Narrator: This is the story of the british royal family,
Told in color for the first time.
At the end of the 19th century,
Reclusive queen victoria is seen as distant and remote.
Her larger-than-life son, edward vii,
Knows that even kings need to have their public on their side.
And when the country goes to war,
The royals must prove their worth
Or risk the end of the monarchy.
Cameras create the first modern celebrity royal,
Edward viii.
But he nearly destroys the royal family
When he falls in love with his married american mistress.
And still, edward is a tough act to follow
For stammering, shy george vi.
A young, unprepared queen elizabeth
Must continue the dynasty.
This is the story
Of how the royal family survives the early 20th century
As you've never seen it before.
[cheering]
♪
Queen elizabeth: ...Shall be devoted to your service...
♪
Narrator: June 2, 1953.
27-year-old queen elizabeth prepares to be crowned.
As the gold state coach leaves for westminster abbey,
It marks a new, optimistic age for britain.
[cheering]
♪
Three million spectators line the route.
Many hold specially-made periscopes
To try and catch a glimpse of their young, glamorous queen.
Arriving at the abbey,
Aristocratic maids of honor, specially chosen for the event,
Assist the queen.
This is the first time in royal history
That a coronation is televised live to the nation.
The archbishop of canterbury places the crown on her head,
Prompting a great shout from the congregation.
Congregation: God save the queen!
Narrator: This coronation becomes
One of the most popular moments
In the history of the royal family.
The events leading up to this spectacular ceremony
Are testament to the house of windsor's
Incredible instincts for survival.
[cheering]
The queen will now need to drive the monarchy
Into the modern age.
At the end of the 19th century,
Queen victoria reigns over the whole of the british empire.
This rare footage from 1896
Shows the 77-year-old queen holding her dog turi
At balmoral, her scottish castle.
Since the death of her beloved husband albert
35 years ago,
She has lived in permanent mourning
And wears only black.
This is the first film ever taken of the queen.
Victoria will later watch it for her private amusement.
Walking alongside her carriage,
Her favorite granddaughter, princess alexandra,
And her husband, tsar nicholas ii of russia.
[dog barking]
At this time, the queen has seven children
And 33 grandchildren still alive.
Many have married into europe's royal houses.
But she is reclusive and rarely seen by her subjects.
In the coming century,
The people will expect more from their monarch.
[cannon fires]
January 1901.
The 81-year-old queen dies on the isle of wight.
Her yacht alberta passes a saluting warship
As it transports her body to the mainland.
She is taken to windsor castle.
Surprisingly, after 40 years in black,
She requests that her coffin is draped in bridal white
As she prepares to join her beloved prince albert in death.
Also at her request, and for the first time in royal history,
Her coffin is transported on a gun carriage.
En route, one of the horse's harnesses breaks.
[horse neighing]
So for the last part of the funeral procession,
Sailors take up the reins of the carriage on foot.
This becomes a royal tradition which continues to this day.
Crowds line the streets to pay their respects
To britain's longest serving monarch of 63 years.
[horse neighs]
40 members of royalty walk behind her coffin.
Many are the heads of european countries,
And most are related to victoria.
Directly behind her body, in the brown cape,
Is her son and heir, edward vii.
On his right is her grandson, kaiser wilhelm of germany.
But the linchpin of this enormous royal family has gone.
[cheering]
18 months later,
The gold state coach takes edward to his coronation.
♪
Victoria always worried
That edward would not rise to the job.
Edward is known to be larger than life,
With a love of horses,
Pheasant shooting... [bang]
And women,
Even though he is married
To the danish princess, queen alexandra.
Edward invents the modern royal appearance.
On this tour to the industrial northern city of sheffield,
He comes to open the university.
Unlike his mother, queen victoria,
He understands that his public need
The theatre and spectacle of royalty.
But he wields little actual power.
The country is run by the government and parliament.
He is a constitutional monarch who reigns but does not rule.
Many of his european family have more political clout.
His nephew nicholas, tsar of all the russias,
Is from a long line of autocrats.
His other nephew, kaiser wilhelm of germany,
Has complete control over the german military.
Still, when the king goes to paris in 1903,
He has an important role to play as the public face of britain.
The british prime minister arthur balfour
Wants to improve tense relations with France.
But when edward is invited there on an official state visit,
He charms them.
