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00:00Let's return to our main story this afternoon, surrounding the Queen's health.
00:11The Queen is under medical supervision at Balmoral.
00:16I know I speak on behalf of the entire House when I say that we send our own best wishes
00:25to Her Majesty the Queen.
00:27Senior members of the royal family have now gathered at Balmoral after she was placed
00:32under medical supervision.
00:38We are interrupting our normal programme to bring you some very important news.
00:43Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
00:48News came through just a few minutes ago.
00:51Britain's longest reigning monarch...
00:53Queen Elizabeth II is dead.
00:58We have to pause for a moment here.
01:00Our hearts and our thoughts go to the family members of the Queen, the people of the United Kingdom.
01:10Some events seem to make the world stand still.
01:14The Queen's death after 70 years on the throne was marked by a solemn state funeral.
01:28I was at Windsor to report on the final stages of the ceremony.
01:32So this is the last glimpse of the sovereign's coffin.
01:44It was while I was there that I made an interesting discovery about how the institution of monarchy
01:51the royal family takes to control its image.
01:55The palace is issuing instructions to the broadcasters about scenes in the broadcast which they can't ever use again.
02:05And they're quite small things.
02:08I mean, for the funeral, for instance, this is how it came through.
02:11At 4.20, the crown being handled.
02:17Can't be shown again.
02:19At 4.47, I won't say who, but somebody looking visibly upset.
02:25Shouldn't be shown again.
02:26Prince George touching his nose.
02:33Edward and Sophie's handkerchiefs.
02:37At the lying in state, shots of the royal family mouthing the Lord's prayer.
02:43Hallowed be thy name.
02:45These little excisions from reality are called by the palace perpetuity edits.
02:52It's kind of George Orwell speak.
02:55Perpetuity edits.
02:57And lead us not into temptation.
02:59They remove from the world anything they don't particularly like.
03:03Never to be seen again.
03:06Forever and ever.
03:08Amen.
03:10Of course, it is a bit confusing because on the one hand, this is a family funeral of a mother and grandmother
03:17and you could argue they have the right to grieve in private.
03:22On the other hand, it's been turned into a state occasion because the Queen was our head of state and this is her public funeral.
03:30Do we have a right to see it all?
03:33Or do they have the right to control what we see?
03:37It happened. It's reality.
03:41But no longer. It's cut out.
03:44Queen Victoria was the first British monarch to be photographed by motion picture cameras.
03:51And then Pete George V, the sailor king.
03:54Every monarch has understood that what matters is the impression they make on their subjects, their image.
04:04They live and breathe image.
04:07They thrive upon the oxygen of public support.
04:12Because of course, it's the key to their survival.
04:15The Queen always used to say, I need to be seen to be believed.
04:18Over the years I've reported on the family, they've tried their utmost to control how we see them.
04:28But it's not always easy.
04:31There have been scandals.
04:33Startling interviews.
04:36That definitely wasn't you getting a foot massage in Jeffrey Epstein's house.
04:40No.
04:42And sometimes they've lost touch with the public.
04:44I think it's disgusting that they have not peered or said a word.
04:48But in a fast changing world, what I want to know is, can they keep up?
04:53The royal family is a brand.
04:55There is always a sense of needing to keep the brand popular.
05:01What lengths will they go to, to survive?
05:04If you ever took public support for granted, it would be a very bad day.
05:09And will they succeed?
05:11God save the King!
05:14God save the King!
05:26Tonight is a unique occasion in television history.
05:30BBC One has the privilege of presenting the world premiere of Royal Family.
05:34This was one of the boldest attempts the Royal Family has ever made, to redefine its image.
05:46There can be few people in the world who are so famous for a job they haven't even started.
05:51When he does start, Prince Charles will be the 64th sovereign in a family line stretching back over a thousand years.
05:58In 1969, for the first time, they invited cameras into the heart of family life.
06:08So far, very few people have ever seen what the job entails.
06:12But now we can.
06:14We can follow his mother, the present Queen, through a year.
06:18Where shall we start?
06:19Weird commentary.
06:20Where shall we start?
06:22Oh, we'll start at the beginning.
06:23Are you sitting comfortably?
06:25Then I'll begin.
06:28Here she is.
06:32The film was a perfectly sensible attempt to try and humanise the Royal Family,
06:38because I think they thought the Queen, in particular, had appeared rather aloof.
06:47There was a feeling among the people around her that it would be good to show she was a real human being.
06:55She was a mother to her children, she was a wife to her husband.
06:58What we'll do is make a film about it.
07:00What are you going to have?
07:02Good morning.
07:04Ice cream.
07:06This is what he really would like to do.
07:07Yes, she always goes straight to the ice cream.
07:09Yes.
07:11Well, would you like to go and get one?
07:13The idea of the Queen actually going into a shop, I mean, it was famous, she never handled money.
07:18So when they said that would be three and sixpence, how did she know what to do?
07:21Oh, I don't know what the money is.
07:24Anyway, she seemed to do it all right.
07:26Thank you very much.
07:27It's disgusting.
07:30Of course, the whole thing is set up for the cameras.
07:33This is Royal Reality Television.
