Original subtitles

At John Brown's yard on Clydeside,

the 4, 000-ton royal yacht is ready for launching by Her Majesty.

Thousands of dockworkers, many of whom helped to build the royal craft,

give the Oueen a warm reception

as she walks past them to inspect the yacht.

For many months,

there has been speculation about the name of the new yacht,

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

to perform the actual launching ceremony.

I am delighted to join you in CIydebank today

for the Iaunch of this, the Iatest royal yacht.

I hope that this brand-new vessel ,

Iike your brand-new queen ,

will prove to be dependable and constant.

Capable of weathering any storm .

I now take great pride in naming this ship "Britannia."

I wish success to her.

And to all who sail in her.

Her Majesty releases the traditional bottle,

not of champagne this time, but of Empire Wine.

Rule, Britannia

Britannia, rule the waves

Britons never...

Soon, the Britannia will become a home

for the Oueen, the duke, and their children.

Aah , please, Your Majesty.

And again .

Lovely. Thank you .

Deep breath in .

And out.

And again .

1 22 over 80.

If we could pop the stockings off, Your Majesty.

Still getting the aches on the balls of the feet?

At the risk of sounding Iike a broken record ,

the Iess time you spend on your feet, the better.

Occupational hazard , I'm afraid .

Now, if I can invite you to come this way?

N ine and a half stone.

As opposed to last year's?

Not sure I want to know.

-N ine stone. -And the year before's?

Eight and three quarters.

It makes no sense.

I n terms of diet and behavior, I've not changed a thing .

As we get older, weight stays on and is harder to shift.

For men , they say a stone a decade.

And for women?

Maybe, half a stone?

AII right. Half a stone. By the end of summer.

Scotland as always?

Oh yes, heavenly Scotland .

Though slightly less heavenly without the cream teas.

Is Balmoral your favorite home, would you say?

Oh , probably my second .

That's a rather personal question .

I do apologize, ma'am, I ...

I don't know what. . . what I was thinking .

There is another

that's even more special to me.

Give us a wave, Your Majesty!

Thank you .

I had a call from The Sunday Times today, sir,

regarding a poll they've conducted about the monarchy, and it's interesting.

When talking about the Oueen, again and again, the same words came up.

"Irrelevant. " "Old. " "Expensive."

"Out of touch ."

Quite distinct from the way people talked about you , sir.

Really?

-Should I cover my ears? -No, on the contrary.

They described you as "young ,"

"energetic," "modern," "empathetic."

And when asked , almost half believe you would make an excellent king

and would support an early abdication by the Queen in your favor.

This story is running when?

Sunday week, sir.

When I'II be in Italy with the family.

Well , actually, we think the timing of the holiday is ideal .

As you know, a big part of your appeal as future king

is the prospect of the Princess of Wales as queen .

Yes.

So we've taken the Iiberty of briefing one or two friendly newspapers that it's a...

second honeymoon .

Right.

That's what they said?

Those were the words they used . Second honeymoon .

Good . Five minutes until boarding .

Thank you .

They're here! They're here!

-Five minutes until boarding . -Okay. Let's go.

-Hello. -AIexandra!

-Leonora. -Hello!

This is classic Charles.

On the one hand , he says he wants this holiday to be a second honeymoon ,

then he invites Cousin Norton and wife Penny to join us.

Those two are so much part of the H ighgrove furniture,

Camilla might as well be here herself.

If one were to be charitable for a moment,

they've been through a Iot recently with their youngest.

Oh , I know. My goddaughter, Leonora.

What's the latest?

She's in remission . You know how it is. One can never be sure.

Yes!

-Hello, darling . -Yeah !

-H i . -Hello.

H i .

How are you?

-Good . -Can I have a squash?

I just wanted to say how happy I am that we're doing this.

Diana!

-Diana! -Diana!

What do you think? Shall we. give them some of the old magic?

Well , come on , then .

-Let's blow them away. -Come on .

So the route I propose that we take

is from Naples to Ischia,

where Garibaldi spent some time recuperating

affer being injured in the Italian Wars of I ndependence.

-Am I right? -Yes, sir.

Then on to Capri , to see the ruins of the magnificent Villa Jovis.

Then down the Amalfi Coast,

on to Sicily, with a final stop in OIbia,

on Sardinia, for a private view of the Museo Archeologico there.

Were there any other requests?

Some beaches, perhaps?

There will , of course, be beaches along the way.

And water sports?

And noisy water sports.

And shopping?

-Shopping? -Some people might Iike to go shopping .

Who?

