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00:00For the royals, tradition is everything.
00:05Tradition is the raison d'etre of the royal family, the human embodiment.
00:10Of Britishness.
00:12Spectacular.
00:13The thundering of the...
00:15The hooves and the banging of the drums.
00:17I defy anyone not to get thrilled.
00:21Sacred.
00:22It's almost as though the king is invested with...
00:25Superpowers.
00:26And very British.
00:28Victoria's funeral.
00:30It was a reminder that we were still the dogs' whatnots at this game.
00:34Now...
00:35We reveal the secrets of those traditions.
00:38From banquets...
00:39To prison...
00:40To human beings...
00:41To coronations.
00:42You may think it's pantomime.
00:45But no, the uniforms were handed down from servant to servant.
00:50And how some traditions can go wrong.
00:53With Elizabeth I, her...
00:55That body actually exploded in its coffin.
00:59It's a rich...
01:00Royal heritage that's been forged through duty to the nation.
01:03The British monarchy is always...
01:05At the service of the British state.
01:06No matter what the task.
01:08The duty of the royals is...
01:10To go and open every damn thing that's around.
01:12From a supermarket to sewage works.
01:15The Queen loved it.
01:16Prince Philip hated it.
01:18As for over a thousand years...
01:20As the royals have shaped the history and the traditions we know today.
01:25They're sending out a message.
01:27This is an ancient institution and it's here.
01:30These are the secrets of royal traditions.
01:34Then...
01:35And now.
01:40This time, the jewel in the crown of royal traditions, the state visitor.
01:45This is the best invitation you could ever have.
01:50What happens when world leaders flout centuries of tradition?
01:55Sir polarizing all the culture that's around the country's good.
01:56Then thepm
02:00and how an ancient tradition was the perfect form
02:02of royal PR.
02:04It weaponized
02:05the royal family.
02:10No other occasion puts royal tradition front and center.
02:15Quite like a state visit from a foreign leader.
02:20The modern ceremony of royalty is on full display
02:23and the whole world is watching.
02:25A state visit entails a lot of pomp and pageantry.
02:30On the first day of the state visit,
02:33there's usually the state back.
02:36Everyone's dressed to the nines
02:38in all their sashes and measures.
02:40And there's a toast to the incoming president.
02:43It's a lot of flattery.
02:45There's a lot of flattery goes on,
02:46which is all intended to improve our relations with that country.
02:50It's an event where royal tradition comes out in front.
02:55It's an event where royal tradition is not built
02:57in front of the refugees.
02:58It's an event where royal tradition shifts
02:59and darker things.
03:00unresistible to be photographed with the british royal family the king and queen
03:05and with kate and william this is a photo opportunity which is
03:10rolled in glitter it's the best invitation you could ever have
03:15and it's not just an elaborate state dinner and a photo op
03:20over the course of three days foreign leaders are immersed in extravagant royal
03:25from a ceremonial welcome on horse guards parade to a carriage
03:30procession escorted by mounted soldiers accompanied by gun salutes
03:35and meetings with the prime minister making a
03:40royal state visit a cornerstone of our international relations
03:45to be received by the british head of state at buckingham palace
03:50this is a great signifier of your international status and it's terrific
03:55business for britain the tradition of the royal state visit
04:00can be traced back to 1814 when the allied sovereigns visited the prince re
04:05to celebrate the defeat of napoleon bonaparte dignitary
04:10the counterparties from russia prussia and austria were greeted by guards of honor
04:15parades and elaborate banquets. Traditions that continue to this
04:20day. Except these days the royals are not in charge of the game.
04:25It is not the palace who dictates who is coming. It is the government of
04:30the day who have an agenda. And that means
04:35that sometimes when the government invites foreign dignitaries into their
04:38home, the royals
04:40have to grin and bear it. The family are very aware that they are being
04:45used as a propaganda machine, really, for Britain and...
04:50for another country.
04:53Perhaps the most unpopular
04:55visitor was Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who was welcome to the
05:00palace for a state visit in 1978.
05:04Now that was...
05:05hugely controversial. And the Queen was very nonplussed about the idea of him.
05:10Quartering in her palace for three days and nights. And for those...
05:15who need reminded, he was the most heinous communist dictator of all the communists.
05:20dictators at that time.
05:21He actually slept in the rooms underneath the...
05:25queen. Apparently, they slept with guns underneath their pillows.
05:30Every meeting was conducted in the garden.
05:33Because he feared the...
05:35the rooms were bugged.
05:36The Queen actually, when they were in the gardens at Buckingham Palace, and she...
05:40saw them, she hid behind a bush. So unpleasant did she find them.
05:45But whoever the guest, the British monarchy is not afraid to use glamour as a secret word.
05:50weapon.
05:51For example, when Xi Ping, the president of China, was hosted...
05:55there was a state dinner, and that was chosen to be the Duchess of Cambridges.
06:00the first state banquet. The timing behind that decision was, I think...
06:05second to none.
06:06The Chinese state-run newspapers, they all wrote...
06:10that Xi wore Chinese red. That's how they received it, on the other side of the world.
06:15They were flattered. Big China. Little Britain. But China, you are lucky. Because you...
06:20you are sitting next to, yes, the Queen on the one hand, but also, look, first...
06:25time outing for the most glamorous player in the royal family.
06:30lucky, lucky, lucky, Mr. Chinese president.
06:35The royal's clever seating plan was a master...
06:40class in international diplomacy. This three-day visit alone...
06:45generated more than 30 billion pounds worth of trade. Many times more than the...
06:50cost of staging a traditional royal state visit. There are all sorts of...
06:55situations in which we put our monarch for the sake of Britain's place...
07:00in the world.
07:01The royal women at the centre of these...
07:05special ceremonies are part of a tradition of projecting a perfect regal image...
07:10to the world. But it's an image that takes a lot of time and effort.
07:15And the late Queen was careful to maintain her image at all times.