Crowds gather and cheer him as he rides through the capital.
This visit paves the way for a series of treaties.
Britain becomes an official ally of France.
The king now has a new name:
Edward the peacemaker.
[bottle shatters]
The peacemaker is also the head of the world's largest navy.
In 1906, he launches hms dreadnought in portsmouth.
It's the fastest battleship to date.
This launch spurs edward's envious nephew wilhelm
To create a navy that rivals britain's.
Tensions mount as britain and germany engage in an arms race.
[cannon fires]
In 1909, king edward assembles the splendor of the navy
Just off the isle of wight
To welcome rare guests,
The russian royal family.
It's regatta week, the height of the social season.
In this rare footage,
The tsar and tsarina and their four daughters
Line up to greet auntie alex and uncle edward.
These are some of the few images
Of the british and russian royal families
Together in britain.
But this is also a state visit.
Russia is now britain's official ally.
Tsar nicholas and alexandra lead their children onto british soil
For the first time.
It will also be their last.
Edward vii's nephew kaiser wilhelm
Has always had a difficult relationship
With his british royal relatives.
His mother was princess victoria,
Queen victoria's eldest child.
He has a love-hate relationship with britain
Which stems back to his childhood.
His left arm hangs 6 inches shorter than his right,
The result of a breach birth.
Wilhelm blames his mother's english doctor
For his disability.
To disguise it, he often holds a sword in public
To make his arm seem longer.
His british family find him pompous and arrogant,
But uncle edward manages to keep the peace
Between the two families.
[bell tolling]
1910.
King edward vii, "the uncle of europe,"
Dies of a heart attack after nine short years on the throne.
His funeral is the largest gathering of european royalty
Ever seen--
Bigger even than his mother's.
The roll call includes the kings of norway, greece, Spain,
Denmark, portugal, and bulgaria.
Former president theodore roosevelt
Also walks in the procession.
The chief mourners directly behind edward's coffin
Are the new king george v
And kaiser wilhelm.
[horse neighs]
No one here knows that this is one of the last times
These royal families will all be together.
In just four years,
Their monarchies will be thrown into war.
[cheering]
In June 1911, king george v and his wife, queen mary,
Welcome the crowds at buckingham palace
After their coronation.
George is known as cautious and conservative.
And mary does not believe that it is appropriate
For royalty to smile in public.
George has served in the navy,
And runs family life in the same way he'd run a ship.
Here his children play at being sailors.
Practicing his rifle drill is his eldest son and heir,
Edward,
Known in the family as david, one of his middle names.
Alongside him is his brother bertie
And sister mary brandishing a sword.
In george's reign, the social order is changing.
Working people are becoming more vocal,
Demanding their rights.
A flash point is the suffragettes' campaign,
"votes for women."
One of their most daring publicity stunts
Will involve the king at the 1913 epsom derby.
Famously, this moment is captured on film.
As the race reaches tattenham corner,
Emily davison steps in front of anmer,
The horse owned by the king.
[horse neighs]
The horse survives, but emily is killed.
No one knows exactly what emily's motives are.
Some speculate that she merely wanted to tie
The suffragette colors to the horse.
Others see it as an act of martyrdom.
The suffragettes are front-page news.
A year later, 200 of them March on buckingham palace
To present a petition to the king.
67 are arrested.
George never publicly responds.
As king, he is expected to be impartial in politics.
But some matters cannot be ignored.
In germany, the war machine is gathering pace.
Even so, in 1913, george attends the family wedding
Of the kaiser's daughter in berlin.
George even wears an honorary german uniform,
Including a spiked helmet called a pickelhaube.
This family occasion is the last time
The cousins will ever see each other.
[cannon fires]
Just a year later,
Britain declares war on germany.
Civilians are encouraged to enlist
And defend king and country.
In newcastle, king george inspects the shipyards
That are building britain's war fleet.
These images become a vital part
Of george and mary's morale-boosting propaganda
And appear in cinemas across britain.
George makes more public visits than any previous monarch,
Including trips to front-line France,
Where he rides a supply train
To see the battlefields of the somme.
Over a million men are killed or wounded here
In this fight with his cousin's army.
George and mary also visit field stations
Behind the front line,
Including this american one in étaples.
They see it as their duty
To visit the troops fighting in their name.