A show of hands. Would anyone, apart from Diana, like to go shopping?

When the entire point of being on a beautiful yacht Iike this

is that we can escape from hordes of people

indulging in retail as recreation .

Me!

-I want to go shopping . -Me too.

Then we'II go shopping .

Thanks for sticking up for me.

That was brave.

Special treat. You get to choose between a bedtime story or.

Super Mario!

Don't tell your father.

Are you going back upstairs now?

God , no.

Off to read the classics.

-Get an early night. -Love you !

-I love you , Mummy. -I love you too, my darlings.

These Italian friars. What year was it set?

1 327, actually.

1 327.

Not bad .

Charles and Diana seem to be the happy couple again .

What a blessing that would be.

For everyone.

What was that?

What was what?

That noise.

There was a mechanical noise.

There it is again .

Right. I'm off.

One Iast day cutting ribbons in Morecambe, then feet up for the summer.

As patron of the Church Urban Fund,

I am aware of the vast challenges faced by this community

and many others across the diocese.

The M ilk Marketing Board is among the most enduring

and resilient of Britain's commercial enterprises.

This state-of-the-art dairy complex

is testament to the continuing vitality of British udders.

It has been a great pleasure to Iearn more about intermodal containers.

Representing a growing 30% of the European freight market,

it is clear that intermodal containers are Lancashire 's ticket to a bright future.

How Iong's the pressure been down on that valve?

Since this morning , sir.

It shouldn't come as a surprise she's falling apart.

She's a creature of another age.

Effectively, a World War I I cruiser with soft furnishings.

-I n many ways, she's obsolete. -Don't say that.

What are the options?

Well , we've trouble with the main engine. Starboard boiler's out of service.

Sentimentally, I think we'd all prefer to stick with her.

I should say.

But we have to be realistic about the cost of repairs

when she's so obviously past her best.

Are you seeing the prime minister in Balmoral next week?

Yes. He's coming with his wife, Dora.

No, that's not right.

Nora.

Norma.

You might want to bring it up with him then .

I'Il talk to the admiral and come up with some figures.

But it's the first time I've started to consider the unthinkable.

What's that?

A replacement.

Built in AD 27 by. Tiberius.

Exactly. The most magnificent

of the 1 2 imperial residences here in Capri .

Some people say that Tiberius escaped to Capri

because he could no Ionger endure the machinations

of his mother's court in Rome. Not something I could ever understand .

But after a Iong , successful career as general and emperor.

Bye, Charles. We'll miss you while we're having all the fun !

Bye!

Isn't it extraordinary how two people's understanding of fun

could be so wholly different?

When they suggested to us that Diana and I ,

that we should reassure the public about the strength of our marriage

by coming on a second honeymoon ,

I said , "You obviously weren't on the first one."

-On Britannia, wasn't it? -Yes.

I know the Queen thinks the royal yacht is perfect in every way,

but as a. an intimate space for newlyweds,

it's Iike a floating observation tank.

Every. . . awkward silence

and stilted conversation between bride and gloom

glaringly obvious to each and every one of the 200 crew.

Faster.

Did you just say "bride and gloom"?

Did I?

The irony is, I'm the only person this marriage does make gloomy.

It seems to lift the rest of the world up.

When we're together in public,

l can't deny it is magical.

We 're the perfect team.

Yet in private.

Listen to me. After everything you've been through with your girl ...

She let me comb her hair last week.

The first time since it's grown back. Do you know, it's come back curly?

That's mine!

I found myself slightly ashamed to think l actually preferred it that way.

It's a dreadful , wicked disease.

You've all been so wonderfully strong .

Is it important?

The Sunday Times, sir?

Oh , yes.

I'Il leave you to it.

It's running tomorrow.

I've managed to gain advance sight of it,

and I think you'Il agree it's pretty punchy.

Good morning , Your Majesty.

Good morning , Peggy.

Oh , a bit wet for the arrival of the Princess Royal .

Oh , she won't mind that.

-Good morning , Admiral . -Your Royal Highness.

-Welcome aboard , Your Royal Highness. -Thank you .

-Fellowes. -Robert, got a bit of a problem.

Have the newspapers been delivered?

Just arrived , sir.

-Has the Queen gone to breakfast? -On her way, sir.

Make sure The Sunday Times is removed . Better still , thrown away.

U nder no circumstances can the Queen or Princess Royal be allowed to see it.

-Understood? -Sir.

-Good morning . - Your Majesty.

Oh , this looks very good .

Move!

Hello, darling .

Mummy.

