0:00:02 > 0:00:04For the first time in modern history,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07a queen has reached her 60th year on the throne.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10A sea of faces, a forest of hands.
0:00:10 > 0:00:1360 years on duty.
0:00:13 > 0:00:1860 years of being the uncomplaining
0:00:18 > 0:00:22servant of her subjects.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27What's familiar is the protective blanket of reassurance
0:00:27 > 0:00:29the reign of Queen Elizabeth II has spread in a world
0:00:29 > 0:00:34which has changed at bewildering speed.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Continuity.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37But it hasn't always been easy -
0:00:37 > 0:00:41and you can't get continuity by standing still.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45The monarchy always seems the same,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49but its inside story is rather different.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52She's managed to modernise and evolve the monarchy like no other.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55These are rather fun, aren't they? The roses.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58She's seen 12 Prime Ministers and she's still going strong.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02In the second of this three-part series,
0:01:02 > 0:01:08filmed over a year-and-a-half, we explore how the Queen has kept some grand traditions,
0:01:08 > 0:01:13while others couldn't survive. How she's tweaked, listened and changed,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17opening up palaces, and supporting a more relaxed Royal Wedding.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20I rang my grandmother up for some clarification on the issue,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22and duly got told
0:01:22 > 0:01:26- that it was ridiculous. - She was right, as she always is.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30This is the tale of the Queen as quiet reformer, taxpayer
0:01:30 > 0:01:33and anxious social observer.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36We can never forget those who died or have been injured
0:01:36 > 0:01:38and their families.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41She did close a circle of history.
0:02:09 > 0:02:15June 2011, and let's start at the more eccentric end of the scale -
0:02:15 > 0:02:19the Garter Knights of the realm troop down the hill at Windsor Castle.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22The Queen has modernised a lot,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25but it's worth remembering what she hasn't.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Not that even this is quite what it appears.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Gold and glitter and pageantry doesn't get much better than this -
0:02:33 > 0:02:37this is Garter Day, one of the most important, emblematic moments
0:02:37 > 0:02:40in the Queen's year, and the images go all around the world.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44And yet this is a characteristic example
0:02:44 > 0:02:50of the Windsor dynasty's great trick of reinventing tradition.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55Because although Garter Day does go back to the English, medieval monarchy,
0:02:55 > 0:03:02in its modern form, it was invented by the Queen's father in 1948.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05So, that not that long ago.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Her Majesty and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh
0:03:08 > 0:03:11were resplendent in rich medieval robes.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16It's a kind of club for the top ranks of society -
0:03:16 > 0:03:19former ministers, members of the Royal Family, the Establishment.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23It's not the easiest part of the monarchy, this,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26a reminder perhaps that, for 1,000 years,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30monarchs stood on top of a pyramid of aristocrats,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33landowners and nobles, whose power has vanished.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The monarchy, though, is a defiant survivor,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40and orders of chivalry are still taken very seriously.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47Well, the Garter is the highest order of chivalry in Britain,
0:03:47 > 0:03:48and the oldest one as well.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50It's the sovereign's personal gift,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54it's an enormous honour for anybody.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58What the public doesn't see is what happens inside the Garter Throne Room -
0:03:58 > 0:04:01the dressing and decorating of the new knight,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04including an actual garter.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08In this case it's a judge - Lord Phillips, President of the Supreme Court.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12And, for the Queen, this is hands-on.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16..receive this robe of heavenly colour,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19the livery of this most excellent order.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24Monarchy comes barnacled with stately traditions, titles,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27grandness, but if this was all,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29if this was the only image of the British monarchy,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33it surely wouldn't be half as popular as it actually is.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38In fact, the Windsors have always been acutely aware of public opinion
0:04:38 > 0:04:43and changing attitudes and ready to ditch what needs to go.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48'They're on their way to Buckingham Palace
0:04:48 > 0:04:52'to attend one of the three last presentation parties that Her Majesty will hold.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56'Terribly thrilling, but we mustn't show how nervous we feel.'
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Presentation of aristocratic young women - debutantes -
0:05:00 > 0:05:04at a ball which used to mark the start of the annual London season,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07a kind of very grand marriage market,
0:05:07 > 0:05:12was abandoned in 1958, really out of embarrassment.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16In the tart words of the Queen's late sister, Princess Margaret,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19"Every tart in London was getting in."
