All language subtitles for Elizabeth.Windsor.2022.1080p

On my 21st birthday

I welcome the opportunity

to speak to all the peoples

of the British Commonwealth
and Empire

wherever they live

whatever race they come from

and whatever
language they speak.

This is a happy day for me

but it is also one that brings
serious thoughts.

Thoughts of life looming ahead

with all its challenges

and with all its opportunity.

At such a time

it is a great help to know

that there are multitudes
of friends all round the world

who are thinking of me,
and who wish me well.

[CROWD CHEERS]

If we all go forward together

with an unwavering faith

a high courage,
and a quiet heart...

we shall be able to make of this
ancient Commonwealth

which we all love so dearly

an even grander thing.

To accomplish that,
we must give nothing less

than the whole of ourselves.

[DISTANT EXPLOSION]

[CROWD CHEERS]

There is a motto

which has been borne
by many of my ancestors

a noble motto.

"I serve."

I should like to make
that dedication now.

But I shall not have strength

to carry out
this resolution alone

unless you join in it with me.

[CROWD CHEERS]

God help me
to make good my vow

and God bless all of you
who are willing to share in it.

[ROYA NIKKHAH]:
When Princess Elizabeth is born

there is no concept
within her family

that she will ever
one day become monarch.

That's just not the way
it was planned for her.

[ROBERT LACEY]:
Her father is the "spare"

not the heir.

The succession is with

the glamorous Prince of Wales,
her uncle...

and she will spend her life
as a charming royal accessory.

[JANE RIDLEY]: I think there was
almost a deliberate attempt

not to spoil her

and that she shouldn't be,
you know

living in a gilded cage.

[LACEY]:
Her parents are very insistent

that this little girl's life
should be fun.

Elizabeth is four years old

when her sister
Margaret is born.

[DUCKS QUACK]

Her father loved the idea

that he wasn't destined
to be King...

and that he could enjoy
with his wife

and these two little daughters

a family life.

[ANDREW MORTON]:
The Duke of York would

play with them every day.

Play hide and seek,
play games outside.

There'd be morning silliness,
throwing pillows, giggling.

It was a very loving household,
and a very loving upbringing.

[BIG BEN CHIMES]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[LACEY]:
There are whispers in the family

that things are not going well.

Elizabeth's dynamic,
attractive uncle

the new Edward VIII...

he's picked up yet another
of these divorcees

American, in fact, divorcees.

This one is called
Mrs Wallis Simpson.

Her husband is still
not just alive

but married to her!

And he insists on parading her
as his partner.

[MAN]:
My opinion of the King?

He should marry
who he loves.

He's been a good chap
to the working class.

That's my opinion of him.

[MAN 2]:
The King is a man like myself

but he should not
allow his private life

to interfere
with his public life.

[MAN 3]:
Apart from the fact

that she isn't of noble blood

Mrs Simpson has twice been
in the divorce courts.

To my mind, that completely

rules her out
as Queen of England.

[ROBERT HARDMAN]:
In the eyes of '30s

Godfearing, church-going
Britain, he's a sinner.

Here is the supreme governor
of the Church of England

and he's clearly in breach

of the teachings
of the Church of England

and that's just...
That's not on in the '30s.

[LACEY]: Edward VIII has to
choose between love or duty.

Confronted by the dilemma

of wanting to stay
with the woman he loves

or giving up the throne

for which he's trained
all his life

which is his destiny.

[EDWARD VIII]:
A few hours ago

I discharged my last duty

as King and Emperor.

I have found it impossible
to discharge my duties

as King without the help
and support

of the woman I love.

[NIKKHAH]: The abdication had
an enormously profound impact

both on the nation
and the monarchy.

It rocked both.

[RIDLEY]:
This was the first time

in British history
that any King had abdicated.

Elizabeth experiences this

through the pain
of her parents.

[RIDLEY]: It was something
that her father

really didn't want.

He really didn't want
to become King.

When he realises
that it's going to happen

he goes and sees his rather
formidable mother, Queen Mary

and he cries on her shoulder
for half an hour.

What Elizabeth's uncle,
the King, had done

was allow love to take priority
over duty.

He'd done something
in Elizabeth's view

which was really immoral.

[LACEY]:
This all matures her.

It gives her this gravitas,
this weight

that marks
her entire life after that.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[REPORTER]:
The eyes of the world

were focused on London

as George VI rode
to Westminster Abbey

to be crowned King of England.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[RIDLEY]: It was really
important to have a king

who could restore
some of the things

that the monarchy had lost
as a result of the abdication.

[BISHOP]:
I here present unto you

King George,
your undoubted King.

[CROWD]:
God save the King!

God save the King!

God save the King!

[LACEY]:
As she sees the crown

land on her father's head

she knew that this lay ahead

for her as well.

[CROWD CHEERS]

This girl,
not yet in her teens

is now an heir to the throne...

and experiencing the radiation

of affection, adoration

curiosity from all those
hundreds of thousands of people

out there.

[CROWD WHISTLES AND CHEERS]

This is going to be
her future life.

[SOMBRE MUSIC ON FOOTAGE]

[SIREN WAILS]

[REPORTER]:
Then came the war.

The King had a sad
and weary task to perform.

Wherever his people suffered,
he came.

And by his presence,
brought comfort

and assurance in their ordeal.

[AMERICAN REPORTER]: Bombs fell
on Buckingham Palace.

Here, Buckingham Palace

and the swimming pool
of the little princesses

are shambles.

