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The Crown S06E06 [Full Movie] [Full Episodes]Full EP - Full
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00:21And so, Coronation Day is upon us for the first time since 1953.
00:31A three-day people's festival has been declared with concerts and street parties up and down
00:37the country.
00:43The former queen is understood to be devastated and is unlikely to attend the service.
00:53Many had been unable to imagine life without Elizabeth II.
00:58But after almost 50 years on the throne, it's out with Queen Elizabeth and in with King Tony.
01:10New Britain has a new royal family.
01:13The Labour Party.
01:21The King leaves the Abbey to the strains of the new national anthem.
01:26You can walk my path, you can wear my shoes, not to talk like me, and be an angel too.
01:42I'm singing it now, please.
01:44Because I have not been able to write, that comes and rest over us.
01:54But I tell you every moment.
02:03The usual rounds and controversies of political office.
02:07The Prime Minister's personal satisfaction ratings
02:10raised by one point to an extraordinary 66%.
02:14Moment will join our colleagues at the World Service.
02:17But in the meantime, on behalf of everybody at Broadcasting House,
02:21good night.
02:30All the Queen, all the Queen, all the Queen.
02:39Silver, victorious, happy and glorious,
02:48long to reign over us, all the Queen.
03:04I'd like to talk briefly about the Prime Minister, if I may.
03:08Oh?
03:10Historically, I've not worried too much about Prime Minister's popularity.
03:14It tends to come and go very quickly.
03:16But I have a feeling that could be different with Mr Blair.
03:20People really do seem to love him
03:22and see him as a true son of England
03:24and a unifying national symbol in a way they used to see.
03:28Well, me.
03:30And with Mr Blair scoring higher than me,
03:33in every survey one can find,
03:36perhaps now is the time.
03:39Ma'am?
03:40To find out what seems to have gone wrong
03:42and how we could...
03:44I could do better.
03:47I understand the impulse.
03:49But I'm not sure it's a good idea.
03:54The Crown doesn't ask existential questions of itself.
03:58Perhaps it should.
03:59It suggests a loss of confidence.
04:02It's putting blood in the water.
04:04It's just information, Robert.
04:07I agree.
04:09And I think, finally,
04:11I'm ready to hear it.
04:32The focus groups you asked for, ma'am,
04:35have now been conducted
04:36in Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Birmingham, Bristol,
04:42Cardiff, Manchester, and Liverpool.
04:46The British royal family.
04:49Professional liabelle.
04:51More than 2,000 subjects over the age of 18
04:55were asked a series of yes-or-no questions
04:57about the monarchy.
04:59I consider the royal family to be
05:01an important part of British society.
05:04I'll go along with that.
05:05I think you're being quite disrespectful.
05:07Followed by some, at times, spirited debate.
05:10Let's keep it civil, please.
05:11Having reviewed the data,
05:14the pollsters have now presented their findings.
05:18Asked if the royal family were out of touch
05:21with ordinary people,
05:2269% said yes.
05:26Badly advised,
05:2862% said yes.
05:32Asked if they were wasteful of public money,
05:3454% said yes.
05:37Asked if they lacked compassion,
05:4053% said yes.
05:44Asked if they had failed the Princess of Wales
05:46as badly in death as in life,
05:49a sobering 66% said yes.
05:55Asked if Britain should have a smaller,
05:57more informal monarchy like the Netherlands
05:59or Scandinavia,
06:0054% said yes.
06:04And when asked if the monarchy should continue
06:07in its present form,
06:08the proportion that agreed
06:10was just 10%.
06:13I'd like to propose my own survey.
06:16How many of us think that
06:17polls are a daft idea in the first place?
06:21I don't see why we should have to listen to these people.
06:24Because we might actually learn something.
06:26In the sample, as I understand,
06:27it is selected to represent society as a whole, isn't it?
06:30It's still a folly to subject something as enduring as the monarchy
06:34to the whims of marketing men.
06:37I do think it's significant
06:38that our low numbers come at the same time
06:41that we have a prime minister
06:42of conspicuous popularity.
06:45Yes.
06:47Only Winston at his height
06:48had this kind of support.
06:50Have you learned nothing
06:51in the time you've been on the throne?
06:53Prime ministers come in
06:55on a blaze of popularity
06:56and goodwill.
06:57And leave on a stretcher
06:59a few years later
06:59with their reputations
07:01and usually their health in tatters.
07:03Yes, that is exactly.
07:04Well, I think this one
07:05might be different.
08:35Good evening.
08:38We hoped never to see war
08:41in Central Eastern Europe again in our lifetimes.
08:46Sadly, it has come, and it has consequences for the whole world.
08:54Tonight, NATO allies launched an offensive against Serb military targets.
09:05Slobodan Milošević is a monstrous dictator,
09:09carrying out the systematic and violent persecution of innocent civilians.