07:37Always a bit contrived, and a difficult trick to pull off.
07:46The public lapped it up.
07:50After two broadcasts, it had almost twice as many viewers as the moon landing just a few weeks later.
07:58There's a sequence that shows how obsessed the royal family itself is with its own image.
08:04They're on a visit to Brazil, and on the flight back, one of her staff comes and shows her the coverage in the papers in Brazil.
08:13This man never said anything.
08:14This man never said anything.
08:15And she looks animatedly at it, you know, there I'm doing this, there I'm doing that.
08:19And there are one or two pictures of the embassy reception and the samba.
08:22Oh, yes, look at all the dogs.
08:23Please, you know, it's a full page spread of the royal visit.
08:28It looks spectacular.
08:30Not nearly so nice.
08:31If it wasn't a full page spread, there'd be no point in going.
08:35I mean, the whole point is the imagery.
08:38What's this for?
08:40Well, it's for helping things, turning things over.
08:43Sausages on a barbecue.
08:45There couldn't be anything more normal.
08:48But there's always a slight danger.
08:51If the monarch becomes too normal, they'll be seen as just like anybody else.
08:56The salad is ready.
08:57May not preserve that distance between us and them.
09:02Perhaps it was because this didn't make her seem regal enough.
09:07Or maybe it was because the film was just a bit dated.
09:10A few years later, the queen ordered that it should never be seen again.
09:13It's a perfect example of how they can present themselves as they want to be seen total control and ownership of the image.
09:29But it's not always that easy.
09:32Events can be unpredictable, and so can people.
09:39It is announced from Buckingham Palace that, with regret,
09:42the prince and princess of Wales have decided to separate.
09:47Diana's marriage had been presented as a fairy tale.
09:52A picture of marital bliss.
09:55I pronounce that they be man and wife together.
09:59But she turned out to be the great disruptor.
10:06Were you Charles and Diana's sole press person?
10:09Yes, I was.
10:11What was it like?
10:15Interesting question. What was it like?
10:19It wasn't easy.
10:22People wanted Diana. That's all they wanted.
10:27Diana would go one side and there'd be cheers.
10:30Charles would go the other side and there'd be groans.
10:32Why do you think Diana had such a strong appeal?
10:37The royals are being criticised in the past for not showing emotion in public.
10:45Diana was able to show emotion.
10:48If she wanted to cry or she wanted to hold somebody's hand, she did.
10:52You were there in a period of obvious conflict between the two and you were representing both of them.
10:58There was an obvious conflict between both of them.
11:02But the state of the marriage was not up for discussion.
11:05If somebody telephoned and said, can you tell us what the state of the marriage is, we'd turn them to go away.
11:13There was no comment.
11:14No comment.
11:19No comment.
11:21The age-old rule, never complain, never explain.
11:29But it couldn't last.
11:33Diana was working in secret with a journalist on a tell-all book about the breakdown of her marriage.
11:39Palace officials refused to comment on whether they had a copy of the book or whether top libel lawyers were examining the text.
11:47Who do you think is to blame for the actual separation?
11:50I think Charles is to blame.
11:52She should have stuck by him through thick and thin.
11:54You're supposed to be a role model for society.
11:56I certainly think the press have a lot to answer to this.
11:59Backed into a corner, Charles felt he needed to tell his side of the story.
12:14So he made a documentary film, as it happens with my brother, Jonathan.
12:21This is the story of the Prince of Wales today.
12:24What he does, what he thinks, what he believes, what he feels.
12:30The idea was to present him as he wanted to be seen.
12:36A cultured man.
12:41Passionate about nature.
12:45And about his family.
12:48It was the same technique the family had used decades before.
12:51But there was one awkward issue that couldn't be avoided.
12:59Until now, the Prince has not spoken about the collapse of his marriage.
13:04I remember talking to Jonathan about it.
13:06And he actually said to Charles, I'm going to have to ask you about this.
13:12You do realise that.
13:13Did you try to be faithful and honourable to your wife when you took on the vow of marriage?
13:21Yes. Absolutely.
13:24And you were?
13:26Yes.
13:28Until it became irretrievably broken down.
13:33I mean, it's agonising, isn't it, to watch.
13:37You do feel really sympathetic for the poor Prince when he's answering these questions.
13:43He's clearly kind of struggling for an answer.
13:46And the trouble is, you see, that these things, again, as I was saying earlier, are so personal.
13:51It's difficult to know quite how to talk about these things.
13:56But because he's the Prince of Wales, and because the newspapers were full of gossip about Camilla Parker Bowles...
14:03It is legitimate to ask.
14:05My brother Jonathan had to ask the question.
14:08You were, because of your relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, from the beginning, persistently unfaithful to your wife.
14:17But even so, you know, if I'd have been Charles, I'd want to say, fuck off.
14:27Yesterday, there were 13 million viewers. Today is many judges.
14:32I thought he did very well there.
14:33He didn't impress me at all.
14:34I wouldn't have his job for a fortune. That's a fact.
14:38In the wake of the interview, while some supported the Prince, others were critical.