[DISTANT EXPLOSIONS]

[HARDMAN]: The King's
actually in Buckingham Place

with the Queen, and they see
these bombs start to land.

They see two bombs come
right down below their window

and they make a dash
for the door

and as he writes, you know,
he's just amazed

that they weren't both killed.

[LACEY]:
The immediate effect of the war

for Elizabeth
is the same in one sense

as so many other
young people living in London.

They are evacuated.

[LADY MUIR]:
They spent most of their time

at Royal Lodge in Windsor Park.

I think they were educated
with a governess

and I don't think they went
to London very much at all.

[LACEY]: It's a great
opportunity for her, personally

to move beyond
the school room.

To actually do
something serious.

["RULE BRITANNIA"
PLAYS ON FOOTAGE]

[REPORTER]:
Princess in overalls.

On her 19th birthday

the heiress presumptive
to England's throne

learns a few facts
about tyres and carburettors.

[RIDLEY]:
Elizabeth joined up

with something called the ATS.

The Auxiliary
Territorial Service.

[LADY MUIR]: Well, it was
part of the war effort

and also part of learning,
I think, you know.

Learning about
the insides of motorcars.

[REPORTER]:
Now, visited by her parents

and sister Margaret Rose

at a training station
in Southern England

she shows them

she knows a fan belt
from a spark plug, alright

and isn't afraid
to get her hands dirty.

[LACEY]:
And it also provides

the first evidence
of any rift with her father

because her father, the King,
wants to keep her at home...

and there was a tiff

a disagreement between them.

[RIDLEY]:
That really does tell us

something about her character

about her really strong
sense of duty.

If she knows, or believes

that something
she wants to do is right

she will do it,
she has great determination.

[PLANE ENGINES ROAR]

[LACEY]: Right at
the beginning of the war

she's introduced
to young Philip Mountbatten.

[WESLEY KERR]:
She met him

and really liked him
when she was 13

that day at Dartmouth
Royal Naval College.

He's a Naval cadet,
and he really impresses her.

As the Royal Yacht leaves
at the end of the day

he's in a little rowing boat

following it,
and there's a group of them

but he's the last to follow it,
and the King says

"You're a damn fool,
what's it..."

But he makes a very
powerful impression on her.

[NIKKHAH]:
She's kind of starstruck by him

because he's different,
and he's quirky and he's fun.

And he's incredibly dashing
and very good looking

so she's completely
bowled over by him

and it's an instant thing.

When he is, you know,
away at sea

there's a correspondence,
there are letters

and there are letters exchanged
between the two of them.

It is this wonderful...

most old-fashioned courtship

that starts with
a very strong friendship

and develops.

[RIDLEY]:
Once the war was over

they begin to see
each other quite a lot.

And Elizabeth decides
that she wants to marry Philip.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[LACEY]:
George VI certainly

and the Queen Mother
have reservations about

this young man's rather
imperious, dashing manner.

The whole question of who
Elizabeth is going to marry

is not simple.

I mean, yes, it's supposed
to involve love

but also as the family
has just seen

too much love can cause
a lot of trouble.

[KERR]: It was very significant,
the South African tour.

It was actually the first time
that she'd left the country...

and it wasn't really a holiday,
but it was three months away

and it was a very significant
period in her life.

[LACEY]: She seems to become
a different person on this ship.

There's the liberation, somehow

that comes from wartime Britain

her palace life...

But it's also her debut

her "coming out", if you like,
as a public person.

[SHIP HORN BLARES]

[ELIZABETH]: You have
a tremendous heritage.

A big country
waiting to be developed.

I now have great pleasure
in declaring

the Princess Elizabeth
Graving Dock open.

[KERR]: The tour takes her
from the rather shy girl

to the "beginning to be
confident" woman

and seeing that
she has got an opportunity

to make a difference.

[LACEY]: Here now, officially,
she sits down

and she makes her personal
and public declaration

of what lies ahead for her.

I declare before you all

that my whole life

whether it be long or short

shall be devoted
to your service

and to the service
of our great imperial family

to which we all belong.

[LACEY]: We know she had
help with the speech

but we also know that it was
very much her own words.

[NIKKHAH]: It sets out
Elizabeth's personal manifesto

for life, and her sense
of duty...

and she talks about

"Whether my life
be long or short

it will be devoted
to your service"

and she's addressing
her subjects

not just in England
but around the Commonwealth.

But I shall not have strength

to carry out
this resolution alone

unless you join in it with me

as I now invite you to do.

I know that your support
will be unfailingly given.

God help me
to make good my vow

and God bless all of you
who are willing to share in it.

What is extraordinary
is that she meant it

and we know from having
watched her

over many, many, many years

that's she's carried out
those duties

absolutely to the word

to the letter of the word
that she spoke

when she was merely 21.

It's a very, very early age

to assume such
a heavy responsibility.

[LACEY]: If one's looking for
some explanation

of Elizabeth's success

at this extraordinary job

it is the sense that
she ultimately doesn't matter.

She only takes her significance

and meaning
from what she can do

for other people
and for the institution.

And she makes this speech

dedicating herself
to what her life will become.

[PROJECTOR RATTLES]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

[LACEY]: Elizabeth's
engagement to Philip

in defiance of
her father's wish

shows her growing maturity

but also an element
of headstrongness.

Here is the future...

and it is based on love.

It is based on her wish

to establish this union.

[REPORTER]: In the great
Abbey of Westminster

Elizabeth married
the man of her choice.