0:05:19 > 0:05:24But as the debs were gently shown one door, other doors were opened.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26The Queen extended the once-traditional
0:05:26 > 0:05:29and exclusive summer garden parties
0:05:29 > 0:05:31and opened them up to people
0:05:31 > 0:05:36from all walks of life, from nurses, builders and bombardiers
0:05:36 > 0:05:38to care workers and captains,
0:05:38 > 0:05:418,000 at a time, at one of the most open
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and relatively informal of Royal events.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50It's nice just to be able to relax and just stroll round the grounds,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52it's a beautiful garden, down by the lake,
0:05:52 > 0:05:57and see the great and the good of Britain get invited here.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00It's a lovely day for them, and it's great the Queen does it.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It's just a fantastic thing to do.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Got them on your plates?
0:06:05 > 0:06:07One plate in your hand, ready to offer, OK?
0:06:07 > 0:06:08DRUMROLL
0:06:08 > 0:06:11BAND STRIKES UP
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Modern world, modern monarchy,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19which means that the statistics of even garden parties
0:06:19 > 0:06:21are squinted over and published.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26So we know each one involves 27,000 cups of tea,
0:06:26 > 0:06:3020,000 cakes and sandwiches and the cost is rising
0:06:30 > 0:06:34from £700,000 to £800,000 a year,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38which could be something to do with the fact that every guest
0:06:38 > 0:06:41on average consumes 14 items each.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Very calming, a cake or two!
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- Really stunning surroundings. - And the food's lovely!
0:06:48 > 0:06:50THEY LAUGH
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Yeah, we like the food!
0:06:52 > 0:06:56The other essential ingredient for a British garden party
0:06:56 > 0:06:59is, of course, dodgy weather.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02It would be less interesting if it was always sunny.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Less to talk about.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10'Shelter at once became the most important thing, and every vantage point was soon occupied.'
0:07:13 > 0:07:16'It fairly poured down, and at least one guest was trapped.'
0:07:16 > 0:07:20And this is, of course, the Queen's REIGN.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Away from the formal diary and the spotlights,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have spent a lot of time reaching out to key figures
0:07:32 > 0:07:35in a changing country. When they were younger,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38they began inviting actors, writers, scientists and others
0:07:38 > 0:07:43for regular lunches. Now they welcome a wide range of people for themed evenings
0:07:43 > 0:07:46at Buckingham Palace it might be Australians in Britain,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50members of the emergency services, explorers. Tonight,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53it's young performers and some of their mentors.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Never met the Queen.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Met Prince Charles - the Welsh connection, you know.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03And so I'm really honoured to be here. It's like being in the movies!
0:08:03 > 0:08:07It is an honour to be invited to the wedding.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10I thought there'd be more people camped outside. Have I missed it?
0:08:10 > 0:08:15- I think you may... This is not the wedding!- I thought it was just me, Duffy and Ellie Goulding!
0:08:17 > 0:08:21I think it's incredibly important for the young performers
0:08:21 > 0:08:25in all the different arts to be recognised at an early age,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29because I think it's so incredibly encouraging
0:08:29 > 0:08:32to feel that you're accepted by your culture,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35by your society, by your Royal Family,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37by the status quo,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40because so often performers, especially young performers,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44feel they are on the outside of society,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48and in many ways so they should be, because they have to challenge the status quo.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51People around the world associate you with the Queen,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- because of the film. - Well, in a ridiculous way,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- which is completely wrong, but... - What does she mean to you?
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Apart from my sister, she's the only other person
0:09:01 > 0:09:03who's been a total constant in my life.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08Ever since I, you know, came to consciousness, the Queen was there.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14And that's an incredible, um, kind of rock to have in your life, I think.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26One gets the impression a lot of these things are decided by committees looking at long lists.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Actually how much is the Queen herself involved in who she wants to come here?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Hugely - this is the Queen's guest list.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35No-one comes here without the Queen extending that invitation.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38And how much briefing does the Queen need to absorb
0:09:38 > 0:09:44for an event like this? She will presumably be meeting huge numbers of people she hasn't met before.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47The Queen's been involved in this evening from its very conception.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52So, as the work has gone on here to develop the ideas you'll see later,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55the Queen's been involved at every step along the way,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58so not a lot of briefing, because she's built it up with the rest of us.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01MUSIC: "Dance of the Knights" by Sergei Prokofiev
0:10:01 > 0:10:07This evening there's a performance - a mix of traditional and modern culture based on Romeo and Juliet.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Once, palaces were closed off, royal refuges.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Now this one is more like a grand theatrical space,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22where both guests and hosts are onstage together.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Queen Victoria would have been amazed, and amused? Well, who knows.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30It's hard to imagine her mingling as easily as this.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36INAUDIBLE SPEECH
0:10:36 > 0:10:38It's very interesting.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40It's a humbling experience to meet the Queen,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44and I'm a strong believer in the arts and the support of the arts,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48and all these wonderful people that are here, making things work.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- It's an amazing mix of people, isn't it?- Also, times are changing,
0:10:51 > 0:10:57seeing Romeo And Juliet, and everything from old to new being involved in that, is a great thing.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01One of the other things tonight's done for me is make me proud of the industry I'm in,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and, often or not, I'm a bit ashamed of it,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06but tonight I feel quite proud of it,
0:11:06 > 0:11:10because I've met some great people, doing some great things.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15New York, essentially, but I've been here now eight years.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17'It was the first time that I'd met the Queen.'