09:14He has to be stopped.
09:16We have a moral duty to ensure he does not succeed.
09:25To all of us in free countries who think this is a remote conflict
09:31and someone else's problem, I say this.
09:34If you value your freedom, you cannot remain neutral.
09:40This is your war, too.
09:52It's encouraging that our NATO partners have come together like this against the Serbs,
09:56but, well, moral purpose is one thing.
09:59Military success is quite another.
10:02Every bombing target has to be approved by committee,
10:05which makes decisions agonizingly slow.
10:08We thought this aerial campaign would be over in days.
10:11Instead, two weeks and little or no progress has been made.
10:15The Serbs are laughing at us.
10:17I read that the problem was cloud cover.
10:21American stealth bombers need good conditions to see their targets.
10:25The most sophisticated weaponry in the world, and it can't handle the weather.
10:29Which is why we ultimately need ground troops.
10:32I proposed to President Clinton a limited invasion of 80,000 troops
10:36which would drive Serb forces out of Kosovo
10:38and create safe havens for refugees to return,
10:41but he said most Americans can't point to Yugoslavia on a map,
10:44so why put U.S. servicemen's lives at risk?
10:47Yes.
10:48It's most frustrating.
10:50But I won't give up, morally.
10:53This is the right thing.
10:58Mr. Blair was unusually resolute today.
11:02In my experience,
11:04Prime Ministers tend to be either domestic or foreign policy focused.
11:09At this early stage, I'd say Mr. Blair falls very firmly into the latter camp.
11:14Yes.
11:15Statesman syndrome.
11:18Which am I, do you think?
11:20The domestic or foreign policy queen?
11:23Good question, ma'am.
11:25And it's not immediately obvious.
11:28The commonwealth of nations is such an article of faith to you,
11:31so one would be inclined to say foreign.
11:32For you, sir.
11:34Who else off the top of their heads, for example,
11:36would be able to reel off the name of the president of Malawi?
11:41Macilli Malutzi.
11:42And the next member state to have general elections?
11:45Fiji.
11:46Their first since readmission.
11:47But despite all that, it's your interest in every part of the British Isles
11:51that I think ultimately makes you a domestic queen.
11:54Take today's engagement at the Women's Institute,
11:56composing the speech yourself,
11:58with, if I may say, evident enthusiasm.
12:02Of course.
12:03The uncomplaining, hard-working countrywomen of Middle England.
12:07You underestimate them at your peril.
12:10And if, oh, see, in ancient times
12:17Walk upon England's mountains stream
12:23And cross the wall in the land of the sea
12:50The women's institute movement came to Britain in 1915.
12:56Since its humble beginnings in a Welsh garden shed
13:01Our membership and our goals have reached new and remarkable heights.
13:07I've been a member of the WI for longer than I've been queen.
13:13Many of you will remember how vital we were to the war effort.
13:18From growing produce to hosting evacuees.
13:22I have fond memories of collecting rose hips for rose hip syrup.
13:27Do you remember the rose hips?
13:29Yes.
13:30For vitamin C deficiency.
13:31That's good.
13:35There are approximately 250,000 members of the Women's Institute in the United Kingdom.
13:43Roughly, the population of Hull.
13:47Can you imagine a city run and populated entirely by the WI?
13:53It would have the tidiest streets in Britain.
13:57Everything would run on time.
13:59And we would take all the men's jobs.
14:12No, I'm not trying to patronise you.
14:14I'm not trying to make you look...
14:15Yeah.
14:17Yeah, yeah.
14:18I understand.
14:19All right.
14:20Okay.
14:20Bye-bye.
14:24And then he said,
14:26Answer me this, Tony.
14:27No, please.
14:28Don't do the accent.
14:29How many ground troops are you all prepared to come in?
14:33So I say,
14:34Look, Bill,
14:35we can talk about numbers all day.
14:38This is about the bigger picture.
14:39What if Milosevic wins?
14:41NATO's credibility is at stake.
14:43To which he said...
14:44NATO's credibility is already a busted flush.
14:47So you're allowed to do the accent.
14:48I do it better.
14:50He knows the fact you're coming to him like this
14:53means that NATO's air campaign has failed.
14:56But he still won't do what it takes,
14:57commit American ground troops.
15:00It's worried about it looking like another Vietnam
15:02with no political upside for him domestically.
15:05Well, you're never going to persuade the White House
15:07by appealing to their interests.
15:10So do what you do best.
15:14Appeal to their consciences.
15:26While we meet here in Chicago this evening,
15:30terrible things are happening in Europe.
15:36No one who has seen what has happened in Kosovo
15:40to those refugees can be in any doubt
15:43that NATO's military action is justified.
15:51But we must do more than simply make our case.