[REPORTER 2]: In the proud words
of King George

"Our daughter has married
the man she loves."

[CROWD CHEERS]

[REPORTER 3]: And how
they cheered the happy pair

when they come out
onto the balcony.

What a wonderful picture
the princess made.

[LACEY]: She becomes
the Lady Di of her age.

[NIKKHAH]:
They are a very glamorous

almost Hollywood-esque
couple.

[LACEY]:
There's this sense of future.

What's going to happen

and she and Philip
get on with it straight away.

[REPORTER]: It has been
announced officially

from Buckingham Palace
during the past hour

that Her Royal Highness,
the Princess Elizabeth

Duchess of Edinburgh

was safely delivered
of a prince

at 9:14pm today.

[BABY COOS]

[LACEY]:
She wastes no time

in producing two children.

The first very conveniently,
and properly

a son and heir, Prince Charles.

[CAMERAS CLICK]

[LACEY]:
Almost immediately afterwards

a little sister, Princess Anne.

And the plan is,
as we understand it

they would go on
having more children

and enjoying
their family life.

And then fate intervenes.

[REPORTER]:
It is with the greatest sorrow

that we make
the following announcement.

It was announced
from Sandringham

at 10:45 today,
February 6th 1952

that the King who retired
to rest last night

in his usual health

passed peacefully away
in his sleep

early this morning.

[CAR HORNS HONK]

[MORTON]:
Elizabeth was in Kenya

when her father George VI died.

She was shocked,
because when she'd left

he seemed to be making
a recovery

from a serious operation
he'd had some months before.

Her response was

the response you might
expect of a Queen.

As one district officer
in Kenya said

she was ice cold.

She showed no emotion.

She said,
"We must tell Australia."

That is to say we must cancel
the trip to Australia

which was
their ultimate destination.

Her response
was matter of fact

very cool

but inside, she was really
holding back her emotions.

[REPORTER]: The flag is low
as the news spreads.

The King is dead.

The King, our King,
is no more with us.

In our hearts,
we feel this cannot be.

[DICKIE ARBITER]:
I remember, I was 11

I was at school in London.

The headmaster went
round all the classrooms

at the school I was at

and he told each classroom
that the King had died

and as a mark of respect,
off we go home.

As the news began
to trickle out...

people were actually
physically crying in the street.

[NIKKHAH]:
When she arrives back in England

for the first time as Queen

the first person she's
greeted by is Winston Churchill.

A country welcoming
a young Queen

in a massively alpha-male
world in the 1950s.

[HARDMAN]:
It just underlines

the loneliness at the top,
if you like.

She's a 25-year-old
mother of two

and she's just heard
that her father's died...

who suddenly has
the burden of expectation

of the whole world
on her shoulders.

[CAMERAS CLICK]

[REPORTER]:
Through the London streets

where so often the eager crowds
had cheered

the procession
wends its silent way.

This is London's
day of mourning.

[LACEY]: All the weight is now
on her shoulders.

It's the end of an era

and now she has to give
her own stamp

to a new era.

[REPORTER]:
London.

The morning
of Tuesday June 2nd

the morning
of Coronation Day.

A new day dawns.

Slowly, the first rays
of chill light

creep across the face
of the royal city

lighting upon thousands
huddled along the route.

A cold, damp morning

but in their hearts, there is
a warmth beyond description.

From the farthest
corners of the world

they have come to see
the first lady of our nation

journey in rich majesty
to her crowning.

[RIDLEY]:
Elizabeth becoming Queen

has a sort of uplifting effect
on the country.

I mean, it's the beginning
of the end of rationing.

It's the beginning
of the end of the legacy

of the Second World War.

Britain is no longer
feeling quite so poor

and unhappy

and Elizabeth seems to embody

all the sort of new hope
of a new Elizabethan reign.

The first coronation
to be televised.

For lots of people, the first
time they ever saw television

or bought a television.

[CHILDREN CHATTER]

[ARBITER]: On the day
of the coronation

I watched it all on television

and it wasn't colour television

it was black
and white television.

You had to have
the curtains drawn

because if they were open,
a chink of light would get in

and it would destroy
the picture.

Sitting on my dining room chair

looking at the television
with a dozen neighbours

who'd all crammed
into that room.

It was a day-long enterprise

with sandwiches,
and bottles of pop and things.

[ARCHBISHOP]:
I here present unto you

Queen Elizabeth

your undoubted Queen.

Wherefore all you
who are come this day

to do your homage and service

are you willing
to do the same?

[ALL]:
God save Queen Elizabeth!

[ARCHBISHOP]:
Madam.

Is Your Majesty
willing to take the oath?

[ELIZABETH]:
I am willing.

[ARCHBISHOP]: Will you solemnly
promise and swear

to govern the peoples

of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain

and Northern Ireland?

[ELIZABETH]:
I solemnly promise, so to do.

[ALL]:
God save the Queen!

God save the Queen!

God save the Queen!

I was one of the Queen's
maids of honour

on Coronation Day.

She was fantastically calm.

She outwardly
was treating it just as

a great occasion

but didn't appear
to be nervous at all.

And when we got out
of Westminster Abbey

we were all formed up,
sort of behind her.

I mean, she just said,
"Ready, girls?"

And off we went.

[CROWD CLAMOURS]

[LADY MUIR]:
The roar of the crowd

it was incredibly joyous

and it was the most ghastly day.

It was half raining
and very cold.

Even then, the crowds
were absolutely enormous.