0:11:17 > 0:11:20It's only a shame, because they don't allow pictures,
0:11:20 > 0:11:26- so you can't go, "Look, sis, that's me and my..."- Me and the Queen.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31One of the longest running campaigns of reaching out
0:11:31 > 0:11:37was created by the Duke of Edinburgh, a man well known for his direct small talk.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41His Award Scheme has helped more than seven million young people
0:11:41 > 0:11:45test themselves, achieve more, push harder
0:11:45 > 0:11:48with the Duke often presenting the Gold Award personally, as today,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51at St James' Palace.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56People were walking round the inside...
0:11:56 > 0:12:00Senior members of the Royal Family have to cultivate a skill
0:12:00 > 0:12:03almost nobody else needs.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07It's a carefully-timed dance through the higher small talk,
0:12:07 > 0:12:13designed to calm the nervous, restrain the over-talkative,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17release some tension, produce a little bubble of laughter...
0:12:17 > 0:12:19LAUGHTER
0:12:19 > 0:12:24..and, in that way, ensure that millions of people leave events like these
0:12:24 > 0:12:30having had some sort of personal connection with, in this case,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34the Duke of Edinburgh, but in general, the British monarchy.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36And you all walked, did you?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38No, I kayaked, sir.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42- Kayaked? - Yeah, along the River Tweed.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- You mean down the River Tweed.- Yeah.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46From the start to finish, which was good.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- That's a long way! - Yeah, we drove up to the source
0:12:49 > 0:12:52and started kayaking down all the way to the Mall.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55It's brilliant, you see, you all got lost walking...
0:12:55 > 0:12:56THEY LAUGH
0:12:56 > 0:13:00..he gets dumped at the top of the river and floats down!
0:13:03 > 0:13:05So how do the royals learn these techniques?
0:13:05 > 0:13:12It's a kind of trade, with its trade secrets and its special skills.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Most days of the year, the entire working Royal Family are spread around the country
0:13:16 > 0:13:23from town halls, to schools, hospitals, and charities they've personally chosen to support.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Everybody gets their bit of time.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28This is a huge undertaking.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Around 4,000 engagements a year between them.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32So how do they do it?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40You learn by watching, by listening,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43by, as it were, first of all being in the background.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I've got so many fond memories of when I was younger, and growing up,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51and trying not to get in the way of all sorts of
0:13:51 > 0:13:54engagements or events that were going on,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and realising, when I got hit round the back of the head,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59that it was probably time to behave!
0:14:01 > 0:14:03I think the first engagement I did
0:14:03 > 0:14:07was my father volunteered me to give leeks to the Welsh Guards on St David's Day.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12Did the Queen help you in terms of how to do these things?
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Well, that first engagement
0:14:15 > 0:14:18probably came with helpful instructions
0:14:18 > 0:14:22in the sense of structure of the day and the level of expectation.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24But not much more than that.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29She very much leaves the family to go off and find their own way.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32If you get it wrong, stand by!
0:14:32 > 0:14:35You'll be put back in your place, quite rightly so.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38But she very much lets us get on with it.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and choose our own sort of... choose what we want to support.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44'But how do they choose?
0:14:44 > 0:14:47'The Queen's granddaughters are getting to the age
0:14:47 > 0:14:50'when they're considering how much to contribute of their time.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54- 'So what causes are on their minds?' - I had an operation when I was 12,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58so I'm hopefully looking into helping other people
0:14:58 > 0:15:01learn about the condition I had,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- so they can help... - Can I ask what that was?
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Scoliosis of the spine - it's when you curve...
