In episode 4 of the crown, the 1969 bbc documentary royal family is discussed. Getty images portrait of prince charles as his studies at trinity college, cambridge university during filming of the television documentary royal family in may 1969. Cameras followed the royal family around for a whole year. Viewers of episode 4, season 3 of the crown, will see how a documentary made in 1969 about the british royal family was withdrawn from broadcast by.
Royal family was a 1969 british documentary about queen elizabeth ii, prince philip, and the general royal family. Its a documentary called royal family, and it hasnt been seen in full for decades. The scene was one part of a 105minute color documentary named simply, royal family, that was broadcast across england on june 21, 1969. The queen banned a documentary showing her buying an ice. I was six when i saw it and it amazed me seeing the queen driving her land rover all over the place. In 1969, bbcs documentary, royal family, aimed to show them as real people in their own homes rather than the lofty unreachable figureheads of an. Royal family 1969 also known as the royal family 1969 is a bbc and itv coproduction, which was bro. Royal gold dustthe 1969 documentary the royal family there was a wonderful documentary called the royal family made in 1969. The 1969 documentary the royal family doesnt want you to. The royal family has taken precautions to make sure the world cant find the documentary the bbc made about the royal family in 1969.
With michael flanders, prince andrew, prince charles, prince philip. The royal family documentary the queen had banned from. Queen elizabeth ii banned an intrusive royal family documentary from being aired to a new generation of viewers in 1969 as she believed it. Selected originals offcuts, selected scenes, out takes, rushes for story 1969 a royal year 69105. The royal family documentary in the crown is real and. The stroy behind the royal family documentary banned by. The 1969 royal family documentary the queen had banned.
Historian sarah gristwood investigates the real documentary featured in. Where can you watch the 1969 documentary royal family. For the very first time, cameras were allowed to capture conversations and the intimacy of the family in their daily routines and life. Despite its massive success, queen elizabeth reportedly shelved it at the end of 1969. The 1969 documentary the royal family doesnt want you to see bridget mccusker the documentary was a smash success with viewersbut shortly thereafter, it was ordered off the air, never to be. It was reportedly the idea of lord mountbattens soninlaw, lord brabourne, according to history, and prince philip agreed it would humanize the royal family and strengthen the monarchy, despite the disapproval of some royals. It was meant to make them seem more relatable, but a 1969 documentary about the royal family was banned by the queen after its message backfired.
A remarkable life british royal family documentary timeline duration. The royal family has taken precautions to make sure the world cant find the documentary the bbc made about the royal family in 1969, referenced in the crown. Apparently this particular documentary following the queen and her family for one year, to be shown on tv right before prince charles investiture as prince of. Richard cawstons bbc documentary team followed the royal family for 18 months as they went about their days. A documentary of the royal family directed by richard cawston was broadcast on bbc one on june 21, 1969. Intimate portrait of the daily life of the british royal family drawn from 18 months of filming within buckingham palace, windsor castle and balmoral. The following week a color version was aired on itv, the commercial channel. Royal family 1969 trailer for the 1969 documentary. Several more shots of investiture of prince charles. Queen elizabeth ii tells prince charles and other family members not pictured a humorous story in this screengrab from a scene in the 1969 documentary royal family.
In 1969, millions of britons were given a rare glimpse behind royal walls for the first time, thanks to an intimate television documentary that followed the queen and her family as they went about their daily lives. The 1969 documentary that tried to humanize queen elizabeth ii. Apparently this particular documentary following the queen and her family for one year, to be shown on tv right before prince charles investiture as prince of wales, was only shown once on the bbc and then the royal family decided that this doc. How to watch the full royal family documentary 1969 quora. This is the 1969 tv documentary the royal family doesnt. The concept behind the documentary was to soften and.