14:44I think there's a big question mark, which might mean it makes more sense to elect our head of state in the 21st century.
14:51I think it's terrible.
14:52I think it's a fault.
14:54The best thing that can happen is for the Queen to live for a very long time.
14:57As an attempt to win over public sympathy, I think it's fair to say it didn't exactly work.
15:06But it took a tragic shock that came out of the blue to force the family to rethink how they handle their image.
15:17We have interrupted our programmes for a news report.
15:26Within the last few moments, the Press Association in Britain, citing unnamed British sources, has reported that Diana, Princess of Wales, has died.
15:38I remember getting the news that she had been killed in the crash in Paris.
15:48And we were all summoned to the BBC to do immediate reaction.
15:53Stand by then, 15 seconds.
15:54What we had no inkling of at that time was what the public response would be.
16:00But it was quite clear that something astonishing was happening.
16:04Good evening. In this special programme, we're going to be paying tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales.
16:11There was a kind of outpouring of popular grief.
16:16Outside her home, Kensington Palace, and outside Buckingham Palace, crowds have gathered in mourning.
16:22All of you, you're ashamed of yourself to even be here. You have hounded it to death, that's what I want to say.
16:30You've lost a lovely person for nothing. You're horrible. You're doing a job here.
16:37So clearly there are genuinely mixed feelings, but you can't deny that there is...
16:42You're not harassing anybody here. They're just standing here recording.
16:45You're just recording.
16:46And then the thing began to unravel, because the press got hold of this idea that hundreds, thousands of people in London were bringing flowers, and the royal family was up on their moral, apparently doing nothing.
17:00Perhaps she ought to show her sorrows about Lady Di and what a great loss it's been.
17:07I think it's disgusting that they have not peered or said a word.
17:12It must be very, very cold-hearted not to have a flag up.
17:16The press were quite harsh about the Queen's reaction. Show us that you care, ma'am. Those kind of headlines. What did you make of that?
17:29Yes. What I was trying to focus on, and certainly my colleagues, was what you do about this outpouring of emotion.
17:42A choice had to be made between looking after the two young princes and getting back to London.
17:56The Queen always used to say, I need to be seen to be believed.
18:01And this is what monarchy is all about.
18:04If you're going to ignore the people, they're going to ignore you.
18:07And then the question is begged, do we need a monarchy?
18:13The royal couple spent moments taking in the scene, and then began a walkabout, and chatting briefly to people in the crowd.
18:21It was decided that it shouldn't be just the Queen and Prince Philip who thanked the mourners.
18:26They were to be joined by William, 15 years old, and Harry, 12.
18:35We found out afterwards how difficult that was.
18:40Hundreds and hundreds of hands were thrust continually into our faces.
18:45The fingers often wet from what I wondered.
18:51Tears, I realised.
18:57Diana's funeral was also meticulously choreographed.
19:01William and Harry had to walk behind their mother's coffin, exposed to the full glare of publicity, and just six days after her death.
19:16It seemed a lot to ask of two young boys.
19:19Several adults were aghast.
19:21Mummy's brother, Uncle Charles, raised to hell.
19:24You can't make these boys walk behind their mother's coffin. It's barbaric!
19:29An alternative plan was put forward.
19:31Willy would walk alone.
19:33This alternative plan was sent up the chain.
19:36Back came the answer.
19:38It must be both princes.
19:40To garner sympathy, presumably.
19:43This was a lesson in the cruel demands of monarchy on those who belonged to it.
19:49These two boys seemed to be being used to win back public sympathy after the initial response to Diana's death, which had been seen as cold and uncaring.
20:03In retrospect, in my view, we got behind the story where we could have been actually slightly ahead of it.
20:12How would you have stayed ahead of the story?
20:14I think we could have made announcements about the Queen coming back to London rather quicker, but we were dealing with a lot of things that week.
20:26Was the palace, I put it broadly, surprised by the public reaction to her death?
20:31Yes, probably, but it was a catalyst for change, I think.
20:35And so began what they hoped would be a new era for the family.
20:45Almost a year after the car crash which killed Diana, Princess of Wales, the Queen said that lessons must be learned from her life and the public response to her death.
20:53They recognise that the princess brought a new style to royalty.
20:58Change within the royal family.
21:00In recent months, we've seen the Queen strategically placed outside McDonald's.
21:05We've witnessed her first visit to a pub, while Prince Charles allowed himself to be chatted up by the Spice Girls.
21:11The lesson learnt was never again to get behind the story.
21:20And the first step, to recruit more professional staff to improve the firm's public image.
21:26It was quite a sensitive time when I first got there, and we wanted to try and move, shift the agenda slightly, to talk about the topics that he was interested in.
21:42Sustainability, the environment.
21:44Painful, then, if you're trying to talk about the environment, but everyone wants to talk about your mistress.
21:49It was a challenge, but we dealt with it.
21:51How?
21:52As I told you, by focusing on the topics, building that relationship with the media.
21:59So rather than the media always trying to snatch a picture here and there, and not really getting the story direct,
22:07what we tried to do was to allow the media a bit more access.
22:12Do you want the glasses on?
22:15I'm so proud of these glasses, they make me go fast.