15:56We must also succeed.
15:59For that, we depend on you,
16:03the United States.
16:06You are the most powerful country in the world
16:11and the richest.
16:14You are a great nation.
16:18And it must be difficult and sometimes irritating
16:24to find yourself the recipient of every demand,
16:27to be called upon in every crisis,
16:30to be expected always and everywhere
16:33to do what needs to be done.
16:35The cry,
16:37what's it got to do with us,
16:39must be heard fairly regularly.
16:44Yet those nations which have the power
16:47have the responsibility to use it wisely.
16:51We need you.
16:54We need America engaged.
17:00And so I say to you,
17:02never fall again for the doctrine of isolationism
17:06because the world truly cannot afford it.
17:10Stay, please, a country outward-looking
17:14with the vision and the imagination
17:17which is the very best of your nature.
17:20And realize, too, that in doing so,
17:23you will find in Britain a friend and an ally
17:27that will stand with you,
17:30work with you,
17:33fashion with you
17:34the design of a future built on peace
17:37and prosperity for all,
17:40which is the only dream
17:42that makes humanity worth preserving.
18:04A resounding success
18:05for the Prime Minister in America.
18:08The New York Times
18:10says the Prime Minister
18:11has a new nickname,
18:13King Tony.
18:15The Wall Street Journal
18:16has come out in emphatic support
18:18of his attempts to persuade
18:19a reluctant White House,
18:20but I think the best summary
18:22is from the Chicago Sun Times.
18:24It claims Mr. Blair
18:25has beguiled the city with his charms,
18:28leaving Americans pining to have him
18:30as their president instead.
18:32Goodness.
18:34I gather President Clinton
18:35is now considering ground war,
18:37which would leave Milosevic
18:38and his Serb forces
18:40with the option to either fight
18:41and face total annihilation
18:44or else withdraw.
18:46And I suspect even they are sensible enough
18:48to choose the latter.
18:50So,
18:52the Prime Minister pulled it off.
18:54So it seems.
18:55This is an extraordinary political feat.
19:21The Prime Minister,
19:23Your Majesty.
19:24Your Majesty.
19:28I hope you didn't slip
19:29on the way here.
19:31Ma'am?
19:32It can't be easy
19:34walking on water.
19:37Please,
19:38do sit down.
19:40So,
19:40you insisted the West
19:43no longer stand by
19:45while genocide and slaughter
19:46take place
19:48and pulled it off
19:49without a single NATO casualty
19:51in combat.
19:52Great credit must go
19:53to the Americans.
19:54when they signaled
19:55their openness
19:56to a ground invasion.
19:57Milosevic realized
19:58the game was up.
19:59But Clinton's change of heart
20:00is in great part
20:01thanks to you.
20:03It's one thing
20:04to have popularity.
20:06It's quite another
20:07to have influence.
20:09So I offer you
20:10my congratulations.
20:12You are,
20:13at this moment,
20:14by some margin,
20:15the most celebrated leader
20:16on the world stage
20:17with remarkable instincts.
20:20and so,
20:23in the light of that,
20:26it's no secret
20:27that the crown
20:28has not had the best time
20:30of it in recent years.
20:31Often our values
20:33and those of the country
20:34have not been
20:34perfectly aligned.
20:36You,
20:37on the other hand,
20:38since you entered
20:39number 10,
20:40you've shown
20:41an uncanny ability
20:42to read the mood
20:42of the country
20:43better than anyone.
20:47And so I can't help
20:49but ask,
20:54what would you do
20:57to turn things round
20:58for us
21:00if you were in charge?
21:04If I were in charge
21:06of the monarchy?
21:08If you were in my shoes?
21:12If I were king?
21:15Yes.
21:20Goodness.
21:23For someone
21:24who so rarely
21:24puts a foot wrong,
21:25this seems to be
21:26a dangerous loss
21:27of judgment.
21:28She's asking for advice,
21:29Robert.
21:29She doesn't need
21:30to take it.
21:31But who is she asking?
21:32The prime minister.
21:33An avowed reformer
21:34and modernizer.
21:35Her chief advisor.
21:37I'm her chief advisor.
21:39Actually,
21:41constitutionally, Robert,
21:42I think you'll find
21:43he is.
21:48Can we walk through
21:49the five big changes
21:51that we want to make?
21:52Modernization.
21:52We reduce expenditure.
21:54Everyone's doing it.
21:55It's only fair
21:56that the queen
21:56is doing it as well.
21:57Right?
21:58Some examples.
21:59Listen to this.
21:59Royal train.
22:00£1,500 for catering per journey.
22:03This is the time
22:04to get them in line
22:05with new labor.
22:06Honestly,
22:07it's an anachronistic,
22:09unrepresentative feudal system
22:10based on 1,000 years
22:12of hereditary privilege.