The king understands that the monarchy must be seen
As serving the people.
Their traditional right to rule
Is not enough in the 20th century.
The royal family must adapt
Or die.
George's heir, 20-year-old david,
Joins the grenadier guards
And is allowed to be posted to the western front.
But he is kept back from the front line,
Much to his frustration.
George's second son, bertie, is already in the navy.
Unlike his brother, he will see the fighting first-hand
In the battle of jutland.
Three years into the brutal war,
The germans deploy a new long-range plane,
The gotha bomber.
They begin bombing raids on british towns.
In June in the east end of london,
Gotha bombers kill 162 people,
Including 18 children.
The name has an unfortunate resonance for the royals
Because the family name is saxe coburg gotha.
It's inherited from queen victoria's german husband,
Prince albert.
In an anti-german atmosphere, that's a huge disadvantage.
George is right to worry about public opinion.
On the 15th of March 1917,
His russian cousin tsar nicholas is overthrown in a revolution.
Concerned by republican sentiments at home,
George comes up with a radical solution--
A rebranding exercise inspired by one of their family homes.
He changes their family name
To the more british-sounding
"windsor."
Worried that britain
Could one day have its own revolution,
He refuses asylum
To his cousin nicholas and his family.
In July 1918, in siberia,
They are herded into a basement and shot.
[gunshot]
[cheering]
Just a few months later, in November 1918,
The allied countries sign an armistice.
People rejoice in america,
France,
And britain.
At st. Paul's cathedral in london,
George and mary attend a service of celebration.
George's defeated cousin, kaiser wilhelm, abdicates
And spends the rest of his days gardening,
Exiled in the netherlands.
The once mighty german empire no longer exists.
The russian and austro-hungarian royal families also fall.
George is one of the few great monarchs to survive.
In peacetime, george and mary continue to meet people
Up and down the country.
They are determined to stay at the center of national life.
George opens the gates of buckingham palace
For his annual royal garden parties,
Filmed here for the first time in 1935.
Also on display is the next generation of royals,
Including his heir, david.
♪
David is a prince who embraces all things modern,
Even learning to fly his own plane.
♪
He prefers more casual dress to his father,
Particularly when in public.
When he visits glasgow,
He's not afraid to rub shoulders with his subjects.
His parents, king george and queen mary,
Send him all around the country on official duties.
On the third of July 1933,
He opens a record three bridges in west london in one afternoon.
Edward: I'm just about to cut a ribbon
Of this hampton court bridge.
I might add that it is lucky it has only just been put up
Because I have crossed this bridge
No less than ten times already.
Narrator: George's second son, bertie,
Also plays his part in public life,
Inspecting troops and attending openings
On his father's behalf.
But unlike his older brother david,
He is painfully shy
And has a debilitating stammer.
Bertie: And we are all...
Happy to feel...
That...
That the generosity of his majesty...
Has set an example to all...
And which has been widely followed...
Throughout the country.
Narrator: In 1923,
Bertie marries elizabeth bowes lyon,
The daughter of a scottish earl.
Unlike queen mary,
Bertie's bride believes royals should smile in public.
She is nicknamed "the smiling duchess."
In 1926, they have their first daughter,
Princess elizabeth,
Seen here with her nanny...
Followed by princess margaret rose
Four years later.
The family settle down in central london,
In piccadilly.
Their next-door neighbor is socialite rosie newman.
In 1936,
She captures 10-year-old elizabeth
And 5-year-old margaret
Playing with their pet corgis, dookie and jane.
No one yet realizes
The vital role princess elizabeth will play
In the survival of the house of windsor.
[ship horn blows]
29th of August 1924.
As prince of wales,
David travels the world in the king's name,
As an ambassador for britain and the empire.
He draws enormous crowds wherever he goes,
Like here in new york.
He is the first royal to visit a rodeo in america
And even tries his hand at being a cowboy.
During the last part of his stay at this long island estate,
He invites the newsreels in for a private audience,
In a way that no royal has previously allowed.
David is clearly at ease with the media
And becomes the most photographed man in the world.
Even though he's just 5'7" tall,
He cuts a dashing figure.
He's known for his stylish suits in prince of wales check.
For a royal, a red tie is a bold statement.