Sorry, ma'am , you can't read that.

-Why not? -It's not today's. It's yesterday's.

But yesterday was Saturday.

And that, I think we can all agree, is The Sunday Times.

I mean , Iast week's.

-What? - But this is today's Sunday Telegraph.

Today's Mail on Sunday, and the Iatest Racing Post.

Yes, please.

Thank you .

Yes.

I'm sorry to disturb, sir.

But I thought you should be aware of this.

It's outrageous.

She never stops. She never complains. She never puts a foot wrong .

She's utterly magnificent,

and they print rubbish Iike this.

Looks Iike more rain on the way.

I shouldn't be surprised .

It is the west coast of Scotland .

I don't suppose you've seen The Sunday Times?

-Oh , morning , Robert. -Good morning , Your Majesty.

Because I checked . Apparently, it has been delivered .

-I'Il look into it, ma'am. -When you find it, I'Il be on deck.

To say the article's had an impact would be an understatement.

It's provoked significant debate on radio and television

with one particular phrase getting most attention .

"Queen Victoria Syndrome"?

Yes, I saw that.

"An aging monarch , too Iong on the throne, whose remoteness from the modern world

has led people to grow tired not just of her,

but of the monarchy itself."

Any reaction from the Queen?

My understanding is, she hasn't seen it.

That they've kept it from her to. . . . protect her feelings.

Doesn't that tell you everything?

I'd Iike you to arrange a meeting with the prime minister

as soon as we're back.

We'll think of a suitable pretext.

-Look, there's a whale! -Where?

Oh , good spot.

Humpback?

No. Look at the way it's surfacing .

It's a minke.

Probably smell it before we see it again , if we get any closer.

Their blow smells of rotten cabbages.

A stinky minke.

Oh , there she is!

PIadda.

There.

Oh yes.

Like a bulrush out of a pond .

Isn't she a beauty?

If you say so, dear.

It's one of the last manned Iighthouses in Scotland .

-Why don't we pay her a visit? -Really? Must we?

Come on . A bit of exercise is good for the figure.

At our age, the weight does not stay off by itself. Come on .

No.

People wonder why I find Iighthouses so inspiring,

but when you get to a place Iike this.

New equerry?

Tim?

No, he's been with us for a while.

How come I never noticed?

Because you're married .

Only technically.

What's he Iike?

Reliable.

Sensible. Agreeable.

I think we ought to get back to Iighthouses.

Those beacons of Iight,

in an otherwise black and hopeless night,

that reassure the lonely mariner they are not forgotten

and will soon find Iand and home.

And hope.

May I have a word?

It appears that there has to be an unfortunate curtailment to the holiday.

-A clash of diaries, I understand . -What?

Yes, the Prince of Wales is due to give a Iecture at Oxford University.

Yeah , there won't be any sharks.

What's this about us going home?

It turns out there's a. a diary conflict through no fault of mine,

and I have to get back.

-We're supposed to be here for two weeks. -Yes, I know, Diana.

But plans change!

-I have a commitment at Oxford University. -It isn't the university.

It's a summer school for tourists. It's not essential .

It is to me.

This is our holiday.

It's a rare opportunity for us to be together with the boys as a family.

I know you struggle with that, which is why I agreed

to you bringing your friends along to entertain you .

And I even agreed to do the photo call today,

requested by your people so the Iie could be paraded to the world's media

about what an adoring husband you are, on one condition .

-What's that? -That you actually are one!

Smile towards the camera!

Prince Charles!

...to tens of thousands of British families.

Repossessions are now at record levels.

In the first half of this year,

30, 000 homes were taken over by building societies.

Attention !

There 's a case for saying it's the most difficult economic recession

since the war.

And it has struck right across the economy.

It's certainly been a very difficult year.

The prime minister, Your Royal Highness.

Prime Minister.

-Your Royal Highness. -So kind of you to come.

Sir.

Before we begin, I wonder,

did your office let anyone at Buckingham Palace know we were meeting?

I don't believe so, sir.

Probably for the best.

There are two reasons I asked if I could see you today.

The first, conserving our built heritage.

I wonder, did you receive the copy of my book?

I did .

I don't suppose you found time to flick through it?

Knowing we were meeting today, I made a point of it.

Reading it, I'm sure you thought, "What an old fogey."

"How stuck in the past he is

with his Ioathing of modernism and change."

Not at all .

Why?

You'd have been right to. I am fixated by the past.

By tradition .

Preserving it. Conserving it.

But none of us is exclusively one thing . Human beings are too interesting for that.

You yourself are full of fascinating contradictions.