22:13You'd be better off
22:14trying to modernize Stonehenge.
22:16Let's do the monarchy first
22:17and then we can get around
22:18to prehistoric monuments.
22:20Aren't those two things
22:21the same?
22:23Okay, I know it's unexciting
22:25but administrative reform.
22:26We run the royals
22:27like we run the civil service.
22:29Yes.
22:30Accountability.
22:31There's nothing else
22:32that matters.
22:33It's just that.
22:34I mean, not being allowed
22:35to marry a Catholic.
22:37Pretty sure Article 12
22:38of the Human Rights Act
22:39states that people
22:39have the right to marry
22:40whoever they want.
22:41Says the Queen's Council.
22:42Well, that's wrong too.
22:43I should be called
22:44Senior Council.
22:45I think we can spin it
22:47like this.
22:47It would look really good
22:49if it came from the palace
22:50that they're prepared
22:51to tighten the purses.
22:52She knows that
22:53there has to be a change.
22:54Yes, yes.
22:56The voters don't want
22:57to take down the monarchy.
22:58You've put a version
22:58of that in the dossier.
23:01It's all wrong, Tony.
23:04Seriously, wrong.
23:08Needs changing.
23:19I'd like to start
23:20by thanking you
23:21for giving me
23:21the opportunity
23:22to do this.
23:24I'm ashamed to say
23:25most of the time
23:25we don't think seriously
23:26about the monarchy
23:27in this country.
23:28We just subject you all
23:29to a lot of hurtful
23:31and frivolous gossip.
23:33Really?
23:33I hadn't noticed.
23:37But having consulted
23:38with my closest advisors,
23:42we do have a lot of
23:42who all agree
23:43that the institution
23:45is in need
23:45of some reform.
23:46That much was clear
23:48after the death
23:48of Diana,
23:49Princess of Wales,
23:50when we saw
23:51an outpouring of grief
23:53turn into a mass movement
23:54for change.
23:56So I thought we might
23:58start with something
24:00I know you're
24:01already considering.
24:02Primogeniture.
24:04Yes.
24:06Demoting eldest daughters
24:07in the line of succession,
24:08I think we can all agree
24:10makes little sense
24:11in a modern society.
24:12As an eldest daughter
24:13and myself,
24:14I don't object
24:14to that in principle.
24:16But to turn over
24:17centuries of royal legislation
24:19is no small task.
24:21You'd have to consult
24:22with the 15 other countries
24:24where I'm head of state.
24:27Where the will is there,
24:28these things can usually
24:29change quickly.
24:31Another area
24:32is transparency.
24:34My government
24:34will soon be introducing
24:35a Freedom of Information Act.
24:37I believe the monarchy
24:38might benefit
24:39from something similar.
24:40An annual report
24:41setting out performance,
24:43assets, salaries,
24:44total accountability.
24:45Think of the Crown
24:46as a public limited company
24:48and the people of Britain
24:49as shareholders,
24:50not subjects.
24:52I see.
24:56It's now nearly 300 years
24:58since William III
24:58signed the Act of Settlement
25:00to secure a Protestant monarchy
25:01and there have been
25:04growing calls
25:04for a review
25:06of some of the more
25:08anti-Catholic provisions
25:09which surely have no place
25:11in a plural society
25:12like ours.
25:14I can understand
25:16permitting members
25:17of the royal family
25:18to marry Catholics,
25:20but for Catholics
25:21to be in the direct
25:22line of succession
25:23would open the way
25:24to a Catholic monarch.
25:26Well, of course
25:27there'll be technical issues.
25:28Slightly more than
25:29technical issues.
25:30It would be the disestablishment
25:32of the Church of England.
25:35But we have to be willing
25:36to look at the big questions.
25:37There's no use
25:38nibbling around the periphery.
25:40Should it be the monarch's role
25:41to appoint the Prime Minister?
25:43Of course.
25:44It's a government
25:45in the sovereign's name.
25:47But to be able
25:48to dissolve Parliament,
25:49to give laws royal assent.
25:51They don't in Sweden.
25:52These functions
25:53can be carried out
25:54by the Speaker
25:54of the House of Commons.
25:56Should the monarch
25:56be commander-in-chief
25:57of the armed forces?
25:58Again, they aren't in Sweden.
26:00They aren't in the Netherlands.
26:01Which brings me
26:02to the matter
26:02of pomp and splendor.
26:05I've been looking
26:06at some of the
26:07ceremonial offices
26:08in the royal household
26:09and they include
26:12a hereditary
26:13grand falconer.
26:14Dear Murray,
26:15what about him?
26:17Does the job really
26:18need to depend
26:19on birth, not merit?
26:24The Queen's herbstrewer?
26:26The washer
26:26of the sovereign's hands?