07:20In 1953, she even had a special shade of lipstick created for her by...
07:25parents to complement her coronation robes. And in her later life...
07:30she was known to be a dab hand at applying her lippy.
07:33She did like her makeup...
07:35and I've watched her quietly and secretly put on her lipstick. She doesn't need a mirror.
07:40She cared a lot about her appearance.
07:45The original pioneer of this tradition of a picture-perfect...
07:50appearance was Elizabeth I, who went to extraordinary lengths to create her...
07:55a striking look.
07:56Queen Elizabeth I was actually about 55...
08:00years old when she sat for the portrait...
08:02but you could never tell. She wears what's called.
08:05The Mask of Youth.
08:06The Mask of Youth was a technique to emphasise her...
08:10a youthful appearance. This form of propaganda intended to show the Queen...
08:15as immortal and bolster her image as a strong and stable monarch.
08:20So this is Elizabeth I's makeup box.
08:22These are recreations of the types...
08:25cosmetics Elizabeth would have used as part of her war against ageing.
08:30Are you going to try it?
08:31Let's try it.
08:32Absolutely.
08:33So cleansers, you've got several choices.
08:35There is a lovely recipe from the period which combines distilled...
08:40honey with strong vinegar, milk and the urine of a small boy.
08:44OK.
08:45Maybe give that one a miss.
08:46Maybe give that one a miss.
08:48And the key to Elizabeth I's...
08:50perfect pale complexion, a powder made from white lead.
08:55It's a very, very white powder on my finger.
08:59But when I put it onto my...
09:00skin, it's actually not clown white.
09:03It's actually pretty magical as well.
09:05It's rather fantastic.
09:06It is.
09:07Lead is metallic pigment.
09:08Perfect whiteness.
09:09So reflects...
09:10Next light.
09:11Aha.
09:12And we still use all sorts of light reflecting pigments today.
09:14Light reflecting makeups.
09:15Light reflecting makeups.
09:15It's hardly toxic, isn't it?
09:16It is.
09:17What was it doing to these women when they used to...
09:20every day?
09:21It could make your gums recede and your breath stink.
09:24It can affect you.
09:25your fertility.
09:26It can cause confusion.
09:30You're basically giving yourself lead poisoning.
09:33Absolutely.
09:34Yes.
09:35Sadly...
09:35The thing is, they knew it was poisonous.
09:36We've known since the Roman period.
09:38It's really...
09:39It's really...
09:40comparable to how we use some dodgy substances on our skin today,
09:43because we still want to look young and beautiful.
09:45Absolutely.
09:45And we have been doing so for at least 2,000 years.
09:50Elizabeth I's finishing touch was a dusting of real pearl powder.
09:55We need a little colour in the cheeks and lips to finish up.
09:58OK.
09:59So we've got a choice.
10:00between little dried cochineal beetles.
10:05I'm not sure about having beetles on my face.
10:08How about some...
10:10Well, that's beautiful.
10:11What an amazing colour.
10:13Gorgeous colour.
10:14This is red.
10:15It's red mercuric sulphide.
10:16Oh.
10:17Oh.
10:18So it's mercury.
10:19So it's mercury.
10:20We'd struggle not to lick it off your lips if we put that on you.
10:23So out of the two...
10:24I'll have the beetles.
10:25The Elizabethan look is to cover quite a bit of the...
10:30cheek.
10:31That is quite bright.
10:32It's a different look, isn't it?
10:34It's a different look, isn't it?
10:35Although the more toxic and outright lethal
10:40ingredients have been removed, it seems the Tudor Queen's cosmetic routine was not too
10:45far removed from the traditions of modern royal makeup.
10:49Was it really worse?
10:50Smearing yourself with urine, lead, lard and crushed beetles.
10:55So these ingredients have got an incredibly long history, modern day.
11:00Cosmetics that are known to contain things like synthetic urea, carminic acid.
11:05Which is the coloring principle in cochineal.
11:08Refined animal fat.
11:10These are all considered perfectly suitable for a modern day monarch.
11:15Credible. Makeup is power.
11:20Coming up, when royal traditions go wrong...
11:25The pictures are quite comical, where he's blocking the queen when they're reviewing troops.
11:30Make a statement...
11:31You can't get rid of a monarchy. It's here to stay.
11:35And turn the stomach.
11:36The recipe is, you grind down the skull of someone who...
11:40You've suffered a violent death.
11:41You've suffered a violent death.
11:45When they're dying.
11:46You've suffered a lot.
11:48It's our own obedience!
11:50For over 200 years, the British royal family has been...
11:55...using the tradition of state visits to project Britain onto the world stage.
12:00And keep international relations sweet.
12:03It is my pleasure...
12:05...to bring from His Majesty the King...
12:08In February 2020...
12:10In 2005, Donald Trump was given an unprecedented second invitation to visit.
12:15This time from King Charles via Prime Minister Sakiya Starmer.
12:20He was received with delight at the White House.
12:22The answer is yes, they would afford to be there and honouring the case.
12:25If you're in any doubt about the political...
12:30...impact of a state visit...
12:33Just look at the way Donald Trump...
12:35...recently responded to a second invitation to have a state visit.
12:38And that says it wins...
12:40There's something...
12:42There's something unquantifiably magical.
12:44The...
12:45...alchemy of monarchy.
12:46Something...
12:47...wondrous.
12:48Inexplicable.
12:49That defies...
12:50...logic.
12:51And it speaks to Trump.
12:53It's something Trump doesn't have.
12:54He's got...
12:55...every bit of bling that money could possibly buy.
12:57But he doesn't...
12:58...have...
12:59...the magic.
13:00...of monarchy.
13:01But we can bestow that upon him.
13:03The tradition...
13:05...of US presidential visits dates back around a century...
13:08...when...
13:09...after World War I...
13:10...in 2001...
13:11...America emerged as a new global superpower.
13:14The Royal...
