Queen Elizabeth reflects on ‘precious’ royal family home movies in new documentary: See the rare footage

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Balmoral 1939

BBC Studios Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at Balmoral 1939

queen elizabeth looks back on his legendary life with the help of her family home movies.

In the upcoming BBC documentary, Elizabeth: The Invisible QueenThe 96-year-old monarch shares rare and personal details of her life as a young royal right up to her coronation day as viewers are treated to never-before-seen family films of the Queen and royals over the years.

In the film, the Queen herself talks about the joy she gets from seeing old images of herself growing up again – and hopes the current generation can appreciate that she was once a young princess!

“You still hope that future generations will find them interesting and may be surprised that you too were young once,” she says in the groundbreaking new documentary, which will air on the BBC and its iPlayer streaming service on May 29. .

The Queen has granted the film’s producers unprecedented access to her archives for the special, which launches her Platinum Jubilee Celebrations Next Week in honor of his 70 years on the throne.

And, in a surprise move, the Queen recorded some of her own thoughts featured in the film from Windsor Castle on May 19.

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“Like many families, my parents wanted to keep track of our precious moments together. And when it was our turn with our own family, we did the same. I’ve always loved capturing family moments,” said said Queen Elizabeth in the documentary.

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Princess Elizabeth in South Africa in March 1947 during a three-day break from official duties at the Royal Natal National Park

Princess Elizabeth in South Africa in March 1947 during a three-day break from official duties at the Royal Natal National Park

BBC Studios Princess Elizabeth in South Africa in March 1947

Throughout the 70-minute show, which also includes voiceovers from 60 of the Queen’s public speeches and Christmas addresses, there are special behind-the-scenes moments. Whether it’s seeing her dance alongside her sister Princess Margaret in matching blue polka dot dresses or picnicking in the Scottish heather with her parents and extended family, the documentary shows a side of the queen who has never been seen before.

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at Royal Lodge Windsor 1940

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at Royal Lodge Windsor 1940

BBC Studios Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at Royal Lodge Windsor 1940

She is shown both at her father’s coronation and in footage behind palace walls of her after her own coronation ceremony in 1953. Her children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, are also seen rushing during the an official photo shoot.

Other clips show her on her first overseas trip to South Africa with her parents and sister as they enjoy time on the royal yacht. Philip is also seen in a playful moment and a young Prince Charles puts on a pair of sunglasses and poses and is seen carefully wiping the nose of his little sister, Princess Anne.

Princess Elizabeth Princess Margaret and Prince Philip Balmoral picnic 1946

Princess Elizabeth Princess Margaret and Prince Philip Balmoral picnic 1946

BBC Studios Princess Elizabeth Princess Margaret and Prince Philip Balmoral picnic 1946

And, in a scene that could have come from The crownPrince Philip is shown rowing a young Princess Elizabeth across a loch in the Scottish Highlands ahead of their wedding announcement.

Also featured are the Queen’s own footage of a large rhino retreating into the bush below her vantage point during her historic visit to Kenya in February 1952. The clip is particularly poignant as the future monarch learned of her father’s death during that same trip.

Princess Elizabeth with her uncle Prince George the Duke of Kent at Windsor Castle in the early 1930s

Princess Elizabeth with her uncle Prince George the Duke of Kent at Windsor Castle in the early 1930s

BBC Studios Princess Elizabeth with her uncle Prince George the Duke of Kent at Windsor Castle in the early 1930s

It’s an “unprecedented historic record”, said Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, of the documentary.

The film allows the Queen to tell her true story “of her life as a princess through her own eyes and in her own words throughout her reign. It’s incredibly moving to see what Her Majesty has been through,” adds Moore.

The Queen was given the film to view – although palace sources do not say whether she actually watched it.

Brothers Prince Edward Prince of Wales and Prince Albert Duke of York

Brothers Prince Edward Prince of Wales and Prince Albert Duke of York

BBC Studios Brothers Prince Edward Prince of Wales and Prince Albert Duke of York

In excerpts from his speeches, he is heard reflecting on how “faith, family and friendship” have been both a constant and a source of “comfort and solace”. There have been ‘huge changes’ in her 70 years as Queen, she says, and her great joy has been watching her children, grandchildren – and now great-grandchildren – grow up .

“Private photos can often show the fun behind the formality,” the Queen said in the opening of the documentary. “I expect almost every family to have a collection of photographs or films that were once regularly looked at as a reminder of treasured moments – but which over time are replaced by newer images and newer memories. You always hope that future generations will find them interesting and perhaps you will be surprised that you too were once young.”

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