David is a wildly popular trendsetter,
But his father, george v, sees him as immature and spoilt.
What particularly upsets him
Is david's preference for married women.
[gunshot]
Announcer: They're off.
[cheering]
Narrator: When he's filmed at the grand national in 1935,
The cameras are unaware
That the woman next to him is his mistress,
The married american wallis simpson.
Wallis is a baltimore debutante,
The society "it girl" of her day.
She's on her second marriage to ernest simpson,
A shipbroker and former soldier.
But edward and wallis are soon inseparable
And openly vacation together in austria.
The royal family are shocked
That david flaunts his unsuitable married mistress
In public.
His father george v predicts, "after I am dead,
The boy will ruin himself in twelve months."
[fanfare plays]
In may 1935,
Britain celebrates george's silver jubilee
Of 25 years on the throne.
[fanfare]
At the end of the celebrations,
He addresses his nation
In a new medium for the royal family--
Radio.
King george: Thank you from the depths of our hearts,
For all the loyalty,
And, may I say, the love
With which this day and always
You have surrounded us.
Narrator: George has survived the war
And the collapse of his royal cousins.
The windsors are now more popular than ever before.
In January 1936,
The news breaks that the king is seriously ill.
A lifetime of smoking
Has given him trouble with his lungs.
The king dies in sandringham,
His estate in the east of England.
[fanfare plays]
January 21, 1936.
St. James's palace, london.
The day after the king's death.
The garter principal king of arms
Formally announces the new king's accession.
Man: God save the king.
[cannon fires]
Narrator: David is now edward viii.
He should be privately mourning,
But instead flies in from sandringham
To watch the ceremony.
This breaks with royal protocol
And is seen as tasteless.
But what really upsets the royal family
Is that wallis is at the window, too.
Edward bans the footage from being shown.
But the public welcome their dashing new king.
News announcer: Even before westminster abbey
Is closed to receive its coronation threads,
The wheels of british industry are spinning at top speed.
Narrator: The country prepares for the coronation
Of what promises to be the most popular king in living memory.
Factories begin to make souvenirs.
The ceremony is set for a year later, in may 1937.
But edward viii has little interest,
Leaving his brother bertie to organize the details.
Instead he goes on a series of vacations,
Including this one to cannes, in the south of France,
With the still-married wallis.
Later that summer,
A photographer catches wallis touching his arm.
The american media realize they are more than friends.
But while the british press cover the holiday,
They print nothing about the affair.
A gentleman's agreement with the palace
Keeps edward's secret.
But in October 1936,
Wallis files for divorce.
Behind closed doors, edward meets with the government
And tells them that he plans to marry her,
Even though the church of England,
Of which edward is the head,
Does not allow divorced people to remarry.
Prime minister stanley baldwin
Tells him that his choice of bride is impossible
If he wants to remain king.
As edward tours south wales in November,
Meeting impoverished welsh families,
His popularity is at an all-time high.
No one in the crowd has any idea
That the monarchy is in crisis...
Even though in america,
The press loudly speculate
On a royal wedding date.
Back in london,
The prime minister still refuses to support the marriage.
Finally on the 2nd of December,
The british press run the story.
The opinion of the country
Is divided.
It's the biggest crisis since world war I.
Man: In my opinion, the king should marry who he loves.
He's been a good chap to the working class.
That's my opinion of him.
Man: Quite apart from the fact that she isn't of noble blood,
Mrs. Simpson has twice been in the divorce courts.
To my mind,
That completely rules her out as queen of England.
Man: The nation is behind him,
And we must not lose him.
Narrator: 10th of December 1936,
Edward officially abdicates his throne.
A day later, he publicly renounces his title.
Edward: A few hours ago,
I discharged my last duty as king and emperor.
Believe me when I tell you
That I have found it impossible
To carry the heavy burden of responsibility
And to discharge my duties as king
As I would wish to do,
Without the help and support of the woman I love.
Narrator: Crowds converge on central london,
Shocked that their beloved king has gone.
[fanfare plays]
Five months later,
Stammering and unprepared brother bertie
Is crowned as king george vi
In the ceremony that he helped plan for his brother.
[cheering]
The popular edward viii will be a tough act to follow.
And george will need to become a symbol of national survival
As war looms.
[cheering]
George vi, the reluctant king,
Has one advantage over his scandalous brother edward--
His family.