13:15...the Royal traditions swung into action...
13:17...to greet President Woodrow Wilson...
13:19...on the first...
13:20...the official US state visit...
13:22...in 1918.
13:24Oversee...
13:25...seeing the ceremonial importance...
13:27...of this brave new world...
13:29...was our...
13:30...little king...
13:31...George V.
13:32...and...
13:33...it was seen as...
13:34...hugely...
13:35...successful.
13:36It...
13:37...was a fusion...
13:38...of old and new...
13:39...royal and democratic.
13:40...American...
13:41...and British.
13:42And it may have heralded...
13:44...
13:45...and...
13:46...a new tradition...
13:47...of the royals...
13:48...not being in control...
13:49...of the invitations.
13:50The king didn't want...
13:52...to host the American president.
13:54He was not.
13:55...consulted...
13:56...about whether...
13:57...he would host the American president.
13:58He was livid.
13:59He...
14:00...he had to forego...
14:01...shooting pheasants...
14:02...at Sandringham...
14:03...to come back...
14:04...to Buckingham Palace.
14:05...unhappy king or not...
14:08...that inaugural U.S. State...
14:10...visit...
14:11...was the beginning...
14:12...of a very important friendship.
14:13The American president...
14:15...and his wife...
14:16...Edith...
14:17...had a very...
14:18...good time...
14:19...and came...
14:20...away...
14:21...with acceptable...
14:22...ideas...
14:23...of...
14:24...Britishness...
14:25...of British power...
14:26...of British history...
14:27...of British decorum...
14:28...and manners...
14:29...and I think...
14:30...that...
14:31...in some ways...
14:32...you can see that...
14:33...as one of the bedrocks...
14:34...of today's special...
14:35...the relationship.
14:36Subsequent visits...
14:37...from American presidents...
14:39...mostly...
14:40...and forced that...
14:41...special relationship...
14:42...with a few hiccups.
14:45...so this room is...
14:46...full of mirrors...
14:47...where do you...
14:48...oh...
14:49...sometimes...
14:50...the press...
14:51...have picked up...
14:52...on moments...
14:53...where...
14:54...royal etiquette...
14:55...and...
14:55...a more relaxed...
14:56...approach to etiquette...
14:57...from American presidents...
14:58...have interacted...
14:59...often though...
15:00...if you look...
15:00...more closely...
15:01...you'll see the royals...
15:02...trying to smooth...
15:03...that over.
15:05There is a wonderful story...
15:07...about...
15:08...President Jimmy Carter...
15:09...a very sincere...
15:10...man...
15:11...meeting...
15:12...the late queen mother...
15:13...and kissing her...
15:14...on the lips...
15:15...and she was really shocked...
15:15...and nobody had kissed her...
15:16...on the lips...
15:17...since her late husband...
15:18...and I...
15:19...Georgia Singh...
15:20...so that was...
15:20...perhaps a little...
15:21...over familiar...
15:22...and there is a chance...
15:24...that those...
15:25...presidential faux pas...
15:27...may happen again...
15:28...President Donald...
15:30...Trump visited in 2019...
15:32...and upset centuries...
15:33...of tradition...
15:34...by...
15:35...walking ahead...
15:36...of the queen...
15:37...the pictures are...
15:38...quite comical...
15:39...where he's blocking...
15:40...when they're...
15:41...reviewing troops...
15:42...so I don't think...
15:43...he intended...
15:44...any...
15:45...but obviously...
15:46...he always thinks...
15:47...that he's the most...
15:48...important person...
15:49...in the room...
15:50...whoever he's in the room...
15:50...but a lack of...
15:53...etiquette...
15:54...wasn't the only...
15:55...disruption of tradition...
15:56...that Trump...
15:57...brought with him...
15:58...when Trump arrived...
16:00...the streets...
16:01...were aligned...
16:02...mostly...
16:03...with people...
16:04...protesting his visit...
16:05...to avoid...
16:07...to avoid...
16:09...to avoid...
16:10...the anti-Trump...
16:11...protesters...
16:12...the president...
16:13...defied tradition...
16:14...and...
16:15...and made a very...
16:16...unconventional entrance...
16:18...Trump being Trump...
16:19...flies over the...
16:20...protesters...
16:21...land in the middle...
16:22...of the Buckingham Palace...
16:23...lawns...
16:24...all the Germans...
16:25...including myself...
16:26...were...
16:27...stationed...
16:28...on the lawn...
16:29...complete...
16:30...and...
16:31...waiting to see...
16:32...this momentous moment...
16:33...he emerges...
16:34...from the helicopter...
16:35...he thought he was...
16:36...going to meet the Queen...
16:37...but it was Charles...
16:38...and Camilla...
16:39...who were the first...
16:40...to meet him...
16:40...it's not clear...
16:42...whether the Queen...
16:43...was entirely on board...
16:44...with this very...
16:45...non-traditional...
16:46...mode of transport...
16:47...I once spoke to...
16:48...an Air Commodore...
16:49...in the RAF...
16:50...he said that...
16:51...when he sat...
16:52...at a dinner...
16:53...with the late Queen...
16:54...shortly after...
16:55...Trump's state visit...
16:56...she hadn't...
16:57...appreciated the way...
16:58...in which his helicopter...
16:59...had...
17:00...insurbed her...
17:01...emerald lawns...
17:02...at Windsor...
17:03...but the Royal...
17:05...traditions of grinning...
17:06...and bearing it...
17:07...meant the Queen...
17:08...performed a master...
17:09...class in...
17:10...diplomacy...
17:11...one that left Trump...
17:12...in awe of the Royal...
17:13...family...
17:14...it was...
17:15...incumbent upon...
17:16...the late Queen...
17:17...to make sure that...
17:18...every head of state...
17:19...felt like he or she...
17:20...was her favorite...
17:21...head of state...
17:22...and if Trump came away...
17:23...able to say...