It was amazing.

It was very, very special.

[LACEY]: The coronation
would actually mark

a fresh beginning for Britain.

It's the transition

in terms of the decade

between the age of austerity

and the swinging '60s.

Suddenly, it is glamour.

[ELIZABETH]: 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.

I thank you all
from a full heart.

God bless you all.

[LACEY]: The focus of it
is Elizabeth.

The hand raised.

That little baby in the pram

has now progressed
to the Queen

and now, the hand...

wreaks magic
across the whole world.

[TRAIN HORN HONKS]

[NIKKHAH]: I think when
Elizabeth becomes Queen

the role of mother
to the nation

supersedes that
of being mother to her children.

The demands on her time,
and the expectation

of that role
are overwhelming.

[REPORTER]: ... Hamilton,
Elizabeth II and her husband

the Duke of Edinburgh,
greeted by Bermuda's governor.

Jamaica, the largest island
in the British West Indies.

[ELIZABETH]: Standing
at last on Australian soil

I want to tell you all
how much I look forward

to my journey
through Australia.

[CROWD APPLAUDS]

[LACEY]:
Just about their first job

that they take on
is to go off round the world

to present themselves

to the ending empire
and the new Commonwealth

and they leave
their children at home.

[KERR]:
They circumnavigate the globe

in five months without
leaving British territory.

She becomes the most travelled
monarch in history.

[REPORTER]: They have travelled
4,500 miles by land

10,000 miles by air...

[SIR MCDONALD]: It must be
a very tiring business

having to go round the world,
greeting people

but she regards it
as part of her duty.

[ELIZABETH]:
I'm glad too

to be able to thank once again

our hosts all around the globe

for the way in which they made
our visits to them

so enthralling and so agreeable.

[TRAIN HORN BLARES]

[LACEY]: Young Charles
and Anne remain at home

essentially
in the care of nannies

so that when the Queen
and her husband come home...

there's this poignant scene

where Prince Charles almost
seems not to recognise

who is this lady, appearing.

[RIDLEY]: There is a gap between
Elizabeth's first two children

who are born
before she becomes Queen

and then the third
and fourth children

who are born later
in the '60s.

[REPORTER]: What would you like
the baby to be?

[BOY]: A boy!
- [REPORTER]: Why?

So I can hear
the 21 guns going off.

[WOMAN]: I've been here
this morning since 10 o'clock.

And how long are
you going to wait now?

Oh, I'll wait till about
5 o'clock, I think

till it gets too dark.

[WOMAN 2]: Well, I thought
it'd be very interesting

to be here when the news
was announced

that the Queen had had a child.

[REPORTER]: Queen Elizabeth
and Prince Philip

proudly introduced
Prince Andrew.

[REPORTER]: It's Her Majesty's
appearance on the balcony

with three-month-old
Prince Edward in her arms.

[LACEY]:
The birth of Andrew

and Edward in the 1960s

tells us of the importance
she attaches

to having children

and to trying to create
a family life.

And we can see there
in these years

the duality, the conflict.

She wants to be together,
she wants a family life

but at the same time,
duty has to intervene.

And so the themes
that are going to develop

through her reign...

it's the conflict
between duty and love

which of course, she's seen
in very dramatic terms

in the abdication

are now going to play out
in her own life

in different ways.

[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
PLAYS ON FOOTAGE]

[REPORTER]: An elegantly
dressed Princess Margaret

goes dancing in London.

The 25-year-old princess
is gay and animated

as she and her partner,
Charles Smith-Ryland

perform an accomplished foxtrot

even in the midst of
such a crush of dancers.

[MORTON]: During the 1950s,
there were two people

who were
on magazine covers.

Elizabeth Taylor
and Princess Margaret.

She was the most
glamorous member

of the Royal Family in decades.

[CAMERAS CLICK]

She would be photographed
going to nightclubs

to restaurants...

so she was the first,
as it were

"paparazzi princess".

[CAMERAS CLICK]

[REPORTER]: Excitement bubbles
like champagne in London

as Group Captain
Peter Townsend returns

from diplomatic duties
in Belgium

to call on Princess Margaret.

Another, possibly
a climatic phase

opens in the much-publicised
royal romance

that's had
the Western world agog.

All the world loves a lover

and there's nothing
like a happy ending

to a royal love story
for national rapture.

[MORTON]: Elizabeth, within the
first few months of her reign

was on the horns
of a dilemma.

Margaret came to see her
and explained

that she was in love
with a divorcee

Group Captain Peter Townsend.

Now, the Queen
liked Peter Townsend.

He was a decent man,
charming...

but he was a divorcee

at a time when
the Church of England

did not allow divorce.

[LADY MUIR]: I knew
Princess Margaret very well.

We were contemporaries.

She wanted to marry
Peter Townsend.

I mean, they were
very much in love.

He was a very attractive man.

I mean, I sat next to him
at dinner a number of times

and he was absolutely charming

and I could absolutely see
why she fell in love with him.

Elizabeth is acutely divided
over this situation.

It's a dilemma.

She wants to help her sister.

She wants her sister
to be happy

but as head of
the Church of England

her duty is in conflict
with this.

And her solution is, really,
to sort of wait

and to hope that
if they delay the marriage

don't get engaged

then perhaps
the whole thing will fizzle out.

[MORTON]: She hoped that
he would find somebody else

and that her sister,
who'd fallen in love

effectively with the first man
she'd set eyes on

when she was 16

would start to look elsewhere.