This film is taken
Just as they first move in to buckingham palace
In 1937.
The invited cameras show george as a happy family man
With his heir, 10-year-old elizabeth,
And 6-year-old margaret.
They are so close-knit, the king calls them "us four."
Just a month after the coronation,
Edward marries wallis at the chateau de cande in France.
Not one member of the royal family attends.
The bride wears a special kind of blue,
Dubbed "wallis blue" by its dressmaker.
George gives edward and wallis the title
"the duke and duchess of windsor."
But he refuses wallis the title "her royal highness,"
Which would officially recognize her
As a member of the royal family.
By now, adolf hitler is in power
And germany is once again turning into a military machine.
New king george vi and his government
Are appalled by the fuhrer's warmongering.
But what really upsets them
Is when the duke of windsor defies government advice.
He goes on a semi-official, unsanctioned visit
To nazi germany.
Dr. Ley, one of hitler's inner circle,
Meets the duke and duchess at berlin station.
♪
They attend a concert
And inspect a squad of ss stormtroopers.
Hitler even invites them to his private mountain retreat.
The trip is a huge embarrassment to the british government
And royal family.
The once popular king is now notorious
And accused of being a nazi sympathizer,
An allegation that will hang over him
For the rest of his life.
In June 1939,
George and elizabeth go on a state visit of their own,
To america.
They are guests of president franklin roosevelt
In washington, d.C.
This is the first time
That a president has stood next to a reigning british monarch
On american soil.
It's a calculated pr maneuver by roosevelt.
As war in europe looks imminent,
He's invited the king here
To boost american support for the brits.
Announcer: Dense crowds line the thoroughfare,
And the cheers are eloquent with the understanding and friendship
Felt for britain's king and queen.
[cheering]
Narrator: Secretary of the treasury
Henry morgenthau, jr.
Films some of their trip.
His home movies show something
The newsreels are not allowed to broadcast--
A polio-stricken roosevelt walking.
[cheering]
They board the presidential yacht
To visit mount vernon.
King george even lays a wreath
On the tomb of george washington,
Becoming the first british monarch to do so.
[applause]
Later, the royal couple spend time
At roosevelt's country home, hyde park,
With the president's wife, eleanor,
And his mother sara.
On the menu that day--hot dogs.
It becomes news
That the royal couple eat and enjoy them.
[cheering]
When they visit the world's fair in new york,
They are the biggest attraction
For the attending american crowds.
This is the dawn of a new era
In american and british cooperation,
An important milestone
In the two countries' special relationship,
Which will soon be put to the test.
[gulls squawking]
Dartmouth naval college, July 1939.
The king and queen return to their british royal engagements.
On this trip they bring their daughters.
It's here that 13-year-old princess elizabeth
Is officially introduced
To 18-year-old prince philip of greece.
As they play croquet,
One of their first exchanges is captured on camera.
It will turn out to be a life-changing visit
For princess elizabeth.
[artillery fire]
Just two months later,
On the 3rd of September 1939,
Britain declares war against germany.
The king decides to stay in london,
Even as the bombs rain down
In the most terrifying blitz the capital has ever witnessed.
On the 13th of September 1940,
A bomb falls on buckingham palace,
Nearly hitting the royal apartments.
Shortly after, the king talks about it
In a radio broadcast to the nation.
George vi: I am speaking to you now from buckingham palace,
With its honorable scar.
Narrator: The queen reportedly says,
"I can now look the east end in the face."
They tirelessly visit their war-torn subjects
And lift the spirits of the country
During its darkest years of war.
♪
[cheering]
Princess elizabeth serves as an army mechanic.
The family's war efforts make them incredibly popular.
The duke and duchess of windsor see out a very different war.
In 1940, winston churchill,
Worried about their nazi sympathies,
Sends the duke to become the governor of the bahamas.
He's kept as far away from the war as possible.
Churchill wants to avoid
Any further encounters with the nazis.
Privately the duke calls the bahamas a third-rate colony
And asks for the governor's mansion to be refurbished.
The cost is estimated to be the same as a fighter plane.
The british government refuse.
[cheering]
After six long years of war,
Hitler is finally defeated
And peace is declared.
[cheering]
In london, thousands descend on buckingham palace.
They cheer for the king to come out on the balcony
Again and again.