22:18Over the next few years, the new team had its work cut out.
22:25Hello, Your Royal Highness.
22:27Attempting to redefine the image of long established members of the family.
22:33Your Royal Highness, can you still be king following your confession?
22:36That's beautiful.
22:38And of the younger.
22:39Prince Harry, pictured in a hotel suite, wearing nothing at all.
22:44But they had new arrivals to exploit.
22:47With this ring, I'd be wed.
22:49And most difficult of all, bit by bit, they persuaded the public to accept Charles' former mistress as a fully paid-up member of the firm.
22:58They're telling the world we're a couple and you better accept it.
23:02The journey from the third person famously in that marriage didn't just happen.
23:13That was curated and choreographed very carefully over time.
23:18Certain appearances where the press would be, feeding certain stories, monitoring the popular mood, popular opinion.
23:30Camilla Parker Bowles is now a woman with a voice.
23:33That in itself is going to alter the way the British public perceive her.
23:36Gradually, gradually, until such time where it became more and more accepted for Charles and Camilla to be seen together.
23:43And then, of course, ultimately married.
23:46Charles and Camilla, married and with the blessing of the Church of England.
23:51His former lover and mistress, now his wife.
23:55But their most creative achievement was to conjure up a version of the late Queen unlike anything we'd seen before.
24:06The final stage of the Queen's reign was all about perhaps learning the lessons from that period, perhaps adjusting, perhaps recovering and slowly rebuilding to the extent where in her final years she was able very prudently from time to time, very, very successfully to, as it were, cash in some of those carefully accumulated chips.
24:30The James Bond idea, it was the fusing of two great sort of British brands, but making sure that the Queen has the final line, you know, the sort of payoff.
24:44What was so special about her sense of theatricality, she was sort of 99% rule maker and sort of 1%, a little bit iconoclastic, sort of being prepared just very, very occasionally.
25:03Never mind.
25:04Never mind.
25:05For example, with the Paddington thing to shake things up.
25:12You can see it for yourself. This Queen with Paddington Bear couldn't be more different from the one we saw after Diana's death.
25:20Perhaps you would like a marmalade sandwich.
25:23She could be fun.
25:25I keep mine in here.
25:27And warm.
25:28For later.
25:31This is a new image that any PR company would envy.
25:38That's very kind.
25:40Grandmother to the nation.
25:43In the later years of the Queen's life, Buckingham Palace had become really good at creating this sympathetic image of monarchy.
25:52But it didn't stop them when they felt it was necessary still finding ways of managing the image which was a bit more covert.
26:03You could even say a bit ruthless.
26:05I remember I just happened to be in Brixton in South London.
26:18And I couldn't understand what was going on.
26:22There were crowds everywhere and police and, you know, and I just thought, goodness, what's happening?
26:27And then I realised that it was Meghan and Harry.
26:30And it just brought the streets to a stop.
26:37I just thought, well, look at that.
26:40There was so much interest from different ages, different ethnicities.
26:46It was the dawn of a new era for the royal family.
26:50After weeks of fevered speculation came confirmation that Prince Harry popped the question.
26:57There was huge enthusiasm for this wedding.
27:03For a lot of people, the royal family represents a sense of British identity.
27:07And until now, that has been an identity very much linked to whiteness in many people's perceptions.
27:12So I think the visual and symbolic change that Meghan's entry to that family represents is actually quite profound.
27:17I think people felt this was like a, not a breath, but a blast of fresh air into a rather stuffy royal family.
27:27And then it all went wrong.
27:32Public opinion was that anyone who comes along and marries one of our princes should behave like a princess.
27:38And Meghan wasn't necessarily going to behave like a princess.
27:45What happened was that she turned out to be a touch difficult.
27:52And these stories have a habit of leaking out, which they duly did.
27:58Meghan Markle is a favourite target of the British media.
28:02Meghan seems to have moved from the nation's heroine to the nation's villain.
28:08A lot of people have labelled them hypocrites because they've taken four private jet flights in just 11 days.
28:16The amount of stuff about the royal family that comes out, the amount of briefing that goes on, is very difficult to penetrate.
28:23Where does the briefing come from?
28:25Well, I mean, it is part of the job. I mean, they have comms teams, people who give off the record briefings.
28:32I mean, the palace has for most of the century worked out that it needs to get the press on side.
28:40These unofficial briefings, strictly off the record, were a lesson they'd learnt from their failure to manage the rift between Charles and Diana in the way they'd have liked.
28:56It's a two-way street. The press, of course, in all its forms, gorge on the royals to get viewers to sell newspapers, nowadays to get clicks.
29:10But the royals need the press just as much as long as it tells the story that they want told.
29:17It's a dark art which aroused Harry's suspicions.
29:22Who could have planted such a thing? Who could have leaked it to the press in the first place?
29:30Willie leaned back and conceded that, while we'd been on tour in Australia, he and Kate had gone to dinner with Pa and Camilla.
29:37And alas, he said sheepishly, he might have let it slip that there'd been strife between the two couples.
29:44I put a hand over my face. Meg froze. A heavy silence fell.