[LADY MUIR]: It was very sad
that she didn't marry him.

Times have changed now

but in those days,
I mean, you...

you didn't marry
a divorced person

and that was it.

[RIDLEY]: For Elizabeth,
who was devoted to Margaret

this was a huge relief.

It meant she didn't
have to follow her duty

and forbid the relationship.

Much as she loved her sister

duty always comes first.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[REPORTER]: The first stop
on this royal tour

is, tonight, giving the Queen
a big welcome

but never before have plans
for a royal tour

been subjected to such anxious
last-minute scrutiny

since last weekend,
when bombs exploded

near the route marked out
for the royal drive

the whole question
of the Queen's safety

has been searchingly
re-examined.

[PRESIDENT NKRUMAH]:
We must attain control

of our own economic
and political destinies.

We ask for complete
independence at the earliest

practicable moment.

I am an African nationalist,
wanting my people

to have their own
independence

just like any other country.

[LACEY]:
The first Elizabethan age

saw the creation
of the British Empire

and the expansion
of the nation.

The second Elizabethan age

the new Elizabeth steps
into a diminishing nation

no longer top dog in the world.

[MEN SING]:
♪ Freedom, freedom!

♪ Everywhere
there will be freedom ♪

♪ Freedom for you,
freedom for me ♪

♪ Everywhere
there will be freedom ♪

♪ Freedom, freedom!

[KERR]: Britain's royal world
changes dramatically.

Things begin to look difficult
for the empire.

It begins to be unsustainable.

[LACEY]: Countries in Africa
want their freedom.

They see India
go independent in 1947.

They don't want this
top-down relationship

with some remote European
power which is exploiting them.

They want to create
their own destiny.

Many monarchies
come crumbling down

with their empires.

Who knows what lies ahead

and her choices
are going to be very important.

In the wide association
which is the Commonwealth

we must all try to cultivate
the virtues

of tolerance and understanding.

To recognise
each other's qualities

and to respect
each other's feelings.

[KERR]: Obviously,
there's a lot of negativity

in empire, certainly when
we look at it historically

and there's an implication
of one race

being better than other races.

So, Elizabeth,
through her leadership

she had to turn Britain's back
on those ideas

and create this new idea
of equality

embodied in the Commonwealth.

[LACEY]: And in these years,
dozens of countries

go from being colonies
to independent members

of the United Nations.

But Britain has a Queen

a glamorous figure

to which many countries feel
they want to remain attached

to remain members
of this curious family

the British Commonwealth.

In this modern age

the strength and unity
of the Commonwealth family

does not lie 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.

[KERR]: She doesn't think
that she has a right

to be Queen
of any of these countries.

She believes
in multi-racialism.

I think, interestingly,
as a black person growing up

she was probably
the only public figure

that I regularly saw
with other black people

and she seemed to treat them
in a position of equality.

I think it makes her a very
modern, contemporary figure.

Almost ahead of her times.

She works very, very hard

at knowing what goes on
in those countries

about their current
preoccupations

and they always feel that
they have a friend at court

and that means
an enormous amount to them.

[CROWD CHEERS]

She is the glue that holds
all these countries together.

[LACEY]: Britain is rather
an empty concept

in some ways, in the 1970s.

It's lost its empire.

What can it turn to?

[HARDMAN]:
From very early on, the '70s

become this period of
great turmoil.

Britain starts
to not quite fall apart

but it's a very troubled place.

[CROWD CLAMOURS]

[REPORTER]: It seemed like
a sure formula for trouble

a major National Front march,
and at the same spot

a left-wing rally
with one object

to oppose the Front.

Despite a massive
police presence

the trouble came
almost immediately.

[INDISTINCT SHOUTS]

[LACEY]: Britain in the 1970s
was a succession of crises.

Absolute confrontation
between certain sections

of the population
and the government.

[REPORTER]: Every day,
new rubbish is added

to already decaying piles

almost twice as fast
as the troops can cope.

[REPORTER 2]: Squares as
famous as Leicester Square

had been transformed
into special dumps.

[HARDMAN]:
The unions versus

the Conservative government
of Edward Heath

becomes the sort of
dominant story

of the early '70s.

You know, the economy
is getting progressively worse.

Industrial unrest is
breaking out all over the place.

[MAN]: What do we need?
- More pay!

When do we want it?
- Now!

[INDISTINCT SHOUTS]

The UK was not
a happy country to be in

and people needed something

to be able to
let their hair down.

[WIND CHIMES JINGLE]

[PEOPLE CHATTER]

[ARBITER]:
The government decided

yes, there would be
a celebration

for the Silver Jubilee

but a lot of money
wouldn't be spent on it

cos it would be
the wrong thing to do.

At this moment,
of my Silver Jubilee

I want to thank
all those in Britain

and the Commonwealth

who, through their loyalty
and friendship

have given me strength
and encouragement

during these last 25 years.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[ARBITER]:
The Queen did travel

to Australia, New Zealand

and the Pacific Islands

and to Canada
and to the West Indies...

and I think she did
something like 36 counties

in the United Kingdom

travelling something like
7,000 miles.

So, she did her duty.

People turned up in their tens
of thousands to see her.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[ELIZABETH]:
When I was 21

I pledged my life to the service
of our people.

Although that vow was made

in my salad days,
when I was green in judgement

I do not regret
nor retract one word of it.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[HARDMAN]:
People always want something

to be proud of,
something to cheer them up

in a crisis.