17:24...with conviction...
17:25...that...
17:25...if he was the Queen's...
17:26...favorite head of state...
17:27...or favorite president...
17:28...then the Queen...
17:29...was doing her job well.
17:30...a Royal...
17:33...state visit...
17:34...is one of...
17:35...the more flamboyant ways...
17:36...that Royals...
17:37...keep their brand...
17:38...prominent on the world stage.
17:40But closer to home...
17:41...they have created...
17:42...a tradition...
17:43...that has kept them...
17:44...at the forefront of our minds...
17:45...for centuries.
17:46The Royal tradition...
17:47...of commissioning statues...
17:49...is a way of reaching...
17:50...as wide an audience...
17:51...as possible.
17:52Now this...
17:53...isn't just...
17:54...vanity.
17:55...this is essential...
17:56...for showing themselves...
17:57...to their people.
17:58A statue was...
17:59...but...
18:00...particularly helpful...
18:01...because it could be...
18:02...life-sized...
18:03...and it could be...
18:04...crafted...
18:05...according...
18:06...to what the monarch...
18:07...wanted to convey.
18:08That tradition...
18:10...can be traced back...
18:11...to a perfect...
18:12...example...
18:13...of Royal PR...
18:14...and the...
18:15...oldest surviving bronze...
18:16...statue...
18:17...of a king...
18:18...in London...
18:19...Charles I...
18:20...atop his horse...
18:21...in Trafalgar Square.
18:22It was commissioned...
18:23...in 1630.
18:25...a year after the king...
18:26...had dissolved parliament...
18:27...after a series of disputes.
18:30This tension...
18:31...escalated...
18:32...into the English Civil War...
18:33...in 1642.
18:35...and it didn't...
18:36...end well...
18:37...for Charles I.
18:38He was convicted...
18:39...of high treatment...
18:40...of a prison...
18:41...against his people...
18:42...and he was executed.
18:43It was the end...
18:44...of the monarchy.
18:45So this statue...
18:46...had to be taken down.
18:48Orders were given...
18:49...for the king's statue...
18:50...to be melted down.
18:52But the metalsmith...
18:53...hid it away instead.
18:55It's time to shine...
18:57...would come...
18:58...20 years later.
18:59It was brought...
19:00...back...
19:01...in the reign...
19:02...of Charles' son...
19:03...Charles II...
19:04...who restored...
19:05...the monarchy.
19:06And it was very symbolic...
19:07...because the statue...
19:08...shows Charles...
19:10...decked out...
19:11...in his regal finery...
19:13...and...
19:14...it's the very...
19:15...image...
19:16...of royal majesty...
19:18...was erected...
19:19...and...
19:20...as a piece...
19:21...of royal...
19:22...propaganda.
19:23Even if in real life...
19:24...the man on the horse...
19:25...had his head cut off...
19:26...it's like it's been...
19:27...airbrushed out...
19:28...of the story.
19:29That is one...
19:30...of the most...
19:31...effective...
19:32...uses...
19:33...of a statue.
19:34It weaponizes...
19:35...the royal family...
19:36...and any ideas...
19:37...of taking down...
19:38...the royal family.
19:39Charles II...
19:40...was sending a message...
19:41...to his people.
19:42You can't get rid...
19:43...of the monarchy.
19:44It's here to stay.
19:45...the royal family...
19:46...and...
19:47...and...
19:48...the royal family...
19:49...the royal family...
19:50In more recent years, the tradition of royal statuary may not have achieved such power
19:55for males.
19:57In 2024, a statue of the late Queen
20:00and Prince Philip was unveiled at Andrim Castle Gardens in Northern Ireland.
20:05It's been heavily criticised. A lot of people have said that the Queen looks like...
20:10Robin Williams in Mrs Doubtfire.
20:13I think it's rather fun.
20:15The public art, and sometimes it's a bit of hit or miss, but...
20:20it's still a kind of expression of love.
20:25The tradition of creating royal statues presented the monarch as immortal.
20:30And in rude health. And recently, the King's health has been the focus of public...
20:35attention. Fortunately, he has a coterie of royal medical staff.
20:40including a personal doctor, physician, surgeon and apothecary.
20:45...assuring he receives the very best modern treatments.
20:49Almost 400...
20:50years ago, Charles II had a rather weirder approach to medicine.
20:55In the 17th century, the King built under St. James's Palace in Westminster...
21:00a secret underground lab. And that was where he engaged in the gruesome practice...
21:05of skull medicine. Charles II loved chemistry.
21:10And when he became king, what he wanted to do was buy skulls...
21:15and turn them into medicine, so he'd never be ill again.
21:19The idea was...
21:20that when you died a horrible death, hanging or something else that would cause fear...
21:25all the potency in your organs would rush into your flesh...
21:30into your bones. As if you ate these bones...
21:33or ate this flesh...
21:34you would have low...
21:35loads of energy and loads of potency. The recipe is...
21:38you grind down the skull...
21:40of someone who suffered a violent death. Then you mix it with ground up deer and...
21:45and some ivory. Mix it all up...
21:48and you've got the King's Drops.
21:50Charles thought that would cure himself and anyone else.
21:55of all diseases. So imagine...
21:57fashionable ladies...
21:59dancing at St. James...
22:00James' Palace.
22:01Little did they know that under their feet...
22:03there was a bubbling laboratory...
22:05of horrors in which Charles was making medicine out of dead bodies.
22:10In 1684, the King's Drops would be put to their...
22:15ultimate test.
22:17Charles becomes increasingly frail. He wakes up...
22:20feeling very ill...
22:21and they immediately give him the King's Drops...
22:23lots and lots...
22:2440 drops...
22:2550 drops...
22:26it doesn't work...
22:27he's dead...
22:284 days later.
22:29Bizarrely...
22:30the Royal Family keep...
22:31pots of the King's Drops.
22:33It's a bit like when...
22:34Grandma dies...
