"Royal Family" (1969) - Ground-breaking TV Doco about the Windsors

[Tiara Mania]

I don't know how but someone has uploaded the documentary to YouTube. I'm watching it now because it will probably be taken down soon. At about eleven minutes in the Queen is shown handling her sapphire tiara and the Timur ruby necklace while she's talking to her dresser.

The Royal Family 1969

 

[RCBadger]

I remember watching that when it first aired on American television.

 

[Queen Claude]

Film the Queen never wanted you to see: Palace fury at BBC after fly-on-wall royal doc banned by Her Majesty in 1972 for 'cheapening her family' is leaked on YouTube - and includes moment she referred to US ambassador as 'a gorilla'

• 1969 documentary about royal family was famously banned by the Queen for 'cheapening' The Firm
• It has been kept in BBC archives for decades and recently reappeared on YouTube with thousands of views
• Making of the fly-on-the-wall documentary was covered by series three of The Crown, released in 2019
• Video, which was viewed by thousands, has sine been taken down from YouTube, due to a copyright claim

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...ary-banned-Queen-1972-reappeared-YouTube.html

 

[CyrilVladisla]

What company filmed Royal Family (1969)?

 

[Sandy345]

I remember when it first was shown. I don't know if it was ever run again. I remember the barbecue scenes and Charles playing music on a cello (?). And I remember HM buying a candy bar for Edward in the film.

 

[TLLK]

What company filmed Royal Family (1969)?

I believe that it was a joint BBC and ITV production.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Family_(film)

 

[Dalriada]

I don't know how but someone has uploaded the documentary to YouTube. I'm watching it now because it will probably be taken down soon. At about eleven minutes in the Queen is shown handling her sapphire tiara and the Timur ruby necklace while she's talking to her dresser.

The Royal Family 1969

Thanks to this poster Tiara Mania I caught this video before it was pulled from YouTube. I see why the BRF wanted it shelved as they come across as more awkwardly mundane and remote than full of majestic mystique.

 

[Sandy345]

There was one scene where Anne snapped at Andrew, "get down from there" when he was climbing on furniture.

 

[AC21091968]

Republic UK has written to BBC director general demanding the "Royal Family" (1969) documentary be released fully. I personally think they are just picking up a fight just to denigrate the royal family, but even trying harder, because they thought The Crown would "bring down the monarchy" (but it didn't). They are acting like children throwing toys out of the pram who were never been told the word "no" ....

Chris Ship @chrisshipitv
Replying to @chrisshipitv
Campaign group @RepublicStaff says it will write to the BBC director general to demand that the full 1969 film is released Movie camera
@GrahamSmith_ said: “It is clear that the royals are worried about damage to their image, which is why they're insisting the documentary stay locked away”
2:49 AM · Jan 30, 2021·Twitter for iPhone​

https://twitter.com/x/status/1355181358067408900

 

[QueenMathilde]

Oh! Thank you, thank you - even though the clip has been deleted *snif* I couldn't believe someone here hadn't uploaded this. I learned about it from an article in the Mirror and they had good stills from it. They contacted BBC who said that the clip wasn't uploaded by them - according to them it aired once, the queen didn't like it and she had it stored in the BBC vault never to be seen again. It's too bad - it looks like a cute documentary and we've certainly seen more familiar videos of the royal family since then.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Republic UK has written to BBC director general demanding the "Royal Family" (1969) documentary be released fully. I personally think they are just picking up a fight just to denigrate the royal family, but even trying harder, because they thought The Crown would "bring down the monarchy" (but it didn't). They are acting like children throwing toys out of the pram who were never been told the word "no" ....

Chris Ship @chrisshipitv
Replying to @chrisshipitv
Campaign group @RepublicStaff says it will write to the BBC director general to demand that the full 1969 film is released Movie camera
@GrahamSmith_ said: “It is clear that the royals are worried about damage to their image, which is why they're insisting the documentary stay locked away”
2:49 AM · Jan 30, 2021·Twitter for iPhone​

https://twitter.com/x/status/1355181358067408900

The director of Republic should learn about copyright. The BBC doesn't own the copyright on this film. It is owned by The Queen and so if she says it cant be released it can't be ... until 70 years after her death. She has the same rights as any other citizens to control things to which she owns the copyright.