The Jubilee, for people,
it represents a moment

to come together
and be proud of being British.

It's an excuse for a party.

It's one of the rare moments

of a sort of national unity

after several years
of national discord.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[REPORTER]:
Is there any possibility

of any announcement
of your marriage

in the near future,
can you tell me?

[BOY YELLS]:
Prince Charles' wifey!

Can you tell me if there's
any possibility?

I'm not going to say
anything, I'm afraid.

Oh, sorry!
- Prince Charles did give us

a hint himself.

He said we wouldn't
have to wait too long.

Careful!
- [THEY LAUGH]

[MORTON]:
In the early days

the Queen's relationship
with Diana was very good.

I mean, she welcomed
Diana into the fold.

As she and Prince Philip
used to say

"She's one of us,"
and she was.

The Queen felt that
she was a great addition

to the family,
and she liked the fact

that she was boisterous, fun

someone who could jolt
Prince Charles

out of his melancholic state.

[PEOPLE CHANT]:
We want Di!

We want Di!

We want Di!

[CROWD CHEERS]

[NICHOLAS OWEN:]
Diana, Princess of Wales

was just something so new
for the Royal Family.

A young, fresh
approach to life

obviously able to communicate

and get on very easily
with people.

[REPORTER]: Lady Diana Spencer
is soon to become

Her Royal Highness,
the Princess of Wales.

[OWEN]:
In the earlier stages

they seemed like the most
glamorous couple in the world.

[REPORTER]: What about the
proposal, Your Royal Highness?

How did that come about?

Um... Well, I...

I asked Diana

before she went to Australia.

You actually said...

[DIANA]: Yes, quite promptly.
- [HE LAUGHS]

[REPORTER]:
Hello, good morning.

Well, the big day has arrived.

Britain and the world
will celebrate

the wedding of the Prince
and Princess of Wales.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[OWEN]:
It was generally seen

that this was an ideal way

to modernise the Royal Family,
to have a couple

who could seem
much more part

of the modern age, if you like.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[HARDMAN]:
The Queen is obviously still

very much in charge.

She's still very well-regarded

hugely respected
and admired

but in terms of public interest

the sort of tectonic plates
have shifted.

People want to know
all they can about this

the most glamorous
young couple on Earth.

[CROWD CLAMOURS]

[CROWD ROARS]

[SIRENS WAIL]

The Queen did go through
difficult years

when I was there.

I don't think it was my fault

and it wasn't her fault either.

I think the one that really
does come to mind is 1992.

We knew that there was
a book coming out

but there'd been so many books
about the Royal Family.

Some of them fairly bland

some of them sensational

some of them sort of
blue-sky thinking

sort of looking up and thinking,
"Well, what can I make up now?"

And there I was,
reading in black and white

stuff that could have
only come from her.

It couldn't have come
from anybody else.

And Diana phoned me
at about half past four

five o'clock that morning

"What do I do?" she said,
in a panic.

I said, "Ma'am,
you've already done it."

[MORTON]:
In 1991, '92, Diana felt

very much a prisoner
of the palace.

She felt that she was isolated.

She felt that she was
marginalised.

She felt that her husband
was effectively

living with another man's wife,
Camilla Parker Bowles.

She just felt
that she was living a lie

and she wanted
to tell the truth.

We wouldn't have published
this story if it wasn't true

and hundreds of journalists
around the world

have spent the last week
trying to find

some flaw in this story.

It is an accurate story.
It's a true account.

The people at the centre of it
have stood by their stories.

I stand resolutely behind them.

The story was effectively

one which those inside
the Royal Family knew about.

They were aware
that Prince Charles was seeing

another man's wife.

They were aware
that Diana had suffered

from an eating disorder,
bulimia nervosa.

They couldn't believe
that something

which had been
kept behind closed doors

was now out in the public.

[ARBITER]: The Queen
was, at first, angry.

Prince Philip was very angry.

[MORTON]:
One of the overriding qualities

that the Queen has shown
during her long reign

has been a sense of duty

a profound sense of duty.

And she expected her son

to adhere to that

and she did feel
that with Charles and Diana

that they should make
a genuine attempt

to make the marriage work

because it was so damaging

to the House of Windsor
and to the monarchy.

[CAMERAS CLICK]

[REPORTER]: Backbench MPs
have called it a savage attack

on the personal lives
of the Royal Family.

To anyone watching
the sheer number of press

surrounding members
of the Royal Family

there might be an impression
of a monarchy under siege.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[CHARLES ANSON]: The family
troubles and the separations

and divorces and various other
sort of gossipy stories

did have an impact on people's
perception of the family.

This looked like the monarchy
was on its way out.

That year was a year
of endless surprises

and nothing was more surprising

when on that Friday morning

on a perfectly normal
Friday morning

one of my team
came in and said...

there's a small fire at Windsor

and this is looking
very serious.

The fire is spreading
very quickly.

[KERR]: I've known Windsor
Castle since I was a little boy

since I was brought up
very close

so that was really, really
shocking.

So, to see that building
I'd known and loved all my life

massively in flames

and the flames rising
hundreds of feet...

I'll never forget that sight.

[ANSON]:
She was out there

and was able, of course,
to see all that was going on.

[ARBITER]: The Queen had
lived there during the war.

Five years during the war,
it really was home from home.

She had first gone to Windsor

when her grandfather was there,
George V.

So it played a very pivotal role
in her life

and to see this
centuries-old castle go up

was very emotional, it was
very emotional for everybody.

