We weren’t expecting an actual present from the Royal Family for the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II but the special programme, The Unseen Queen, felt like something of a gift in itself for anyone interested in her historic reign.
The programme, shown on the BBC at the start of the Jubilee week, provided unique access to never before seen footage from the House of Windsor’s private home movie collection. The images themselves told a fascinating story of how a princess who was never expected to rule grew up to be the longest reigning monarch in British history. But there was more. For the only words involved in this story came from The Queen herself.
Just days before, Elizabeth II recorded some of her thoughts and reflections on her family, her reign and her own role. It was a revealing and poignant commentary that let the Jubilee Queen speak for herself.
What she said showed just how important the influence of her parents was and has continued to be throughout her record breaking reign. The earliest images in the programme showed a young Elizabeth, the darling of her ma and pa, playing happily and talking quite a lot. Footage of her, in a simple dress and with her hair still in the tight curls of early toddlerhood, also hinted at the resolve that would see her through an epoch defining rule. For young Elizabeth never gave up. As The Queen herself told us how much her parents loved to capture their family life on film, we saw their elder daughter keep on trying games that might have defeated her, chatting happily all the while.
That innate confidence was clearly nurtured in a loving family environment that placed the young princess and her sister, Margaret Rose, at its centre. There were even smiles from Queen Mary. The original matriarch of the House of Windsor might have gone down in history as a formidable presence but the images of her with her granddaughter showed a woman who doted on her loved ones. Carefully chosen words from The Queen’s diaries provided the other commentary in the programme and included the revelation that Mary, like her granddaughter, found the Coronation of George VI rather long and had joined a young Elizabeth in flipping through the programme to see how much more they had to endure before being released once more from the Abbey.
There were moments of deep sadness in the programme, too. Grainy images of Edward VIII, the uncle whose abdication would put Elizabeth on the path to her historic reign, showed the joy that he found in his family. But there were also hints of the selfishness for which he was known with the man known to those he loved as David appearing not to notice that his young nieces wanted to continue the game they were enjoying.
However, it was the subtle treatment of his decision to give up his Crown to marry Wallis Simpson that provided one of the most heart rending moments in the film. The trembling words of his Abdication Speech, in which he extolled the virtues of the brother who now inherited his throne, were played over images of the two men, arm in arm, performing forward rolls in perfect unison. The brotherly bond, forever altered, was clear as was the pain felt by the former Edward VIII as he praised the family of the new George VI and spoke of the strength it gave the new king.
In fact, it was George VI who dominated this special programme. The Queen’s devotion to her father was underlined as was the huge influence he had on how she ruled once his throne passed to her. She spoke of his devotion to duty and his determination to serve, all while the unexpected king aged dramatically before our eyes. One particularly moving part showed him walking in the gardens of Buckingham Palace during World War Two, wrapped up in a big coat as he pounded the royal lawns now converted by conflict. The weight of the responsibility on his shoulders was clear as was his resolve to carry on. But as the films gave way to the post war years, the toll was clear to see. The king, now in his early 50s, looked decades older as he played with his young grandchildren, Charles and Anne.
But it was her father’s impact on her own attitude that stood out in this revealing hour of royal history. As the programme came to an end, The Queen said ”Over the years, I have tried to follow my father’s example, and to serve you as best I can.”
Service has been a recurring theme in this Jubilee year, always led by the example of Elizabeth II. But the Jubilee Queen herself told the world that she had learned this lesson from another celebrated Monarch. The Unseen Queen revealed much about the woman who has broken just about every regal record there is and underlined how much she attributes her own successes to the love and example of her father and her mother, the 20th century’s first Queen Elizabeth.
It was a moving start to a Jubilee unique in British history and made even more so now by hearing and seeing its origins told by The Queen herself. A royal gift, indeed.
‘The Unseen Queen’ can be viewed in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.