29:50So now we knew.
29:59After, they say, trying and failing to speak to the Queen, Harry and Meghan made an unprecedented decision.
30:11The Golden couple have decided they're quitting. It's astonishing. It's momentous.
30:16The response from the palace was swift and effective.
30:23Multiple sources at the palace have told the BBC no members of the royal family were consulted.
30:30There is talk of disappointment. There is talk of senior members of the royal family being hurt by the statement. And the openness is breathtaking.
30:42The story's given a very specific emphasis, focusing on the hurt it's done to the most respected member of the firm, the Queen herself.
30:57The words I'm hearing from very senior sources, this is no way to treat the Queen.
31:03The narrative of their acting against the Queen's wishes is picked up across the Atlantic.
31:14Tonight, for the first time, they tell their story.
31:18Did you blindside the Queen?
31:25No. I've never blindsided my grandmother. I have too much respect for her.
31:29So where did that story come from?
31:30Um, I hazard a guess that it probably could have come from within the institution.
31:37This is Harry and Meghan trying to get us to see things as they see them.
31:42Unfairly treated, deserving sympathy.
31:46But then they switch and they go on the attack.
31:49There were certain concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.
31:58What?
32:00And...
32:02Who, who is having that conversation?
32:06For my money, Oprah Winfrey is actually the star of this interview because she just...
32:11What?
32:12...completely over the top. Ooh, ah! And she gets all this stuff out of them.
32:15Hold up, stop right now.
32:16There are several conversations about it.
32:17There's a conversation with you?
32:22With Harry.
32:24About how dark your baby is going to be?
32:28Potentially, and what that would mean or look like.
32:33Inevitably, the allegation caused consternation back at the palace, and they had to respond.
32:40And can you just let me know, is the royal family a racist family, sir?
32:43Very much not a racist family.
32:48Days later came a carefully calibrated response, a departure from the policy of never explain.
32:54From Buckingham Palace this evening, a statement about the Sussexes' TV interview from Her Majesty the Queen.
33:00The issues raised are concerning.
33:03While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.
33:14Three words casting doubt on the truth of what Meghan had said.
33:19Recollections may vary.
33:22British understatement on an epic scale, and I think just made everyone think, ah, the unreliable narrator has entered yet again into the story of the royal family.
33:38Harry and Meghan may have been trying to curry favour in America, but the effect in Britain was quite the opposite.
33:50Part of being a royal is not complaining.
33:54I don't think it's particularly appropriate.
33:56I'm sorry, I don't believe a word she says, Meghan Markle.
33:59I wouldn't believe it if she read me a weather report.
34:02And the fact that she's fired up this onslaught against our royal family, I think is contemptible.
34:07Harry and Meghan's credibility seemed to have been undermined.
34:14Their popularity certainly took a hit, while that of the Windsors was barely dented.
34:23When it came to image, the palace seemed to have cracked it.
34:28Just a light drizzle in the air, nothing more than that.
34:37It's a very cool day, and the king's procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey will shortly begin.
34:47After the funeral of the queen, the coronation was designed to put the stamp of authority on the new king.
34:58But that same day, a rather different display was being prepared.
35:04A gathering of those who want to do away with the crown altogether.
35:11I've always been a Republican, even as a kid.
35:14I just thought this is silly.
35:17And as I got older and learned about politics and engaged with current affairs,
35:21I just thought this is not a serious way to run a country.
35:24And there's such a simple, honest way to do it, which is, you know, where you elect your head of state.
35:31The king in their ceremonial robes, acknowledging the crowd who had been gathered here,
35:36some of them from two days ago.
35:38You should not have that family in that position of privilege and status.
35:45They are just a bunch of very ordinary people who just happened to be related to people that hundreds of years ago built big castles and won a few battles.
35:54Essentially, it's just a ridiculous institution, which makes no sense and has no justification.
36:00It's curious. You call it a ridiculous institution, and yet over half the country clearly don't think it's ridiculous at all,
36:11but actually find it consoling and representative of the United Kingdom, maybe something better than politicians.
36:17I don't think that's really the case.
36:18Now, if you look at polling around big events, royal events, I mean, only 9% in one poll, about a month leading into the coronation.
36:28They said that they were very excited by the coronation.
36:33You know, that is not a nation that is, you know, in love with the royal family or the monarchy.
36:36But hang on, the newspapers are full of talk about monarchy.
36:41They're talking to people who actually love the monarchy, fascinated by the monarchy, interested by it.
36:47Yes, there is an audience. There's also an audience for the Kardashians and for David Beckham and all sorts of other people.
36:53And the broadcast media, television, the BBC, radio and all those, their coverage of monarchy is deluded as well, is it?
36:59It's not deluded, it's just reprehensible because they are covering it in a way which is at odds with their obligations to be impartial, to be critical.
37:11And this journey is exceptional and historic.
37:14They are wedded to the monarchy in a way which is wholly unhealthy.
37:18It's the best thing we've got in this country.
37:22Well, it is impossible not to get swept up quite literally in the enthusiasm here.
37:27Cheers!
37:28It's such a fantastic atmosphere.