26:28That is only once
26:30per reign
26:30and only when I'm
26:31in residence
26:32at Holyrood House.
26:33Still,
26:34a royal barge master
26:36and 24 watermen,
26:37even though there hasn't
26:38been a royal barge
26:39since 1849.
26:41A warden of the Swans?
26:42Someone has to oversee
26:44the Swans in England's
26:45inland waterways
26:46over which the crown
26:47has an ancient
26:48prerogative right.
26:49But is that prerogative
26:51right?
26:52I understand that
26:53the role dates
26:54from the 12th century
26:55as a way to claim
26:56Swans as delicacies
26:57for royal banquets.
26:58Now that the Swan
26:59has, one imagines,
27:00fallen out of the
27:01culinary repertoire,
27:02how does one
27:02justify the role today?
27:04Kings and Queens
27:05might not be eating
27:06them anymore.
27:07Someone has to care
27:08for them.
27:09We check them
27:10for injuries.
27:12Maintain their habitat.
27:14Ring them with tags
27:16from the British Trust
27:16for Ornithology.
27:18Conservation.
27:20And that's before
27:21we get to the most
27:21anachronistic of all
27:23ceremonies,
27:24the state opening
27:24of Parliament.
27:25Do we really need
27:26ten heralds,
27:27including the rouge
27:28dragon persubint
27:29and the Maltravers
27:31herald extraordinary?
27:33The gold stick
27:34in waiting?
27:35The silver stick
27:35in waiting?
27:36The gentleman usher
27:37of the sword of state?
27:40I think what
27:41we're suggesting
27:42is a purge
27:45of honorifics,
27:46a bonfire
27:47of sinecures
27:48might be a useful
27:49concession.
27:52And PR victory.
28:01I obviously need
28:02to give all this
28:03careful thought.
28:04Your Majesty.
28:14So,
28:15how was it?
28:18A little frosty.
28:20I bet.
28:22But she promised
28:22to give our proposals
28:23some further thought.
28:25No.
28:26But if she doesn't
28:27and the people
28:28get fed up with them,
28:29she'll only have
28:29herself to blame.
28:32Britain is mature
28:33enough as a country
28:34and a democracy
28:35now to live
28:35without this nonsense.
28:39Preservation of the
28:40monarch is her
28:41life's work.
28:42She must know
28:44that they have to
28:45change in order
28:46to survive.
28:48They don't want
28:49to change,
28:49Tony.
28:50I mean,
28:51she probably thinks
28:52the only way
28:53to survive
28:54is to double down
28:56on the madness.
28:58like the Catholic
28:59Church.
29:00Let's not bring
29:00the Church
29:00into this.
29:01Well,
29:02they modernised
29:03and the old guard
29:05has never forgiven
29:05them for it.
29:07Why?
29:08Because they got
29:08rid of the Latin
29:09and the incense
29:10and the miracles
29:11and the mystery
29:12and people stopped
29:13coming.
29:17This is different.
29:19Is it?
29:34Mr. Hawkins,
29:35next,
29:35please.
29:36Yes.
29:40Please,
29:41make yourself
29:42comfortable.
29:45Swans.
29:46That's it.
29:46I'm the warden
29:47of the swans.
29:49It says here
29:50your role is
29:51one of the oldest
29:51in the household.
29:53That's right,
29:53sir.
29:54We've gone through
29:54several incarnations
29:56over the years.
29:57Keeper of the
29:57King of Swans,
29:58the King's Swanmaster,
30:00and now
30:01the warden
30:01of the swans.
30:07And what is
30:08your precise title?
30:10I am
30:11the Queen's
30:11Herbstraw.
30:12The Queen's Guide
30:13to the Suns.
30:15Yeoman of the
30:15Glass and China
30:16Pantry.
30:18Could you tell us
30:19what your role
30:20involves,
30:21day by day?
30:22It's my job
30:23to supervise
30:25the glassware
30:25and earthenware
30:26across all
30:27the royal palaces.
30:29I oversee
30:30stocks.
30:31I guard
30:32against any
30:33damage
30:34and breakages.
30:35What have you
30:36got there?
30:37Laws,
30:38orders,
30:38and customs
30:39of Swans.
30:41The authoritative
30:42text
30:43of what was
30:44then the keeper
30:44of the King's Swans.
30:46It's been guiding us
30:47for centuries,
30:48since 1482
30:49by my reckoning,
30:50by the reign
30:50of Edward IV.
30:52I've seen the bay
30:52change in all manner
30:53of ways.
30:54Years of high tides
30:55and heavy rainfall
30:56will change suns
30:58beyond recognition.
30:59Believe me,
31:00I've seen
31:00shallow gullies
31:02turn into
31:02deep ravines.
31:04What is your
31:04official title?
31:06Astronomer royal.