[ANSON]: And of course,
we all said how sorry

we were about it,
and the Queen...

just looked up
and smiled and said

"At least we saved the pictures"

which was a typical...
majestic understatement

of what had been
a very troubling day.

[DISTANT OFFICER SHOUTS]

[SOLDIERS MARCH]

[ANSON]:
That speech at the Guildhall

in 1992 was at quite
an emotional moment.

It had been
a difficult year already

and then the fire
at Windsor on the Friday...

She'd had a very, very
difficult sort of three days

quite emotionally draining.

It made for quite an emotional
moment for the Queen.

1992 is not a year

on which I shall look back
with undiluted pleasure.

In the words of one of my more
sympathetic correspondents

it has turned out to be
an annus horribilis.

[QUIET CHUCKLES]

But the crack in the voice

the smoke in her lungs

and in her speech
was sort of evident

and made it feel as if the Queen
was almost on the edge of tears.

I sometimes wonder
how future generations

will judge the events
of this tumultuous year.

I daresay that history
would take

a slightly more moderate view

than that of some
contemporary commentators.

There can be no doubt,
of course

that criticism
is good for people

and institutions
that are part of public life

and that scrutiny,
by one part of another

can be just as effective

if it is made with
a touch of gentleness

good humour and understanding.

[ANSON]: This was not
a self-pitying speech.

It was a speech
about standards in public life

the standing of our institutions
in a modern society

and the fact
that it was healthier

that there was criticism

and, you know, the monarchy
needed to examine itself

just as did other parts of it.

[REPORTER]: It was the Queen
voicing her own thoughts

under pressure to defend
her institution and her family.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[ELIZABETH]: Mr President,
I am delighted to welcome you

to Buckingham Palace

on this,
the first state visit to Britain

by a president of South Africa

and thus to underline once more

the close friendship
between our two countries.

[REPORTER]:
Meanwhile, the princess

last seen with Prince Charles
in public at Eton

she has apparently yet to reply
to the letter from the Queen

urging an early divorce.

According to friends,
she's determined

there will be no divorce

until her future status
is assured.

Let's just remind people
who are just joining us

of why we're on the air.

We have reports from Paris

that Diana Princess of Wales
has been killed

in a car accident.

[FAINT BIRDSONG]

The silence from Balmoral
was deafening.

I think everybody
was looking for leadership

and for comfort.

[REPORTER]: Nicholas Owen,
our royal correspondent

is with me in the studio.

Nicholas?

[OWEN IN FOOTAGE]:
This is an occasion when frankly

words are not adequate at all.

The most...

I would say almost

the most loved member
of the Royal Family...

[OWEN]:
I went down there

and I began to hear
the whispers of criticism

of the Queen.

She looked uncaring.

She looked uncaring.

There was a danger
of the monarchy

getting into serious disrepute.

People might really turn
against the Queen herself.

[ARBITER]: There were
all sorts of headlines.

"Your people need you, ma'am."

Well, there were two people
who needed her more

William and Harry.

[ARBITER]:
To her, it was important

that her grandsons
came out of this OK.

The Queen stayed at Balmoral

to be a granny, and not Queen.

First time she has
put family above duty.

The Queen's flight is expected

to arrive at Northolt
any minute now.

She'll then make her way
to Buckingham Palace

to prepare for her live
broadcast to the nation

at six o'clock tonight.

[KERR]:
The Queen seemed off-balance.

There was almost a sort of
revolutionary atmosphere.

There was this anger
in the streets.

[ARBITER]:
Coming back to London

with the attack from the media
in the back of your mind.

"Is this going to be OK?"

[KERR]: Outside the gates
of Buckingham Palace

there's this tumult
of flowers and bouquets

and silent people.

Were they going to be angry?

[ARBITER]: There was
a bit of apprehension

as to what sort of reception
there would be.

[CROWD CHATTERS]

[CROWD APPLAUDS]

[SIR MCDONALD]: I don't
think I'd ever seen an image

of the Queen outside
Buckingham Palace on foot

but it was an indication

of the depth of feeling,
I think...

that she should at some stage
acknowledge

all those people who expressed

such great sorrow
about the passing of Diana.

[ARBITER]:
They looked at floral tributes.

They put flowers down
for mourners.

They talked to mourners.

When she came out,
she kind of looked at me

for a bit of reassurance,
I suppose

and I just said,
"That was fine, Your Majesty"

because it was fine.

Since last Sunday's
dreadful news

we have seen throughout Britain
and around the world

an overwhelming
expression of sadness

at Diana's death.

The line I always remember

the line that always
came out to me was

"as your Queen
and a grandmother."

So, what I say to you now

as your Queen
and as a grandmother

I say from my heart.

Head of the nation,
head of state

and also somebody
who was absolutely deeply

personally touched
by what had happened

and it was absolutely
the key moment, I think

the key moment to turn
public opinion round.

[ELIZABETH]: First, I want
to pay tribute to Diana myself.

I admired and respected her

for her energy
and commitment to others

and especially for her devotion
to her two boys.

I share in your determination
to cherish her memory.

Thank God for someone

who made many, many
people happy.

Suddenly, people thought

"Oh, gosh, yeah. This is
a tragedy for her as well."

And sympathy switched
very much

towards the Queen at that point.

[REPORTER]:
And the Queen standing there

in front of the gate
of Buckingham Palace.

A sight that no one
has seen before

because it hasn't
happened before.