Sir?

Coming from Brixton ,

a multicultural , working-class part of London ,

one might have expected you either to have concealed your past

in order to fit in with the Tories, or to have a more socialist viewpoint

and become a rising star in the Labour Party.

I have never felt that because of my background ,

I should not be a Conservative.

Precisely.

You not only refuse to deny your contradictions,

you don't see them as contradictions.

I don't.

Which makes you a far more interesting , more complex, more impressive person .

And . . . I hope

that the same can be said of me.

Which brings me to the second reason for our meeting .

You saw the...

the recent poll?

And Sunday Times article about the Queen?

I did .

"Queen Victoria Syndrome."

What were your

conclusions?

It's just a poll , sir.

True.

Not a reassuring one.

Polls come and go.

Dangerous to ignore them .

Equally dangerous to be guided by them .

There must have been many

polls around the time of Mrs. Thatcher's departure?

I'm sure many wanted the I ron Lady to go on forever,

but what makes the Conservative Party the successful electoral force that it is?

Its instinct for renewaI

and its willingness to make way for someone younger.

For almost 60 years,

my great-great-grandfather, Edward VI I , was kept waiting in the wings.

It was said that Queen Victoria had no confidence in him .

Thought him dangerous.

Free-thinking .

He longed to be given responsibilities,

but his mother refused .

Even forbade him from seeing state papers.

And yet, when his time came, he proved his doubters wrong ,

and his dynamism, his intellect,

his popular appeal made his reign a triumph .

What are you saying , sir?

I'm saying ,

what a pity it was. What a waste.

That his. . . voice,

his. . . his presence, his vision wasn't incorporated earlier.

It would have been so good .

For everybody.

You're coming to Balmoral?

For the Ghillies Ball?

Yes. Very much looking forward to it.

Well , then you'II have an opportunity to, uh .

Judge for yourself

whether this institution that we all care about so deeply.

İs in safe hands.

Now to my questions about our built heritage

and rural planning regulations.

Hello. Hello, Martin .

Calm down , Rum . Come on .

-Back. -Hello, darling !

The weather never disappoints me here.

-Hello, you . -Hello, you .

Have you been for a nice walk?

We have, and I haven't strangled her yet, which is a miracle.

-Hello. -Hello, darling .

Hello, Mummy.

We've had a lovely morning .

-We read the newspapers. -No, we didn't.

Then we went on a Iong walk to discuss it all .

Don't you look pretty?

-Doesn't she Iook pretty, Mummy? -Yes.

-You asked to see me, ma'am. -I did .

Why is everyone being odd?

Ma'am?

-It started on the royal yacht. -What started , ma'am?

People being odd with me.

You're being odd now.

Am I?

What's going on?

An unkind , silly, inaccurate article in The Sunday Times.

Not worth thinking about.

Don't you think I ought to be the judge of that?

Do you still have a copy?

Ma'am .

Come on , Rum.

Come on , heel to. Heel to.

Good , keep up. Well done. Let's go.

Good dog ! Good dog !

-The prime minister, Your Majesty. -Prime Minister.

Your Majesty.

-Tea? -Thank you .

Did you come by train?

Aeroplane. Then car.

Oh , of course.

You're a busy man . Every minute counts. But I'm a great believer in coming by sea.

I nstead of three hours door to door,

it can take as long as two weeks on the royal yacht.

Wonderful way to decompress.

And as my great-great-grandmother, who started the Western Isles Tour, said ,

"Let time slow down so that one breathes freedom and peace,

making one forget the world and its sad turmoil ."

I am aware the comparison between Queen Victoria and me

has been made recently in the newspapers and intended as criticism.

What people fail to understand is,

I see any similarity with Queen Victoria as a compliment.

Attributes people use to describe her,

constancy, stability, calm, duty,

I would be proud to have describe me.

And speaking of the royal yacht, it has now become clear that a small refit,

a teeny-tiny Iittle refreshment and refurbishment,

is required to keep her in tip-top shape.

I am aware the costs for its maintenance are borne by the government,

not by the Palace, and so here I am , coming to you , Prime Minister.

On bended knee.

For the sign-off. But I'm hoping that will be a formality.

I'm just mindful that, before she left office,

Mrs. Thatcher bequeathed the Palace

an extremely generous civil list settlement.

A deal that Ieaves the royal family richer than ever before.

Given that this deal was designed precisely to forestalI

any awkward public debate on royal spending ,

I feel bound to at Ieast raise the question

of whether there's a way you might consider bearing the cost yourselves.