22:35to keep her marmalade...
22:36as a memory of her.
22:37So when Charles II's niece...
22:39Mary II...
22:40she's on her deathbed...
22:41they give her...
22:42the King's Drops...
22:43doesn't work...
22:44she dies too...
22:45they are completely...
22:46and utterly...
22:47useless.
22:50coming up...
22:52the Royals blazing a trail...
22:54with their own tradition...
22:55in the 21st century.
22:57From the Sublime...
22:58she very deliberately...
23:00dressed down...
23:01and that included...
23:02minimal...
23:03pale makeup...
23:04the opposite of your...
23:05Elizabethan...
23:06power portrait.
23:07To the questionable.
23:08I was so sad...
23:09when I saw that.
23:10there's nothing...
23:11in that statue...
23:12that resembles...
23:13the beautiful...
23:14vivacious...
23:15woman...
23:16that I knew.
23:20all I knew...
23:21with the
23:38good things...
23:39I don't know.
23:43Well,
23:43I've never seen that...
23:44because very recently,
23:48complexion and she didn't wear very much makeup and actually the the Duke of Edinburgh once
23:53he was talking to someone who said um majesty the Queen what a lovely lovely complexion she had
23:58has and the Duke said yes she does do you know she's like
24:03that all over
24:08the Queen set a high benchmark for the look of modern royal
24:13but like in many elements of royal tradition the Princess of Wales
24:18is blazing her own trail her look is understated but no less powerful
24:23than the royals of the past in 2024 she recorded a video
24:28message revealing her cancer diagnosis and she chose a very nice
24:33natural look she very deliberately dressed down and that
24:38included minimal pale makeup this was the
24:43opposite of your Elizabethan power portrait this was Kate
24:48wearing her own physical vulnerability for us
24:53all to see this was Kate sharing her pain and that I
24:58ironically enhanced her power she has I think
25:03in the wake of her cancer hell become almost untouchable in terms of
25:08she's one of our state players in this country and by creating
25:13this powerful video the princess took control of the royal relationship
25:18with the media a relationship that in recent decades has been
25:23become strained to breaking point but until the mid 20th century
25:28there was a tradition of unquestioning deference from the press the royals were
25:33seen as a vital pillar of a stable society that we all looked up to
25:38the idea that our monarch might be behaving
25:43in an unbecoming immoral irreligious fashion
25:48that was absolutely perceived to be persona non grata and that
25:53that's why you get this very decorous press coverage
25:58in the 1930s this arrangement was pushed to its limits
26:03the arrangement was pushed to its limits
26:03by the scandal emerging behind closed doors.
26:07King Edward VIII.
26:08Death's Affair with married American socialite Wallis Simpson.
26:13World's Press reported on it with glee, but not so in Britain.
26:18It's all over the French, the Italian, German, and American press.
26:21But Britain's chooses.
26:23To remain silent because of this gentleman's code that they have with the monarchy, which seems inco-
26:28inconceivable to us today.
26:31In October 1936,
26:33Wallis divorced her husband, and the King told Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin
26:38that he planned to marry her.
26:40Baldwin threatened that if the King went ahead with his parents,
26:43the government would resign and plunge the country into crisis.
26:48But still, the British public were oblivious.
26:51It becomes clear.
26:53That there's going to be a showdown between the King and the Prime Minister,
26:56Stanley Baldwin, about him wanting to marry him.
26:58to marry a divorced woman.
26:59The press does break its silence, but it's months after everyone...
27:03And the result was, when it finally breaks,
27:08a furore is unleashed.
27:10And we know that it doesn't last long.
27:12He...
27:13PDQ abdicates within a year.
27:15A few hours ago, I just...
27:18charged my last duty as King and Emperor.
27:23It was heartbreaking and shocking to the British public,
27:25because they hadn't been drip-fed these stories.
27:27It arrives like a...
27:28Tsunami.
27:29And there's also an indignation, and rightly so,
27:32that how come people...
27:33overseas know more about our royal family than we know about them.
27:37There is only one...
27:38one statue of Edward VIII in Britain,
27:40in stark contrast to the dozens of statues...
27:43of other monarchs.
27:44The tradition of creating royal statues...
27:48has long been a way of commemorating dead royals.
27:51But sometimes...
27:53the process doesn't go smoothly.
27:55In 2017,
27:5720...
27:58years after her death sparked national mourning,
28:01William and Harry commissioned a statue...
28:03of Princess Diana to cement her legacy.
28:07But creating...
28:08a fitting tribute to Diana...
28:09can be tricky to get right.
28:11They're...
28:13some very, very bad Diana statues out there.
28:16They haven't...
28:18really captured...
28:19Princess Diana,
28:20as I think...
28:21the family would want her to be captured.
28:24Whether they're made from marble or marzipan,
28:27from the sublime...
28:28to the ridiculous.
28:29There's a whole army of Diana statues...
28:32in China.
28:33And...
28:34who can forget...
28:35the incredibly tasteless half-naked one...
28:37that used to be...
28:38in Harrods...
28:39at the bottom of the stairs...
28:40barefoot...
28:41with her...
28:42and Dodie Fayed...
28:43both releasing a bird...
28:44into...
28:45who knows what.
28:48trusted not to add to this list...
28:51renowned sculptor...
28:52Ian Rankbro...
28:53broadly...
28:54was given the commission...
28:55at the end of 2017.
28:57Of course we...
28:58all know...
28:59Mr Broadley's work...
29:00because his design...
29:01of the Queen...
29:02adorned...
29:03every British coin.
29:04The stakes were high...
29:06for Mr Rank...
29:07broadly...
29:08the sculptor...
29:09the sculptor...
29:10has to please...
29:11not only...
29:12every single one...
29:13of...
29:13Diana's...
29:14billions of fans...
29:15but also...
29:16two royal princes...
29:17who are very used...
29:18to having things...
29:18done their own way.