The royals emerge an incredible eight times
To celebrate with their people...
[cheering]
...With some trademark waving.
But war has physically exhausted the king.
At only 49, his health is failing.
Princess elizabeth will soon be thrust into the limelight.
Hms vanguard, February 1947.
The royal family are on their way to south africa.
It's their first overseas royal tour after the war.
[cheering]
A carefree 20-year-old princess elizabeth
Plays a game of tag on deck.
After years of turmoil, the family can finally relax.
George leads the family off the ship in cape town.
This is the first time a reigning monarch
Has ever visited south africa.
[cheering]
Later, when they drive through durban,
They are overwhelmed by the crowds.
[cheering]
The tour takes in 10,000 miles in just two months.
The royal family also visit zululand
In eastern south africa.
Thousands of locals come to pay homage to them.
[chanting]
On her 21st birthday,
Princess elizabeth addresses her people on camera
For the very first time.
Princess elizabeth: I declare before you all
That my whole life,
Whether it be long or short,
Shall be devoted to your service
And to the service of our great imperial family
To which we all belong.
Narrator: Buckingham palace, 1947.
After a year of secrecy,
The royal family announces elizabeth's engagement.
Her fiancé is the naval officer she played croquet with
Before the war,
Prince philip.
For some, he's a controversial choice of groom.
He is from the greek royal family.
Three of his sisters were married
To german nazi aristocrats.
At one sister's funeral back in 1937,
He is seen walking next to the nazis.
But he was also decorated for bravery during the war.
People in britain are delighted to celebrate a royal wedding.
[playing mendelssohn's wedding March]
The couple dazzle in newsreels around the world.
[bells ringing]
In the throne room,
They pose for their official wedding photos.
They are the glamorous future of the royal family.
London airport,
Five years later, in January 1952.
A very ill george vi cannot go on another tour of the empire.
He sends his daughter in his place.
[applause and cheering]
The family come to say their goodbyes.
Princess elizabeth does not realize
That she will never see her father again.
George vi has only days to live.
[cheering]
Princess elizabeth and prince philip's six-month tour
Starts in kenya.
[cheering]
Bystanders remark
That the princess looks happy and carefree.
They stay at sagana lodge following a safari.
It's here, just six days into the tour,
That elizabeth receives the tragic news.
Her father is dead.
Devastated, she returns to britain.
These are her first steps on british soil
As elizabeth ii,
Queen of the united kingdom.
She is just 25 years old.
George's body is taken to westminster hall
To lie in state.
A grieving public pay their respects
To the monarch who led them through world war ii.
The 56-year-old king is then taken to windsor
To be buried with his ancestors.
The royal women hide their grief in thick black veils.
The queen leaves the ceremony first.
She is now the head of the house of windsor.
2nd of June 1953.
Britain prepares for the biggest event of the queen's life--
Her coronation.
The entire country is gripped with coronation fever.
For the first time ever,
It will be broadcast as a live television event.
Everyone will have the opportunity
For a front row seat.
Just three cameras recorded her father's coronation.
Now there will be 20.
The man in charge is david eccles,
The minister of works.
David eccles: It's quite clear that this time,
Right from the very beginning,
We must plan the scheme of decorations
And select the points at which cameras are sited
So that the best pictures can be made.
[cheering]
Narrator: Although many will be watching at home,
Tens of thousands gather
As she leaves for westminster abbey.
[cheering]
In the abbey,
She formally dedicates herself to her millions of subjects.
Man: Madame, is your majesty willing to take the oath?
Queen elizabeth: I am willing.
News announcer: The anointing takes place
Under a canopy of cloth of gold,
For this part of the ceremony is withheld
Even from the eyes of those present.
Narrator: 27 million viewers crowd around tv sets
Specially bought for the occasion
And watch this mysterious and rare spectacle.
Though she doesn't know it at the time,
The queen is bringing the modern television age
To britain.
[cheering]
The broadcast helps launch queen elizabeth
As one of the most popular rulers in british history.
This coronation is a watershed moment for the monarchy,
Ensuring their survival into the next century.
Elizabeth ii becomes a symbol of duty and continuity
In uncertain times
And will eventually outlive
Her great-great-grandmother queen victoria
To become britain's longest-serving monarch.
[cheering]