37:30Everybody has made such an effort. Look at Louis.
37:34There is an artificial image that has been built up over the last 250 years.
37:38And what a pretty, pretty sight.
37:40The marriages, the weddings, nice pictures of the children and all the rest of it.
37:43A momentous day.
37:45To defend an institution that serves those in the palaces and in government.
37:53Let's go to 12 then.
37:54Charles committed to serve his people.
37:59Nicholas Whitchell, BBC News.
38:02Maybe there is an issue here.
38:05Especially when it comes to major broadcasters like the BBC.
38:09This is David Dimbleby. I'm on TX, whatever it is, on the proper side.
38:16I've spent much of my career commentating on royal occasions.
38:20Now the service begins.
38:22I, Andrew Albert Christian Edward.
38:23So those are the scenes outside Buckingham Palace.
38:27The Queen Mother and the Princess of Wales.
38:30I remember when I first started, I was given strict instructions.
38:34These are BBC rules.
38:35If something happens which is not part of that event and the cameras happen to pick it up, like there's a disturbance or a demonstration, you're under instruction not to talk about, because you don't really know what's going on and you leave that to the news department.
38:52Your business is to be part of that ceremony.
38:59And then the moment of the King's crowning.
39:02In a way, it's a rather incestuous relationship.
39:06Buy that! Buy that!
39:08And we can even get to the point of actually helping create the event.
39:13I mean, I remember my father telling the Archbishop of Canterbury when he lowered the crown onto Elizabeth's head to count two, three before he lowered it so we had a good shot.
39:26That's, you know, the commentator taking over the event.
39:29Well, I didn't say we do that all the time, but you are embedded in the event.
39:33Your job is to enhance the event and therefore to enhance the image of monarchy that the event portrays.
39:50You know, if I'd been, for instance, doing the coverage of the coronation, when the Archbishop sort of fumbles the crown onto Charles's head,
39:56I would have been terribly tempted to say that he looked like an assistant in a hat shop.
40:01But I'd have been the end of my career if I had.
40:05God save the King!
40:07God save the King!
40:09God save the King!
40:11That was an incredibly special moment. The weight of history as that crown was placed on his head.
40:15There is this absolutely co-dependent relationship between the media and the monarchy.
40:26There is no question that the monarchy is kept in power, for want of a better term, by the media.
40:31You know better than anyone the dance that goes on between the press and the palace, the media, the monarchy,
40:38what's made available, the quid pro quos. Ultimately, it's about good behaviour and it's about doing the bidding of the palace.
40:44Justifiable?
40:46No.
40:47But why is it accepted?
40:48Well, first of all, is it known? Why is it not spoken about by the broadcasters?
40:54Why would, when you're doing live commentary of, say, the Queen's funeral,
41:00the broadcasters are being told by the palace what they can and cannot show?
41:05I mean, the degree of control, I think, is staggering.
41:11If Downing Street were trying to control what's being broadcast, that would be reported upon.
41:18But if the palace is intervening in what's being shown about certain things,
41:23why is that not seen as something that should be reported?
41:28Edward and Sophie handkerchiefs.
41:31Prince George touching his nose.
41:35And this is a public event.
41:37And the palace is saying, you must never show these bits again.
41:42And it happens regularly. Did you know that?
41:45No.
41:47What do you make of it?
41:50I mean, it's perfectly valid for the palace to try it on, isn't it?
41:54I don't think it's valid for the BBC to take any notice.
41:58They do try to control their image, don't they?
42:02Well, they're bound to be very conscious of their image, inevitably.
42:05Were you aware of attempts to control the image of the royal family?
42:10No.
42:12Did you meet members of the royal family?
42:14Oh, you'd meet them because you were the director general of the BBC and it would just be pretty formal.
42:20Are you saying you never had any discussion with anyone at Buckingham Palace about the BBC's approach to the royal family or royal events?
42:29No.
42:30Never? Nothing?
42:31No.
42:32Silence, total.
42:33Are you surprised by this?
42:35Yeah, I am a bit.
42:37You never came across it?
42:38No.
42:40Shots of the royal family mouthing the Lord's Prayer?
42:43Well, I presume somebody said to the press office, what is this about?
42:47Sensible from their point of view?
42:49It's a very small beer and I would be interested to know whether the royal family ever knew about this.
42:54My father was once called the High Priest of the monarchy cult by a critic.
43:01Is that a fair description, not just of my father but of the BBC, that we are the temple of the monarchy cult?
43:09No, I think the BBC reflects the mood of the nation. And I think if the mood of the nation was very anti-royalist, I think the BBC's coverage would change.
43:26Perhaps the mood of the nation is changing.
43:30The Duke of York wearing the robes of a Knight of the Garter.
43:33This is probably the last time Andrew would be seen taking part in a great state occasion.
43:40Making a brief appearance in public.
43:43It's hard to remember that once he was a figure of fun.
43:48I wanted to ask you one thing in particular because you've been landed with it. This nickname. Randy Andy.
43:54I'll tell you exactly where that originated from.
43:58My second day at public school.
44:00Are you 14, 15 years old?
44:03I'm afraid so.