29:19After a four year...
29:21wait...
29:22the much...
29:23anticipated...
29:24statue...
29:25was finally ready...
29:26but in the meantime...
29:27the...
29:28relationship between...
29:29the two princes...
29:30had deteriorated...
29:31drastically.
29:32If you...
29:33look at...
29:342017...
29:35when it was...
29:36commissioned...
29:37William & Harry...
29:38were best of friends...
29:40Fast forward...
29:41four years later...
29:43there is a huge...
29:44rift...
29:45between the brothers.
29:46William & Harry...
29:48his strange...
29:49relationship...
29:50was at breaking point.
29:51The Duke and Duchess...
29:52of Sussex...
29:53had announced...
29:54their intention...
29:55to withdraw...
29:56from the royal family...
29:57and move to California...
29:58months before...
30:01the unveiling...
30:02of the statue...
30:03that Harry...
30:04has come out...
30:05publicly...
30:06vilifying...
30:07the royal family...
30:08not just once...
30:10but several times...
30:11so the story...
30:12of the...
30:13sculpture...
30:14of Diana...
30:15got overshadowed...
30:16by the bigger...
30:17question of...
30:18the two brothers...
30:19are speaking...
30:20to each other...
30:21the...
30:23the statue...
30:24was unveiled...
30:25to the public...
30:26on the 1st...
30:27of July...
30:282021...
30:28to mark...
30:29what would have been...
30:30Diana's 60th...
30:31birthday...
30:32it was the first time...
30:33the brothers...
30:34had been seen together...
30:35in public...
30:36for months...
30:37the press...
30:38and the pub...
30:38were looking...
30:40for...
30:41the body language...
30:42between the two boys...
30:43had they mended...
30:45the rift...
30:46Diana's...
30:47two...
30:48sons...
30:49pulled...
30:50the sheet...
30:51off of the statue...
30:53this mother...
30:58is looking...
31:00onto her...
31:01two sons...
31:02and...
31:03all of us...
31:04looking at that...
31:05knowing...
31:06that they re barely speaking...
31:07the statue...
31:08was reportedly...
31:09inspired...
31:10by a 1993...
31:11Christmas card...
31:12featuring...
31:13her sons...
31:14you'll see...
31:15if you look at that...
31:16Christmas card...
31:17she's wearing...
31:18that exact outfit...
31:18the same belt...
31:19the same shirt...
31:20the same pencil skirt...
31:21and she's got...
31:22her two boys...
31:23next to her...
31:23cast in bronze...
31:26a traditional material...
31:27for royal...
31:28statues...
31:29it stands...
31:30at one and a quarter...
31:31times...
31:32life-size...
31:33but it divided...
31:34the critics...
31:35I was so sad...
31:37when I saw that...
31:38and then I knew...
31:39Diana...
31:40and there's...
31:41nothing...
31:42in that statue...
31:43that resembles...
31:44the beautiful...
31:45vivacious...
31:46funny...
31:47stunning...
31:48handsome...
31:49woman...
31:50that I knew...
31:51um...
31:52it just...
31:53doesn't work...
31:54for me...
31:55at all...
31:56but not...
31:57everyone...
31:58disliked...
31:59the statue...
32:00enjoy...
32:01welcome...
32:02thank you...
32:03I think...
32:03the public...
32:04really like it...
32:05and I think...
32:06they get it...
32:07this wasn't a statue...
32:08of a mother...
32:08and her two sons...
32:09it was...
32:10a woman...
32:11who'd helped...
32:12a lot of people...
32:13evicted children...
32:14in her...
32:15charitable work...
32:16it's not meant...
32:17to be overly...
32:18complicated...
32:18unfortunately...
32:19the unveiling...
32:20of the statue...
32:21didn't bring the brothers...
32:22back together...
32:23don't think...
32:24that Prince Harry...
32:25spoke to William...
32:26at all...
32:27turned up...
32:28for the unveiling...
32:28twenty minutes...
32:29before...
32:30pulled...
32:31the...
32:32the rug...
32:33off...
32:33the statue...
32:34and left...
32:35twenty minutes later...
32:36so it really was...
32:37it was very sad...
32:38to see...
32:38that that relationship...
32:39had not...
32:40been fixed at all...
32:41and wasn't fixed...
32:42during that event...
32:43coming up...
32:46the royal tradition...
32:48of putting...
32:49your foot in it...
32:50he said...
32:51oh...
32:52you look as if...
32:53you're ready for bed...
32:53not sure...
32:54that really was...
32:55the right thing to say...
32:56and how the tradition...
32:57of respect...
32:58between the...
32:58the royals...
32:59and the press...
33:00changed completely...
33:01there are many invisions...
33:02of their privacy...
33:03it reaches its...
33:04nadir...
33:05when Diana...
33:06princess of wheels...
33:07is quite literally...
33:08chased to her...
33:08out of her...
33:13.
33:18Traditionally, the royal family have played a central role in maintaining foreign
33:23relations, whether on state visits at home or abroad.
33:28And Queen Elizabeth II made it seem effortless.
33:33The late Queen was the ultimate diplomat.
33:37I mean, she was.
33:38She has more experience as a head of state than any other head of state alive.
33:43And she knew so many of them, both past and present.
33:47So she had.
33:48This wealth of experience and knowledge.
33:51Her husband, Prince Philip, however,
33:53created his own tradition when dealing in foreign affairs.
33:59Putting his foot in it.
34:01The Duke of Edinburgh, sometimes.
34:03Did cause a few diplomatic ruffles of the feathers.
34:08I suppose.
34:09The son entirely is native.
34:13But I remember there was an occasion when he was in Nigeria.
34:18He saw the president who was in his traditional robe.
34:22And he said, oh.
34:23Because if you're ready for bed.
34:24I'm not sure that really was the right thing to say.
34:28Prince Philip's job, I think, was meant to be a clown.