31:07Paper,
31:07the sovereign.
31:08Lord High Admiral
31:09of the Wash, ma'am.
31:10And my responsibilities
31:11also include
31:13folding all 170
31:15of the embroidered
31:17white linen
31:18napkins.
31:19Oh, that's you?
31:20Yes, ma'am.
31:21You are clever.
31:22How on earth
31:23do you do that?
31:24Few have truly
31:25mastered
31:25the Dutch bonnet
31:27napkin fold.
31:29The swan
31:30is a pure
31:32and graceful
31:34beast.
31:37How's your 15th century
31:38calligraphy, Robert?
31:40A little rusty
31:41till.
31:45Her feathers
31:46are white as snow
31:48and as brief
31:50in duration.
31:53For she signifieth
31:55the passing nature
31:56of fair things.
32:00For though we wish
32:02our splendour
32:03to be everlasting,
32:06no thing
32:06must remain
32:08of what is
32:10past.
32:16The longer
32:17it went on,
32:18the heavier
32:19my heart
32:19became.
32:20I agree.
32:22A sense
32:23of pride
32:24in the tradition.
32:27I think
32:28my favourite
32:30was the
32:31Yeoman bedhanger.
32:32Yes.
32:34Or the
32:35Lord High Admiral
32:35of the Wash.
32:45So they don't want
32:46Blackrod knocking
32:47on the door
32:48or the Lord
32:49Great Chamberlain
32:50walking backwards.
32:51They've also suggested
32:52getting rid of the
32:53cap of maintenance.
32:55Presumably
32:56on the grounds
32:56that it can only be
32:57worn by a peer
32:58of the realm.
32:59But it's so full
33:00of colour
33:00and character
33:02and a glorious
33:03sea of the millions.
33:05I think from a
33:06PR standpoint
33:07it might be sensible
33:08to make one or two
33:09concessions.
33:10Really?
33:11Leave us less open
33:12to charges of elitism
33:13and grandiosity.
33:14But that's missing
33:15the point.
33:16The whole purpose
33:18of the state opening
33:19is to humble
33:20the monarch.
33:22The Crown's
33:22representative,
33:23Blackrod,
33:24knocks on the door
33:25of the House
33:25of Commons
33:26and is rebuffed
33:27three times.
33:28Why?
33:30Because the last time
33:31a king
33:33overstepped the mark
33:34and entered
33:35the Commons,
33:36Charles I,
33:38it led to civil war
33:39and his execution.
33:42Parliament is warning
33:44the monarch.
33:46Never forget,
33:48we are in charge.
33:50She still arrives
33:51in the Irish state
33:52coats with an escort
33:53of household cavern
33:54and hundreds
33:55of guardsmen
33:56lining the route.
33:57It doesn't immediately
33:58feel like a lesson
33:59in humility.
34:00Are we really
34:01being lectured
34:01on humility
34:02by the Prince of Wales?
34:03We are.
34:04Well, I just
34:04don't feel there's
34:06anything wrong
34:06with running the monarchy
34:07on more rational
34:08and democratic lines.
34:11But monarchy
34:12isn't rational
34:13or democratic
34:14or logical
34:15or fair.
34:18Haven't we all
34:19learned that
34:19by now?
34:22People don't want
34:23to come to a royal palace
34:24and get what they
34:25could have at home.
34:27When they come
34:28for an investiture
34:29or a state visit,
34:31when they brush up
34:32against us,
34:33they want the magic
34:34and the mystery
34:35and the arcane
34:36and the eccentric
34:37and the symbolic
34:38and the transcendent.
34:43They want to feel
34:44like they've entered
34:45another world.
34:46That is our duty.
34:49To lift people up
34:50and transport them
34:51into another realm,
34:52not bring them
34:53down to earth
34:54and remind them
34:54of what they already have.
34:58Hear, hear.
34:59The world has been
35:01gripped as the race
35:02for the White House
35:02has boiled down
35:03to a recount
35:04in the battleground
35:05state of Florida.
35:07Many in the Labour Party
35:08had hoped for a victory
35:09for Vice President Al Gore.
35:11But in a dramatic
35:13late-night ruling,
35:15the US Supreme Court
35:16voted 5-4
35:17to stop the recount,
35:19effectively handing
35:20the presidency
35:21to Texas Governor
35:22George W. Bush.
35:23Mr Blair's closest
35:25international ally
35:26will be a man
35:26he has never spoken
35:27to all night.
35:28It couldn't have
35:29been more awkward.
35:30As you know,
35:30the Clintons were
35:31making their farewell
35:32visit to the UK
35:33and staying with us
35:34at Chequers
35:35while the ruling
35:36was being made.
35:37So there we all were,
35:39watching CNN
35:41in the middle of the night
35:42as the election
35:42is being decided.