[ARBITER]:
As the gun carriage went past

the Queen bowed.

The Queen doesn't normally bow.

She was showing
a mark of respect

that only she could've done.

I think that's the closest
we're ever going to come

to knowing
what the Queen thinks

how the Queen feels.

[BELL TOLLS]

[KERR]: There was a breach
between the British people

and their monarchy
that week.

[BELL TOLLS]

But the Queen...

through powerful
personal leadership

healed the breach.

[BELL TOLLS]

And yet again,
she connected very powerfully

at this moment of crisis.

[ANSON]:
The newspapers were saying

that there was virtually
no interest whatsoever

in the Golden Jubilee.

And this showed how much

the public were simply
not interested

in the monarchy
and the Royal Family.

And certainly less interested
five years after

the tragic death of
Princess Diana.

[LACEY]: As Elizabeth
approaches her Jubilee

her own life
has been challenged

by the death in short order
of her mother

and her sister Margaret

both of them incredibly
strong figures

with whom she spent
all her life to date.

[ANSON]:
There was a sort of sense

that the Jubilee was going
to be a very low-key occasion.

[CROWD CHATTERS]

[CROWD CHEERS]

[ANSON]:
But in fact, it turned out

that the public wanted
to celebrate

both the Queen

as well as where Britain was,
and what it stood for.

[SIR MCDONALD]: Looking
down the Mall on that day

you could see nothing
but people.

[ANSON]:
Crowds of over a million.

The same scale of
public acclaim

as after the end of
the Second World War.

You know, on VE Day.

And as the Queen
and Prince Philip

came through Admiralty Arch...

[CROWD CHEERS]

...the rush of air of people...

gasping, "There is the Queen"
was massive.

It was literally the rushing
of a mighty wind down the Mall.

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

The Queen very rarely
looks surprised

after 50 years of her reign

but she looked quite startled

that there was this much
sort of public acclamation.

Often, her look
is a very serious one

but when she breaks
into a smile

it is such a big smile.

It's a smile that welcomes
everybody.

[SIR MCDONALD]:
It was an enormous success

despite all the discussions

about whether
the days of monarchy

are coming to an end.

People wanted to come out
and show their respect

their regard for the job
that she's done so well

over so many years.

[BELLS RING]

[LACEY]: William's marriage
is very important

to his grandmother.

After these years
of marital disharmony

suddenly here is a classic
young royal romance.

Kate Middleton seems
the ideal future successor.

People already at this stage
are talking of her

as a future Elizabeth II...

which will lead,
everybody hopes

to seeing the monarchy clear

into future decades

maybe even
to the end of the century.

[CROWD CHEERS]

[NIKKHAH]: When Harry
gets married to Meghan

the feeling from the public
is overwhelmingly joyful.

The crowds are all behind them

the press is all behind them.

There is a feeling
that the future is

interesting and diverse

and modern.

[REPORTER]:
Breaking news tonight.

The Duke and Duchess
of Sussex have announced

that they are carving out

what they call a "new role"
for themselves.

[LACEY]: Certainly the way ahead
which seemed so clear

for the Royal Family,
these two brothers

and their beautiful wives
moving forward

into a new generation,
goes sour.

[CAMERAS CLICK]

[NIKKHAH]: I think
Harry and Meghan's decision

to leave the Royal Family
is a huge source

of disappointment
to the Queen.

She does say

"We would much rather
they had remained

working members
of the Royal Family."

And that's from
the Queen herself

so you get
a strong insight there

into what she wanted.

[NIKKHAH]:
She understands

how difficult things
have been for them

and so while it's a source
of great regret

and disappointment to her

this is her grandson, she's
not going to hold him back.

[LACEY]:
Then suddenly

the Queen is faced
with, effectively

a second abdication.

A couple going off into exile...

and it's this curious echo
of her early years.

It's an unresolved issue.

She moves ahead.

Harry and Meghan
go to live in America

but it...

it's something that sours
these later years of her reign.

[BIRDSONG]

[REPORTER]: We are
breaking into programmes

to bring you an announcement
from the Royal Household.

Buckingham Palace
has announced the death

of His Royal Highness
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

who has passed away
at the age of 99.

[BORIS JOHNSON]: Prince Philip
earned the affection

of generations here
in the United Kingdom

across the Commonwealth

and around the world.

[OFFICER]: Fire! Fire!
- [CANNON FIRES]

Fire!
- Fire!

[LACEY]:
With no relatives beside her

suddenly a widow,
having to face the future

without the man
whose laughter and ideas

and companionship
has always kept her going.

[LACEY]:
Without her mother

without her sister...

no confidantes, really.

That image of her
at her husband's funeral

physically on her own

it's something
that's haunting, somehow

and stands for everything

in these final years,
which is difficult.

[CANNON FIRES]

Let me begin
by saying thank you

to all the thousands
of kind people

who have sent me
messages of goodwill.

At such a time

it is a great help to know

that there are multitudes
of friends

all round the world

who are thinking of me

and who wish me well.

There is a motto

which has been borne
by many of my ancestors.

A noble motto.

"I serve."

[CROWD CHEERS]

I declare before you all

that my whole life

whether it be long or short

shall be devoted
to your service

and to the service
of our great imperial family

to which we all belong.

But I shall not have strength

to carry out
this resolution alone

unless you join in it with me...

[CROWD CHEERS]

...as I now invite you to do.

I know that your support
will be unfailingly given.

God help me
to make good my vow

and God bless all of you

who are willing to share in it.