34:33Or a warm-up man for the serious act, which was his wife.
34:38Really.
34:39But not appropriate.
34:43Prince Philip's job, I think.
34:44But it seems Prince Philip...
34:45But it seems Prince Philip...
34:48Prince Philip wasn't the first royal to cause offence.
34:51He may have been following a centuries-old...
34:53...tradition of diplomacy going out of the window.
34:57James 6th of...
34:58In Scotland when he became James 1st of England on the death of Elizabeth 1st in 1603.
35:02Even...
35:03And by the low standards of 17th century hygiene...
35:05...was reputed to be rather a grubby...
35:08...the king.
35:09James...
35:11...apparently...
35:12...has...
35:13...had an aversion to water...
35:14...never washed...
35:15...didn't wash his hands before eating...
35:17...never changed his...
35:18...clothes.
35:19And even his lover wrote that I...
35:21...kiss your dirty hands.
35:23James 1st's personal hygiene may have left a lot to be desired.
35:28But when it came to entertaining a foreign head of state...
35:31...it could be a riot.
35:33...one night in particular at Theobald's palace...
35:35...a night to commemorate the visit of King Christian...
35:38...in the fourth of Denmark...
35:39...you'd think this would be so dignified...
35:42...so strict...
35:43...instead it was...
35:45...apparently...
35:46...an orgy of drunkenness.
35:48It's about as far away as you can get from a modern state...
35:53...an banquet...
35:54...but it was a success for international relations.
35:57Both kings were...
35:58...heavy drinkers...
35:59...and the evening's entertainment...
36:00...would be a performance of King Solomon...
36:02...and the Queen of She...
36:03...but unfortunately...
36:04...when it began...
36:05...everyone was completely drunk.
36:07The act...
36:08...the actor playing the Queen's part...
36:09...fell over...
36:10...and dropped...
36:11...an entire tray...
36:12...of...
36:13...creme...
36:14...and jelly...
36:15...and cakes...
36:16...all over...
36:17...King Christian.
36:18...King Christian said...
36:20...I'm fine...
36:21...and got up to dance...
36:22...and then fell splat.
36:23...on his face...
36:24...and had to be carried to bed...
36:26...completely drunk...
36:27...senseless...
36:28...and covered...
36:29...in cream...
36:30...and jelly.
36:31For centuries...
36:32...there was a...
36:33...tradition...
36:34...that the press...
36:35...would not report...
36:36...on scandalous behaviour...
36:37...like that of James...
36:38...the first...
36:39...but by the 1980s...
36:40...everything...
36:41...had changed.
36:42Previously...
36:43...the quality papers...
36:44...and the mass newspapers...
36:45...had been quite deferential...
36:46...in their coverage.
36:48...in the 1980s...
36:49...the monarchy...
36:50...became...
36:51...tabloid fodder...
36:52...and...
36:53...the perfect fodder...
36:54...for them...
36:55...was the disintegrating...
36:56...marriages of the...
36:57...queen's children.
36:58...and all sorts...
36:59...of stories...
37:00...appeared.
37:01The gloves...
37:02...were now off.
37:03And while dozens...
37:04...of new stories...
37:05...are published...
37:06...about the royal family...
37:07...each year...
37:08...sometimes...
37:09...the royals...
37:10...use the press...
37:11...to send a message.
37:13There aren't many photos...
37:14...that you can say...
37:15...are genuinely...
37:16...iconic...
37:17...but I...
37:18...think you can say...
37:19...that...
37:20...about this photo.
37:21The now...
37:22...iconic pictures...
37:23...of Diana...
37:24...at the Taj Mahal...
37:25...was snapped...
37:26...by then royal photographer...
37:27...for the daily...
37:28...the mirror...
37:29...Kent Gavin.
37:30I would think...
37:31...I've taken over...
37:32...two...
37:33...maybe...
37:33...two million...
37:34...frames...
37:35...of the royal family...
37:36...over the years.
37:37This was not the first...
37:38...time...
37:39...a royal had been...
37:40...photographed in exactly...
37:41...the same spot...
37:42...at the Taj Mahal.
37:44...twelve years earlier...
37:45...as Charles and Diana's...
37:46...relationship...
37:47...was starting to...
37:48...to gather pace...
37:49...the Prince of Wales...
37:50...visited India...
37:51...and Kent took...
37:52...an almost identical...
37:53...image.
37:54In 1980...
37:55...I was sent...
37:56...to cover...
37:57...the Prince of Wales trip...
37:58...to India...
37:58...it was a year...
37:59...before...
38:00...the wedding.
38:01He...
38:02...agreed...
38:03...to visit...
38:04...to Taj Mahal.
38:06And during that...
38:08...trip...
38:09...he said...
38:10...do you know...
38:11...A Taj...
38:12...was built...
38:13...from a man...
38:14...that loved a woman...
38:13...so much...
38:14...one day...
38:15...I'm going to bring...
38:16...my wife back here...
38:17...to visit...
38:18...this one...
38:18...the opportunity...
38:19...arose...
38:20...in 1992...
38:21...when the...
38:22...now...
38:23...married couple...
38:24...visited India...
38:25...but instead of...
38:26...bringing his wife...
38:27...to the Taj Mahal...
38:28...he met with...
38:29...business leaders.
38:31Diana...
38:32...sat...
38:33...isolated...
38:34...on a bench...
38:35...in front of the monument.
38:36Charles did not...
38:37...fulfill...
38:38...his...
38:38...promise...
38:39...because Diana...
38:40...came alone.
38:41The world press...
38:42...captured the iconic...
38:43...image.
38:44It told the story...
38:45...of a marriage...
38:46...that was falling apart.
38:48It's the framing...
38:49...of the photograph...
38:50...in so many ways...
38:51...which makes her look...
38:52...so small and vulnerable...
38:53...if you look at all...
38:55...the pictures...
38:56...she never smiles.
38:57God...
38:58...god knows...