35:44Oh dear.
35:44The following day,
35:45President Clinton
35:46had to deliver a speech
35:47at the University of Warwick
35:48with me giving
35:49the opening remarks.
35:50Well, I had no choice
35:52but to offer
35:53warm congratulations
35:54to President-elect Bush
35:55in front of my good friend,
35:58Will it be challenging
35:59for you
36:00to have a Republican
36:01White House?
36:03I see no reason
36:04not to be optimistic.
36:07Let's not forget,
36:08I'll be the senior partner
36:09now, so I hope to be able
36:11to influence
36:11President Bush.
36:20Your Majesty.
36:22Prime Minister.
36:30My office sent some suggestions
36:31ahead of the state
36:32opening a parliament.
36:33I was wondering
36:33if you had a chance
36:34to look at them.
36:35Rather more than that.
36:37I discussed them
36:38with my family.
36:40Believe it or not,
36:41for my first child
36:43it was still custom
36:44to summon the Home Secretary
36:45to witness a royal birth.
36:49my father
36:50put a stop to it
36:51with my consent.
36:52So I'm not against reform.
36:54The question is
36:55what is worth preserving
36:57and where to draw the line.
36:59We have now conducted
37:00a thorough review
37:01of all the offices
37:02in my household
37:03and what we discovered
37:04was not indefensible
37:06extravagance or luxury
37:07or a collection
37:08of empty Ruritanian titles
37:10but an extraordinary array
37:12of precious expertise
37:13skills that have been
37:15passed down
37:16for generations
37:17often within
37:18the same families
37:19and the vehicle
37:20for that continuity
37:22is the crown.
37:24The spell
37:25that we cast
37:26and have cast
37:27for centuries
37:27is our immutability.
37:30Tradition
37:31is our strength.
37:33Respect
37:33for our forebears
37:35and the preservation
37:36of generations
37:38of their wisdom
37:39and learned experience.
37:42Modernity
37:43is not always
37:44the answer.
37:46Sometimes antiquity
37:47is too.
37:55Are you ready?
37:57Are you ready?
38:02Am I just serving, ma'am?
38:03Oh, Robert.
38:05No, not at all.
38:08I just wanted
38:09to express my relief, ma'am.
38:12That I came
38:12to my senses.
38:14For a moment,
38:15I think we risk
38:16compromising
38:16the very things
38:17that make us distinctive.
38:20Please.
38:24Which leads me
38:25to think
38:28that it might be best
38:29if I personally
38:30were to move on.
38:33Robert.
38:34It's true, ma'am.
38:36At crucial moments,
38:37the palace
38:37has failed
38:38to read
38:38the public mood
38:40and much
38:41of the blame
38:42rests with me.
38:43Surely not.
38:44It's a question
38:45of temperament,
38:46knowing where
38:46to be flexible.
38:48My problem
38:49is I'm an old stick.
38:51I'd rather not
38:51change anything
38:52at all.
38:53I tend to see
38:54things as binary.
38:56Either you
38:57keep things
38:58as they are
38:59or it's closing time
39:01in the gardens
39:01of the west.
39:03But you can
39:05make alterations
39:06without tearing down
39:07the building.
39:08My deputy,
39:10Robin Janvin,
39:11is far better
39:12placed to do that.
39:13He's much more
39:14attuned
39:15and deserving
39:16of a step up.
39:17Of course,
39:18Robin will make
39:18an excellent
39:19private secretary,
39:20but he's still
39:21a young man.
39:23Is there nothing
39:23I can do
39:24to persuade you
39:24to stay?
39:27Sometimes it's helpful
39:28to offer a scalp.
39:31This way,
39:33everyone benefits.
39:34The public
39:35gets sent a signal.
39:37You get better advice
39:38than I could ever
39:39possibly give.
39:42I get to play
39:42more cricket.
39:46I don't know
39:47how I'll manage.
39:47I should be
39:48utterly lost.
39:49No, ma'am,
39:50you won't.
39:51It'll be just fine.
39:52You've navigated
39:53this latest matter
39:54perfectly without
39:55my help.
40:07Every minute
40:08has been an honour,
40:08ma'am.
40:30And finally,
40:30ma'am,
40:31your visit
40:31to Brighton
40:32and Hove
40:32as one of the
40:33government's
40:33designated
40:34Millennium Cities.
40:35Yes.
40:36I have drafted
40:37a programme
40:38of engagements
40:38that I hope
40:39preserves the
40:40traditional
40:40but adds a
40:42somewhat modern
40:42sensibility.
40:45On the one hand,
40:46lunch at the
40:47pavilion in tribute
40:48to your great-great-great-great-
40:49uncle,
40:50George IV.