It's just, with the royal yacht being perceived as something of a Iuxury,

there is a danger the Palace could be seen to be asking for too much .

But she isn't a Iuxury.

Isn't she?

Prime Minister,

there has always been a royal yacht, going all the way back to King Charles I I .

She is a central and indispensable part of the way the Crown serves the nation .

And the revenue she has generated doing so is incalculable.

But we're in the midst of a global recession .

Each penny of public spending is closely scrutinized .

I worry that the government spending public money

on the refurbishment of a lu-- of a yacht might backfire.

On us both .

When I came to the throne,

all my palaces were inherited .

Windsor, Balmoral , Sandringham.

They all bear the stamp of my predecessors.

Only Britannia have I truly been able to make my own .

Perhaps for that reason , the connection between me and the yacht

is very much deeper than a mode of transport

or even a home.

From the design of the hull to the smallest piece of china,

she is a floating , seagoing expression of me.

I hope we can agree that, as sovereign,

I have made very few requests, Iet alone demands,

in return for the service I have given this country.

Perhaps the reason I have held back is in the hope that when I actually do,

people don't just take it seriously.

They do as I ask without question .

So, I would Iike this government's reassurance,

your reassurance, that the costs for the refurbishments will be met,

and for you to inform me as soon as the arrangements are in place.

I understand .

Now,

the Ghillies Ball tonight.

I have to ask, are you a dancer?

...trying to turn the Ukraine into an independent European country.

They want to break away from Moscow,

to turn their back on the leadership of Gorbachev and Yeltsin.

Afternoon , Your Royal Highness. Welcome back to Balmoral .

Sir.

...to be aimed at the West in a bid to earn hard currency.

The other Soviet republics.

Thank you .

Her Majesty the Queen .

-Will you do me the honor, Prime Minister? -The honor would be mine, Your Majesty.

You know this is my favorite.

-Oh yes. -Very good .

-Are we ready? -Ready.

Main thing to remember is you mustn't follow him.

Here we go.

AII right.

But you have to understand , it's not just upsetting

to reduce the royal yacht to a cost-benefit equation .

It's offensive.

Oh yes, I know, repairs are an economic inconvenience,

but I would argue a minor one,

next to the yacht's enduring role as a national symbol .

And her importance to the Queen personally.

Boys, say good night to Mr. Major.

-Good night, sir. -Good night.

-Good night, sir. -Good night.

Some local history for you , if you're interested .

Of course.

Queen Victoria held the first Ghillies Ball in 1 852,

and there's been one every year since.

I see.

It began as a thank you

to the gamekeepers and other servants

and has since developed into something of a Saturnalia.

If you know your classics.

Where the rules are turned upside down for a day.

Masters serving the slaves,

and all disciplinary measures suspended for the night.

Oh , did you see?

I was just telling the prime minister that these things can get quite giddy.

Not that I ever witness any of it. The real fun only starts when I go to bed .

-Can I count on you for a full report? -You can , Your Majesty.

Good night. Shall we slip away?

Her Majesty the Queen .

Prime Minister, I understand you ...

you had an audience with the Queen today.

I know I shouldn't ask,

but I just hope it plays well with the public.

Sir?

The. . . The refit to Britannia.

-That is what she asked you for? -Sir?

Sometimes these old things are.

They're too costly to keep repairing .

I'Il leave you with that thought.

-Shall we call it a night? -We can't. Not yet.

Will you dance with me before I scream?

I'm so jealous you get to jump on a plane

and escape out of here tomorrow, back to normality.

I'm stuck here for another two weeks.

But you just had a lovely family holiday.

You and the Prince of Wales Iooked so happy.

You can judge the health of a family by the state of the marriages within it.

And look.

Anne and Mark.

Look at Andrew and Sarah .

Charles and me.

I don't give any of us more than six months.

And what happens then , when the family falls apart?

I say the institution falls apart.

And then ...

The presentation and appearance.

What's the matter?

When you imagine the problems you might be confronted with as prime minister,

you imagine. . . tricky sessions at PMQs.

The economy in free fall .

Going to war.

You never imagine this.

The House of Windsor should be

binding the nation together.

Setting an example of idealized family Iife.

I nstead ,

the senior royals seem dangerously deluded and out of touch .

The junior royals,

feckless, entitled ,

and Iost.

And the Prince of Wales,

impatient for a bigger role in public Iife,

fails to appreciate that his one great asset is his wife.

It's a situation that can't help but affect the stability of the country.

And what makes it worse is, it feels it's all about to erupt.

On my watch .