38:59...what was going...
39:00...through her mind.
39:01I genuinely think...
39:02...that she was...
39:03...extremely upset about it.
39:03Diana understood...
39:05...the power...
39:06...of the image...
39:07...she created.
39:08I think many people...
39:09...suspected that Diana...
39:10...was unhappy...
39:11...but that photograph...
39:12...did...
39:13...feel like a message...
39:14...that she was...
39:15...sending the world.
39:16It just became...
39:18...such a totemic image...
39:19...of Diana's unhappiness.
39:21The picture hit the head...
39:23...of the headlines...
39:24...and the press...
39:25...criticised Charles...
39:26...for abandoning Diana.
39:28...the idea...
39:29...that their marriage...
39:30...had already run its course.
39:32.
39:33...the relationship...
39:35...between royals...
39:36...and press...
39:37...soured even...
39:38...and further.
39:39Culminating...
39:40...in one of the most...
39:41...shocking events...
39:42...in royal history.
39:43...the criticism moves...
39:45...into an obsessive...
39:46...intrusive interest in them.
39:48There do start to be articles...
39:50...that are...
39:51...wildly speculative.
39:52They're...
39:53...many invasions...
39:54...of their privacy...
39:55...and it reaches...
39:56...its nadir...
39:57...in 1996.
39:58...when Diana...
39:59...princess of Wales...
40:00...is quite literally...
40:01...chased to her death...
40:02...by people in...
40:03...in search of a photograph...
40:04...off her.
40:09Despite this tragedy...
40:11...stories continue...
40:12...to be published...
40:13...about the royals...
40:14...private lives.
40:15And in 2006...
40:17...a...
40:18...the story in the news...
40:19...of the world...
40:20...broke a scandal...
40:21...wide open.
40:22It related...
40:23...how Prince William...
40:24...had left a message...
40:25...for Harry...
40:26...in which he...
40:27...William...
40:28...had pretended...
40:28...to be Harry's...
40:29...then girlfriend...
40:30...Chelsea Davey...
40:31...recommanding him...
40:32...for visiting...
40:33...the lap dancing club...
40:34...all very...
40:35...jolly...
40:36...and joshing...
40:37...and all the rest of it...
40:38...and very amusing...
40:38...but the fact that...
40:40...the news of the world...
40:41...quoted...
40:42...his actual work...
40:43...the words...
40:44...and his message...
40:45...really did...
40:46...set alarm bells ringing...
40:47...the...
40:48...police had...
40:49...all the evidence...
40:50...they needed...
40:51...and in August 2006...
40:52...journalists...
40:53...were arrested...
40:54...and charged...
40:55...with intercepting...
40:56...private phone messages...
40:57...involving the...
40:58...the royal family...
40:59...by now...
41:00...the issue...
41:01...went far beyond...
41:02...the princes...
41:03...and their royal...
41:04...aides...
41:05...it turned out...
41:06...that phone hacking...
41:07...of...
41:08...sele...
41:08...neveratists...
41:09...politicians...
41:10...policemen...
41:11...soldiers...
41:13...victims...
41:14...of crime...
41:15...was going on...
41:16...on an industrial scale...
41:18...within a few years...
41:20...more journalists...
41:21...from other newspapers...
41:22...were prosecuted...
41:23...for...
41:24...conspiracy...
41:25...to intercept...
41:26...communications...
41:27...without lawful authority...
41:28...some receive jail sentences...
41:30...for...
41:31...for...
41:32...for...
41:33...to...
41:34...2013...
41:35...and a whole host...
41:36...of others...
41:37...from...
41:38...the news international titles...
41:39...were in court...
41:40...at the Old Bailey...
41:41...William's phone had been hacked...
41:42...Harry's...
41:43...has phone had been hacked...
41:44...Kate Middleton's phone had been hacked...
41:45...we now know that...
41:46...William used to call...
41:47...Kate...
41:48...baby...
41:48...because of the evidence...
41:50...that was presented...
41:51...in the Old Bailey...
41:52...the only reason...
41:53...that Charles and the Queen...
41:54...hadn't been hacked...
41:55...was because they don't have...
41:56...mobile phones...
41:57...so that was the only...
41:58...the only reason...
41:59...Princes William and Harry...
42:00...as well as...
42:01...hundreds of other victims...
42:02...re...
42:03...reached out-of-court settlements...
42:04...with the newspaper publishers...
42:06...as well as damages...
42:08...it's a stark reminder...
42:10...that from world stage...
42:11...and public statues...
42:13...to their most personal moments...
42:15...the royals...
42:17...have to fight...
42:18...to preserve their traditions...
42:20...and in an ever-changing world...
42:22...the...
42:23...great public traditions...
42:24...like the state visit...
42:26...matter more than ever...
42:28...next time...
42:30...the mystical traditions...
42:31...at the heart...
42:32...of the kingdom...
42:33...his coronation...
42:34...older than England...
42:35...older than Christianity...
42:37...back to...
42:38...the bronze age...
42:39...how the royals...
42:40...dealt with the traditional...
42:41...tensions of taking...
42:42...the press pack...
42:43...on tour...
42:44...prince Philip...
42:45...hated the press...
42:46...he called them...
42:47...reptiles...
42:48...and how...
42:48...mentaries of tradition...
42:49...gifted the royals...
42:50...vast swathes...
42:51...of Britain...
42:52...and the right to eat...
42:53...some of its wildlife...
42:54...none of them...
42:55...have recently...
42:56...avealed themselves...
42:57...of the opportunity...
42:58...so...
42:58...the swamp population...
42:59...continues unharmed...
43:03...so...
43:05...so...
43:06...so...
43:07...so...
43:08...so...
43:10...so...
43:11...so...
43:12...so...
43:13...so...
43:16...so...
43:17...so...
43:18...so...
43:19...so...
43:21...so...
43:23...so...
43:24...so...
43:28...so...
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