40:51On the other,
40:52a visit to the
40:53Sussex Innovation
40:53Centre to see
40:55a demonstration
40:56of an insectoid
40:57robot called
40:58Maggie.
40:59Right.
41:04one last thing you might
41:06be interested to know.
41:08The Prime Minister.
41:10Yes?
41:12Has chosen to address
41:14the Women's Institute
41:16as part of his mission
41:18to consolidate support
41:20in Middle England.
41:21Really?
41:23I wouldn't have said
41:24they were his sort
41:24of crowd.
41:26But his unerring
41:27judgment is what
41:28one has always
41:29had to admire him
41:30for,
41:31and his ability
41:32to win over
41:33seemingly
41:34anyone.
41:36I'm sure this
41:37will be no
41:38exception.
41:44And in the sea
41:47In the ancient times
41:52Walk upon England's
41:54mountain stream
41:57And what a holy
42:01Lamb of God
42:03For the freedom
42:10A modern voice
42:11for women
42:12It is a clear
42:14and admirable
42:15statement of ideals.
42:17But what does it mean
42:18to be modern
42:20in a new Britain
42:22driven by change
42:24and innovation?
42:26Make no mistake
42:27there are many traditions
42:28we can be proud of
42:29but we must never
42:30cling to tradition
42:31for its own sake.
42:33In the 21st century
42:35we must ask ourselves
42:37what kind of values
42:39we want to promote.
42:41We must take
42:42what's best
42:43from the past
42:44but never be
42:45enthralled to it.
42:46Old-fashioned
42:47practices
42:48can sometimes
42:50hold progress
42:51back.
42:52I believe
42:53and the Labour
42:54Party believes
42:55that a new
42:57updated concept
42:59of community
42:59is needed
43:00to keep up
43:01with the fast
43:02pace of change
43:03in the modern world.
43:05I was elected
43:06leader of the Labour Party
43:07because I understood
43:08that we had a radical
43:09mission
43:10to change
43:11not just the politics
43:12of this country
43:13but the constitution
43:15of this country
43:16the soul
43:17of this country.
43:20Radical
43:20is not a word
43:22to be frightened of
43:23it is a word
43:24to embrace
43:26because I fear
43:27that if we are not
43:28radical
43:29we will not
43:30succeed
43:30in our mission.
43:32Look at what we've done
43:33in the House of Lords
43:34taking
43:37taking drastic action
43:39against hereditary
43:40privilege.
43:42Thank you
43:42very much.
43:45Look, the world
43:46is changing fast.
43:48Oh, okay, right.
43:51And change
43:52is tough,
43:52we know that.
43:58It's no wonder
43:59people feel worried
44:00and wish to hold
44:01tight to the old ways.
44:02A run-in with
44:03the Women's Institute
44:04was surely not
44:05what the Prime Minister
44:06had in mind
44:06as he made his return
44:07to the political fray.
44:09The chairwoman
44:09of the WI
44:10says that she had
44:11urged Mr. Blair
44:12not to make
44:12his speech
44:13party political.
44:14Take all the forces
44:15that prevent
44:15Biden change
44:16than the very
44:18conditions
44:19for the system.
44:23I'm glad
44:24they're having
44:24a good debate.
44:34He can charm America,
44:36indeed the whole world,
44:38but comes up short
44:39with the Women's Institute.
44:41I'm getting terrible
44:42stick for it
44:42from my aides
44:43who all advise
44:44against doing it.
44:45You were political
44:46with the WI,
44:48the one thing
44:48we pride ourselves
44:49on never being.
44:50As far as criticisms
44:51go,
44:52being too political
44:53is one I think
44:54I can live with.
44:55Be like someone
44:55describing you
44:56as being too royal.
44:59I think I've come
45:00to realize
45:00there's no such thing
45:01as too royal.
45:04If you're doing it,
45:05do it properly.
45:08And unapologetically.
45:13I understand.
45:22I'm sure you're aware
45:24the EU has just
45:25published a draft
45:27of its new
45:28Charter for Fundamental Rights
45:30ahead of the
45:31forthcoming summit
45:32in Portugal.
45:33Our hope
45:34is that it will reflect
45:35the original
45:36meaning of the EU
45:37to summarize
45:38existing words.
45:44you can work my power
45:48You can wear my shoes
45:52Not to talk like me
45:56I'd be an angel too
46:01I'm singing it now
46:02Things can only get
46:06Better
46:20Things can only get
46:22Can only get
46:28Now I found you
46:31Things can only get
46:37Better
46:37Now I found
46:45Now I found
46:46Now I found you
46:54To understand
46:54what more
46:54happened,
46:54happened along
47:00Is this a
47:01you
47:07What I found
47:16Why
47:17Can't
47:17.
47:47.
48:18.
48:18.
48:18.
48:18.
48:19.
48:19.
48:21.
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48:27.
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