44:05I was unfortunate enough in my early days at Gordonstone not to realise the rules of the house.
44:11Which were that you weren't allowed in the girls' house.
44:14I don't believe this.
44:16That's absolutely true.
44:17And I was unfortunately caught going through a door in the girls' house saying hello to somebody.
44:21And it stuck.
44:22It was always understood that Andrew, with no prospect of taking the throne, was allowed to be a playboy.
44:33Until his playing turned sour.
44:36From 2011, Andrew was dogged by allegations that refused to go away.
44:44He was accused of sexual assault by Virginia Dufresne.
44:50Dufresne claimed Andrew knew she was just 17 when he sexually abused her on multiple occasions.
44:56He knows exactly what he's done and I hope he comes clean about it.
45:02Dufresne was a victim of a sex trafficking ring of underage girls run by Andrew's friend, Jeffrey Epstein.
45:11But for nearly a decade, the palace kept Andrew on display at royal events, never explaining, just denying any involvement as Andrew himself continues to do.
45:28We're ready. You don't mind coming round the corner.
45:32Andrew decided it was time to clear his name.
45:36And just as his brother had tried to win public approval years before, Andrew perhaps naively thought he could get the public on side if he could just explain things in his own words.
45:53Do you regret the whole friendship with Epstein?
45:56Do I regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? Yes.
46:04Unbecoming. He was a sex offender.
46:05Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm being polite, in the sense that he was a sex offender.
46:10In a legal deposition, 2015, she said she had sex with you three times.
46:15Once in a London house, once in New York at Epstein's mansion, and once on his private island in a group of seven or eight other girls.
46:27No.
46:28The interview has been heard with incredulity in some quarters and one suspects with something close to despair within the royal household.
46:39Events now spun out of control for the palace.
46:43Tonight Britain's royal family is in full damage control mode.
46:46The Queen finally acted, trying to distance the family from the scandal.
46:53The Prince announced he would step back from public duties for the foreseeable future.
46:58But it took another two years before she started stripping him of at least some of his titles.
47:04A statement from Buckingham Palace said, with the Queen's approval and agreement, the Duke of York's military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.
47:15Several charities, companies and organisations the Prince supports have said they're looking to sever ties with him.
47:20I think many people would regard him as a liability and frankly what charity would want him.
47:31But while everyone else was cutting ties with Andrew, the Queen still put a protective arm around her son.
47:39Remember this joyful moment?
47:43As the Queen prepared to drum along here over a jolly tea with Paddington Bear, all sweetness and light, lawyers were negotiating a settlement to silence Andrew's accuser in time for the celebrations.
48:02Prince Andrew has reached an outline settlement with Virginia Dufresne.
48:07The Duke of York has settled the sex assault case for undisclosed sum of money.
48:15Questions still to be answered.
48:19We don't know how much they paid.
48:21We don't know how much she got.
48:23We don't know where the money came from.
48:25It said the Queen paid some of it.
48:27We don't know whether she paid some or all, whether it came from the royal coffers.
48:30It was all hushed up.
48:31The Telegraph speculates that the Queen will help her son to pay more than 12 million pounds.
48:36The trouble is with a settlement like this is that there will always be this implication of guilt, even though he protests his innocence.
48:45When it came to Andrew, the Queen seemed to have misread the public mood.
48:50Prince Andrew accompanying his mum, the Queen, to Prince Philip's memorial service.
48:58His first appearance in public since his enforced withdrawal from royal life.
49:03I think there were a lot of eyebrows raised. He was sort of front and centre.
49:08Lots of questions being asked about her decision to have Prince Andrew escorting his mother to and from Westminster Abbey.
49:18The Queen, who ought to be defending the monarchy, seemed to be keener to defend him.
49:25Andrew seems to have been the Queen's weak point.
49:28He was her favourite son.
49:32But this man who's in robust health, hanging about, being a constant reminder, that is a problem.
49:44There can sometimes be a conflict between being a loving mother, a loving grandmother and being a dutiful monarch.
49:50And it is, after all, a family and different rules apply.
50:00If you're head of a family in the public gaze, then that adds extra tension.
50:09Some are saying it's a sign of the Queen's support for her son.
50:12I don't think this is going to be anywhere near any recovery for Prince Andrew, because he'll be dogged by this story for the rest of his life.
50:27Prince Andrew should share everything he knows about the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
50:32What worried the palace was that Parliament, which had always steered clear of talking about monarchy, might decide enough was enough.
50:40This house needs to properly scrutinise the Crown Estate.
50:45How long did you learn about Andrew and Epstein?
50:49Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew?
50:53The Andrew saga continued to damage the institution, which left Charles with few options other than to respond.
51:01Prince Andrew will no longer be Prince Andrew.
51:04Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor.
51:12It's taken 14 years after allegations against him first came to light to reach this point.
51:19I believe that this decision itself should have been made in 2019.
51:29Whether it puts an end to the matter remains to be seen.
51:33What about William and Catherine's involvement in this?
51:38Online, there is a lot of vibe around that angle.
51:42Yeah, I think that's absolutely right.
51:44I mean, there's no question he's had a role to play and he's been in his father's ear.