As someone who can remember this film (I was in primary school when it aired) I'm not sure it would do any harm to the royals. It was extremely popular when it aired and showed them doing normal as well as the more glamorous things ... I loved the scene when The Queen stopped, with Prince Edward (aged 5), at the shop to buy a lolly and Prince Charles playing the cello and the string broke and hit Edward in the face. We have seen many stills from the show e.g. the one of Anne and Philip BBQing at Balmoral comes from this film.

Now that someone has stolen it and put it up on you tube it will keep reappearing. She may as well accept that fact but she will keep insisting that you tube take it down as soon as it appears I expect and I am sure there will be an investigation into who stole it. I hope they find it worth the effort when they see the consequences of their actions.

 

[Roslyn]

It's up there now and easy to find: just google Youtube and the name. Have at it folks, and enjoy. I don't know how long it will be up.

 

[QueenMathilde]

Thank you! I don't get what's wrong with this. It's a cute snapshot of the BRF in the late 60's. Nothing offensive or controversial. And why would an anti-royal society want to sue to make this public? It makes them look good. The queen with a four year old Edward especially.

 

[Queen Claude]

I've heard about the documentary over the years and seen excerpts and when I heard that it had been uploaded I was excited to see this full documentary. My reaction to the documentary was favorable, but I was waiting to get to the part(s) that caused the documentary to be shelved.

It's The Queen's property and her prerogative, and I doubt that she will allow it to be released anytime soon in order to not be seen as bowing to pressure and rewarding the party who leaked it, but suffice it to say what may be seen as too revealing and intimate in 1969 is not necessarily so fifty years later. I found myself saying that this is no more intimate than other documentaries that the have been since made with The Queen and other BRF members' cooperation and participation.

 

[Curryong]

I was a teenager in Britain when his documentary was aired and I can remember quite a bit of it. I also remember the reactions of people around me, saying 'They're just like us, aren't they?'

Possibly those sort of remarks were also heard by the Queen's advisers. It was a much more deferential age and I can well imagine that the more cautious courtiers at BP thought that the more prosaic glimpses of the lives of the Royal Family were a bridge too far, letting too much light in on the magic so to speak.

 

[Roslyn]

Just finished watching it for the first time in half a century. I remember quite a lot of it. I can understand HM and others at the time thinking it was too much of a departure from the norm and too revealing, but with the passing of fifty years I think the show has become far less controversial. It reminds me of the difference between the first season of "The Crown" and the fourth. There is enough distance in time between us now and the events depicted that it has become an interesting historical document and that releasing it now would be of benefit to the BRF. We see the royals as human beings and in a good way. In 1969 they and their advisors may have though it was preferably to maintain the mystery but much has changed and I think today's world wants to know more about them on personal level. We get a respectful glimpse into the way they live and how the red boxes follow HM everywhere and how constant the monarch's work is. And we hear her accent, that is really quite normal. The Queen is shown as a pleasant, warm, woman and wife and mother, with a sense of humour. Definitely not a bad thing, IMO.

 

[Osipi]

I also was a teenager when it first aired and have heard about it over years and that the Queen didn't want it shown again. If that's the way she feels about it, her wishes should be respected.

I did go to YouTube with the hopes of watching it but, alas, it's not closed captioned. Probably was made before closed captioning was invented or even thought of for hearing impaired people. My loss. The Queen would probably have to approve it to be shown for it to be captioned.

 

[Prinsara]

I can agree that it might have seemed too personal or mundane to rebroadcast back in the day, but I can't see even HM finding anything objectionable in it now. Even Nixon was on his best behavior!

The small things are the memorable ones: the Queen's sleeveless dresses (!), Anne sounding tentative in French, Philip painting, Margaret still being married (!!). Little Edward stealing the entire broadcast (am I the only one to see a George resemblance?). I think it's one of the better royal docs, and all the more for being an important historical artifact.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The resemblance that really struck me was when the Queen was on Britannia holding Sarah - and all I could see was Charlotte. Sarah, in 1969, would have been the same age as Charlotte is now.

 

[Prinsara]

I did go to YouTube with the hopes of watching it but, alas, it's not closed captioned. Probably was made before closed captioning was invented or even thought of for hearing impaired people. My loss. The Queen would probably have to approve it to be shown for it to be captioned.

It's been back up for a few days and seems to have working CC, Osipi. Good luck.