what is it that
you'd have me change?
It's not so much
what I'd have you change,
just an acknowledgment
that it has changed.
-What?
-Everything.
And to prepare yourself for the fact
we now live in a time where...
people like me--
-Can say exactly what they think.
-Yes.
-In any way they want.
-Yes.
And, remind me, why is that, exactly?
Because the age of deference is over.
And what is left without deference?
Anarchy?
Equality.
How can it be equality
when I cannot return the fire?
You can.
But I struggle to think of a moment
in history where it has worked
to a monarch's advantage
to return fire on their own people.
But you have managed to think
of how this monarch
might do something to her advantage.
I have.
And that same monarch
is sitting before, forgive me...
a failed politician
and an unrecognized journalist...
and taking his advice
on how to do her job.
The situation is as baffling to me
as it is to you, Your Majesty.
-Ah. You've got a list.
-I do.
As you might know from my article,
I made a series of observations,
recommendations of things to change,
but for the purposes of this meeting,
I chose to limit those recommendations
to, um, six.
Six?
Three things to start
and three things to stop.
-Well, let's start with the "stops."
-Very well.
Ah, yes. Putting an end
to the debutantes' ball.
The idea that young women of a certain
class are presented to the sovereign,
and women who are not of that class
are not presented to the sovereign
and somehow not acceptable.
This is the sort of inequity
that should have died out
with our grandparents' generation,
certainly after the war.
Next.
Uh...
Allow divorced people to move more freely
in royal circles.
Why?
The sovereign is head
of the Church of England,
and the Church does not recognize
divorced persons.
It's unkind. Discriminatory.
Quite possibly unlawful.
Next.
Uh...
I would recommend getting rid
of an entire generation of courtier.
The old school, stuck in the past.
Ostriches with their heads buried
in the sand.
They're stopping the palace evolve
in keeping with the rest of the world.
Those "ostriches" provide
an indispensable function of monarchy:
the preservation of tradition.
You asked for my recommendations,
ma'am.
I'm respectfully passing them on.
What would you have me start?
Open up, ma'am.
Lower the drawbridge.
Let people get to know you.
I don't wish to be known.
Televise the Christmas speech.
Become more transparent, accessible.
-And finally...
-Oh, finally.
...spend time with normal people.
Not just courtiers
or the great and the good,
but real people, average people.
Working people.
Open the doors.
Make it more inclusive and egalitarian.
Let normal people get to know you, too.
Would you mind stepping out
into the corridor for a moment?
[stutters] Not at all.
And would you ask
my private secretary to come in?
Of course.
Your Majesty.
[door closes]
[Altrincham] Colonel Charteris?
[Charteris] Your Majesty.
[door closes]
[door opens]
Lord Altrincham. Please.
[door closes]
[Altrincham] When I went back
into the room, she was gone.
Vanished into thin air.
Do sit down.
[Altrincham] Charteris then went on
to tell me that
no one can ever know that I met the Queen,
and that should I ever claim that I did,
the palace would robustly deny it.
They will, however,
concede that I had an appointment
with Her Majesty's
assistant private secretary,
and that concessions might be made
to one or two of my recommendations.
May I ask which ones?
Let's get these lights in.
Quickly. Easy with that camera.
[man] Right-o.
[producer] This one next. Well done.
Now, let's have the rest of the cables.
[sighs]
I feel like an actress.
A common little showgirl.
Don't be silly.
In what way am I different?
Memorizing lines and remembering angles,
wearing makeup?
Well, you're the Queen
of the United Kingdom for one thing.
[Elizabeth] Yes, who's memorizing lines
and remembering angles
and wearing makeup.
[knock on door]
[producer] Your Majesty.
Right.
-Where do you want me?
-This way, please, ma'am.
[producer] Ma'am.
[inaudible dialogue]
[floor manager] Five, four, three...
Happy Christmas.
Twenty-five years ago,
my grandfather broadcast
the first of these Christmas messages.
Today is another landmark,
because television has made it possible
for many of you to see me in your homes
on Christmas Day.