51:48I don't think it's a secret that he wasn't keen on his Uncle Andrew.
51:50What part William played in the decision, we'll never really know.
51:58But at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent, the heir to the throne appeared to be snubbing his uncle in public.
52:05Perhaps a sign of his trying to create a fresh, new image, fit for a king.
52:10And here he is.
52:17William, in his very latest attempt to communicate to us what he's all about.
52:24Eugene, good morning.
52:27Your Royal Highness.
52:29Nice to see you.
52:31It's a clever idea to have William arrive on a scooter, very informal.
52:35This is your mode of transportation.
52:36It is right here.
52:37The image getting across is William's just an ordinary Joe.
52:42Oh, I see.
52:43And I'm always late, so I thought this was the way to keep my meetings on time.
52:47Like son, like father.
52:51The programme's another version of what the family did when they let cameras in on royal life the first time round.
52:58And indeed, the second.
53:00I was a big fan of your earlier films, Eugene. All the American parties were big.
53:03Uh-oh.
53:04Yeah, I'm afraid I was with that generation.
53:05He's not talking to an interviewer who's going to probe him.
53:08He's talking to a Canadian comedian who's actually fulfilling a bucket list by meeting Prince William.
53:16Should we head on in and have a look around?
53:19Would love to do that.
53:20Brilliant, good.
53:21Can I show you what's happening in some of this castle?
53:22Yes, let's do.
53:23I'll pop this up.
53:25It's all very much as I imagine William would want it.
53:32From out here you can see Eton College.
53:34That's where I went to school.
53:36So I was within a few miles of my grandparents.
53:38He makes a point of mentioning his closeness to the late Queen.
53:43And particularly being Windsor.
53:44For me, Windsor is her.
53:45So she loved it here.
53:46She spent most of her time here.
53:49Viewers liked what they saw.
53:52Can I get you a drink?
53:55Yes, yes you can.
53:57And they sympathised when he opened up about his family's struggles with cancer.
54:04I'm so proud of my wife and my father for how they handled all of last year.
54:09My children are managed brilliantly as well.
54:11Are you optimistic?
54:12I am optimistic.
54:13I'm generally a very optimistic person.
54:15And Catherine is in remission now.
54:17Yes.
54:18Yes, she is.
54:19Which is wonderful.
54:20It's great news.
54:21Exactly.
54:22This may be a kind of soft interview.
54:24It doesn't mean William hasn't thought out very carefully what he wants to say.
54:28He knows that every word, even in an interview with a Canadian comedian,
54:33will be poured over by people for indications of what kind of king he's going to be.
54:38I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do.
54:46That is caveated with, I hope we don't go back to some of the practices in the past that, you know, Harry and I had to grow up in.
54:56And I will do everything I can to make sure we don't regress in that situation.
55:00It sounds like the monarchy will be shifting in a slightly different direction.
55:12I think it's safe to say that change is on my agenda.
55:16I love the words change is on my agenda.
55:19They're very dangerous words for the Prince of Wales to use.
55:22I embrace that and I enjoy that change.
55:24I don't fear it.
55:26I mean, what's the king going to say?
55:28And if I were the king, you know, I'd splutter over my morning coffee and say, what?
55:34What do you mean changes?
55:35I'm already changing.
55:36What changes are you thinking of?
55:38It's all very well to say change.
55:40It's not that easy to change.
55:44Survival, I suppose, is what William's thinking of.
55:46Survival of a monarchy suitable for the 21st century.
55:52I mean, it's incredibly difficult to inherit this job.
55:56Nobody in their right minds would want to be Prince of Wales.
56:00What kind of change is he talking about?
56:02Is he talking about change to the image of the royal family?
56:07Because at that he's obviously been quite successful.
56:12William and Kate are the two most popular members of the royal family.
56:16He's a good man.
56:18Is he thinking in his own mind, you know, fewer courtiers, a bit less ceremonial at the coronation.
56:25Don't want people calling me sir or bowing to me.
56:28Or is it, on the other hand, a radical rethink of how to position monarchy for the 21st century?
56:37Does he want to turn it more like some of the European monarchies?
56:39Where they can walk around in the street and people just say, hi, William, how's things today?
56:46Are they more 21st century than our own? Some say they're cheaper and more accessible.
56:52Would the monarchy be better protected by not having as many hangers on?
56:55I think there are too many. I think we should sort of trim the bottom part of the tree.
57:01What's he going to do about the power of monarchy?
57:05The freedom from paying tax unless you want to.
57:09The huge amount of money that comes in from the two duchies.
57:13The duchy of Cornwall, why is it not taxed?
57:15The huge wealth of monarchy.
57:18Clearly, something does have to change if the monarchy is to survive.
57:25Those fundamental things may have to be looked at by William.
57:32And whether he's looking at them or not, we don't know,
57:35because all we know at the moment is change is on my agenda.
57:39What change? That's what matters.
57:41That's what matters.
57:42The incredible tale of a human being and a human being and a human being.
57:45That's what matters.
57:49The incredible tale of a human being and a human being.
57:50The incredible tale of a Scottish superstar.
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