Royal family documentary revived four decades on telegraph. But since the 1970s the queen has never again given permission for the film to be shown in its entirety. Royal gold dustthe 1969 documentary the royal family. Why the royal family documentary hasnt been seen since 1969. Short clips of the documentary released in 2011 for an exhibition in honour of the queens diamond jubilee showed the royal family eating together possibly alluding to their royal etiquette rules, having a picnic, and even playing with puppies, though the clips did not include a cameo from the queens beloved corgis. Prince philip and queen elizabeth ii on a private jet in 1969 while filming royal family. When the documentary aired on the bbc, in black and white, on 21 june 1969, more than 23 million people tuned in a week later, a further 15 million watched the royal family on itv in colour. True story of the royal familys 1969 bbc documentary in. Royal family also known as the royal family is a british television documentary about the family of queen elizabeth ii.
Royal family was first transmitted on 21st june 1969. Whatever happened to the 1969 documentary royal family. If you havent heard about the infamous royal family documentary of 1969, the filming of which is featured in an episode of the crown season 3, its for a reason. Royal family documentary revived four decades on when the queen agreed to be the subject of a flyonthewall television documentary in 1969, the nation watched in wonder. It followed the royals for 18 months, documenting their every move from. A look back on royal family from 1969 in which the british royal family were documented offduty on film for the first time. British tv stations debuted the documentary in black and white on june 21, 1969, according to town and country, and a week later audiences got the chance to watch it again. The premise of the documentary was for the public to get an idea of what life in the modern royal court of 1969 was like. On june 21, 1969, a flyonthewall documentary about the royal family was aired on british tv and watched by 37 million people. Queen elizabeth ii and prince philip fly back from a visit to yorkshire in an andover of the queens flight, in a. The real story behind the 1969 royal family documentary did prince philips mother come to live at the palace during filming. Viewers of episode 4, season 3 of the crown, will see how a documentary made in 1969 about the british royal family was withdrawn from broadcast by her majesty after only three public viewings.
The documentary, royal family, was created by richard cawston for the bbc. For queen elizabeth ii, as both head of state of the united kingdom and head of the church of england, the documentary presented her in a way. Heres everything you need to know about the reallife. In 1969, bbcs documentary, royal family, aimed to show them as real people in their own homes rather than the lofty unreachable figureheads of an archaic institution. Royal family 1969 trailer for the 1969 documentary offering an inside look into queen elizabeths family, which she later banished to the archives due to public shock. Thats exactly what happened in 1968 when the british royal family agreed to open up their private lives to cameras for a bbc documentary, royal family, that aired in 1969. Richard cawstons film royal family, first broadcast by the bbc on 21 june 1969, was repeated on itv the following week. Why the queen still refuses to allow a 1969 documentary to. This is the royal documentary the queen reportedly doesnt. Royal family is a british television documentary about the family of queen elizabeth ii. Why has the queen banned the royal family tv documentary. How to watch the bbcs royal family 1969 documentary.
Why this 1969 royal family documentary was pulled off air in total, the queen mother was a widow for 50 years of her life. In an effort to appear more welcoming, the british royal family allowed cameras to film their lives for several months in 1969. Why the royal family documentary from the crown will. In the film, you can see queen elizabeth ii travel on a private jet, greet president nixon, and hang out with her children the documentary was also meant to introduce the public to their future king, prince charles.
Critical reception was generally negative and the film has not been shown again on tv since 1972. Photos from the controversial documentary about the. In 1968 the queen allowed cameras to follow the family for the groundbreaking documentary, royal family, but she wont allow the programme and 38. Royal family aired on june 21, 1969, on the bbc, in a black and white version that drew an audience of 23 million. The film attracted over 30 million viewers in the united kingdom. The documentary would be first broadcast to the nations television viewers on 21st june 1969. After king george vi died in 1952, the keys to windsor castle were handed to queen elizabeth ii, who. Why you wont be able to find the royal family documentary. When royal family aired on june 21, 1969, it was watched by 37 million peoplethree quarters of the british publicaccording to the telegraph. It originally aired on bbc one and itv in june 1969. Then, the queen ordered it taken off the air and never shown again.
405 1504 180 626 914 1039 70 1110 393 497 413 292 1153 384 897 695 806 1224 474 975 227 102 565 332 1083 499 784 1508 1408 818 1441 129 601 1233 584 1643 935 1126 386 760 593 1012 508 912 91 1236 739