My own family often gather round
to watch the television,
as they are at this moment,
and that is how I think of you all now.
I very much hope that this new medium
will make my Christmas message
more personal and direct.
It is inevitable that I should seem
a rather remote figure to many of you,
a successor to the kings
and queens of history,
someone whose face may be familiar
in newspapers and films
but who never really touches
your personal lives.
But now, at least for a few minutes,
I welcome you into the peace
of my own home.
That it is possible for some of you
to see me today
is just another example of the speed
at which things are changing
all around us.
I would like to read a few lines
from Pilgrim's Progress.
'"And though, with great difficulty,
I am got hither,
yet now I do repent me
of all the trouble I have been at
to arrive where I am.
My sword I give to him
that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage
and my courage and skill
to him that can get it.
My marks and scars I carry with me
to be a witness for me
that I have fought his battles
who now will be my rewarder."
I hope that 1958 may bring you
God's blessings
and all the things that you long for.
And so I wish you all, young and old,
wherever you may be,
all the fun and enjoyment and peace
of a very happy Christmas.
[producer] And we're off air.
Congratulations, ma'am.
[chattering]
-[Margaret] Ah, hello.
-My, my.
You look pretty. I like the dress.
-Thank you.
-And the hair.
-Very unregimental.
-Mm, yes.
Tony knew the top person, of course.
The only stylist who could be trusted.
Does he have a name, this stylist?
I want to say Victor Gabon,
but that's not quite right.
Um...
Vidal Baboon?
-Vidal Baboon?
-Yes, I think.
Well, anyway, he talked endlessly
about hair as a geometric art form.
-It looks jolly pretty.
-Thank you.
If you happen to have a number for this
Baboon, I might pass it on to my wife.
Is that appropriate, by the way,
that a red-blooded man
should know the correct hairdresser
for a woman?
There's almost nothing
that's appropriate about Tony,
but he's made it his mission in life
to improve me.
[Philip] Mm.
-Your very own little Altrincham.
-Yes.
Just rather better in bed, I suspect.
-Oh, dear God.
-Look at them.
[chattering]
-There it is.
-[man] Thank you very much.
Who do you suppose that is?
It could be Mr. David Smith, a car dealer.
-[Elizabeth] And that?
-[Queen Mother] I believe...
that is Harry "The Hammer" Jones.
A boxer from the Old Kent Road.
Rounding up the numbers,
we have a local restaurateur,
a bus driver,
a bank clerk...
and a woman policeman.
All to open things up.
Yes.
Bring us more in line with the real world.
Democratize us.
And so it goes.
The stings and bites we suffer
as it slips away.
Bit by bit, piece by piece.
Our authority, our absolutism,
our divine rights.
[footsteps approaching]
[footman clears throat] Ma'am?
[Queen Mother] The history
of the monarchy in this country
is a one-way street of humiliation,
sacrifices and concessions
in order to survive.
First, the barons came for us,
then the merchants, now the journalists.
Small wonder we make such a fuss
about curtsies, protocol and precedent.
It's all we have left.
The last scraps of armor as we go
from ruling to reigning to--
-To what?
-To being nothing at all.
Marionettes.
-Right, gloves on.
-Ah.
I told the master of the household
to rotate the guests between courses,
so if you get a dud, don't worry,
it'll be 15 minutes at worst.
[Queen Mother sighs]
Mr. and Mrs. David Smith.
-Ah, David. Lovely to meet you.
-Ma'am.
-Hello.
-Very nice to meet you.
-Mr. and Mrs. Patel.
-[Elizabeth] Hello there.
Thank you for coming.
-Mr. Harry "The Hammer."
-[Elizabeth] I've heard so much about you.
-Thank you for coming.
-You look absolutely beautiful.
Mr. Martin Jones.
[speaking indistinctly]
-Sergeant Ethel Danmyer.
-Ah, hello there.
-Such a pleasure to have you here.
-[corgis barking]
Oh, here they come, dog-dogs.
There they go. [laughs]