0:15:07 > 0:15:10your bones, it's the way you're born. Lots of people have it,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and, when they're diagnosed, don't know what it is.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- So that's something you can bring your own experience to help other people.- Yeah.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21I know about it, I'm not just talking from no experience,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I know about this. And Beatrice is doing...
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Dyslexia in education, I think that's really important.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Especially primary education, which is something...
0:15:32 > 0:15:35because, when I got diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39everyone was thinking, "Why is she so slow to read?"
0:15:39 > 0:15:43It was something that you could recognise a lot sooner,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and get the support there and then,
0:15:45 > 0:15:50and then you can go through your life knowing that you had more support.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55But it can't all be personal choice - the spread is too big,
0:15:55 > 0:16:00and, in 2002, for instance, the Royal Family faced a dilemma.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03After the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret,
0:16:03 > 0:16:09there were a great many different organisations that were left
0:16:09 > 0:16:13without a patron or a president, or without some family association.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15And then there was a bit of co-ordination.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17How did you sort that out?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20The list is laid on the card table at Sandringham,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and we all sit round the card table and decide.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Of course, it's not just the individual support that matters,
0:16:31 > 0:16:36perhaps the Queen's, and the British monarchy's, most important role
0:16:36 > 0:16:39is in bringing people, her people, together as a nation.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43The most recent and spectacular example of this was, of course, the Royal Wedding.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46We love William! We love Kate!
0:16:46 > 0:16:48We love William! We love Kate!
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Prince William, the Queen's grandson,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56is due to marry Catherine Middleton.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59More than a half a century after the Queen was married here,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02much about this will be familiar
0:17:02 > 0:17:06the glittering full-fig British monarchical event so many people watch around the world.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12The crowd behind me look different
0:17:12 > 0:17:14and probably sound different from the crowds
0:17:14 > 0:17:19that were waiting for the Queen's wedding after the war,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22or Princess Diana and Charles's wedding,
0:17:22 > 0:17:28but they're doing exactly the same thing as their great-grandparents and grandparents and parents did.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31They've been camping out all night, people are drinking tea,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34singing patriotic songs, doing little dances.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39This scene is almost as traditional as the modern monarchy itself.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47How important is it for the British monarchy that we've got, in Kate Middleton,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49a middle-class member of it?
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Fantastic. It's what Britain is all about, isn't it?
0:17:53 > 0:17:55London having a big party.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Have you been here for earlier royal occasions?
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Yes, we always come to royal weddings, it's part of the fun.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Once you've been to one, you want to come to them all!
0:18:04 > 0:18:08And even royal weddings have arguments about the guest list.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10First meeting we had post-engagement,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14when there was a big buzz going on, and I was obviously very excited
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and happy about it, I walked into the first meeting
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and got presented with a list of 777 names
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and I looked at it, and there wasn't one person on there I knew,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25and it brought a sense of dread and fear
0:18:25 > 0:18:29over what was going to happen and who was going to run the whole day.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34But I said, "This is not the way it's going to be, let's start again".
0:18:34 > 0:18:37And I rang my grandmother up for some clarification on the issue,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and duly got told that it was ridiculous
0:18:40 > 0:18:42and I should start with my own friends.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45CHEERING
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Boris Johnson, this is a very, very big day
0:18:50 > 0:18:54for the couple themselves, but also for the British monarchy.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56It's a huge moment, but this is of course
0:18:56 > 0:19:00the anthropologically critical moment in the life of this nation,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and you could argue of many other nations,
0:19:03 > 0:19:08because this is the moment when we publicly legitimate
0:19:08 > 0:19:13the reproduction of the kings and queens of England.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15And everybody sees in this fantastic happy event,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18this marriage between two young people,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21they see the incarnation of
0:19:21 > 0:19:25the greatest emblematic institution of this country,
0:19:25 > 0:19:30so the marriage stands for the continuity of Britain
0:19:30 > 0:19:32and of British institutions.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37That word again! Continuity. But it's change as well.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Trumpets, but trees in the abbey too.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Flags and foliage.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48I am a very traditional guy, and so is my wife,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and so together we wanted to create that special atmosphere,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54but at the same time, we wanted to have our personal twist on it,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57because at the end of the day it's our day,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59and so we wanted everyone to share in our happiness
0:19:59 > 0:20:02as anyone does at anyone's wedding day.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06But it had to be on a slightly bigger scale
0:20:06 > 0:20:08than one might normally do!
0:20:09 > 0:20:14I was just as nervous as William - being ring bearer was a bit of a responsibility, I had it in the cuff
0:20:14 > 0:20:18because I had no pockets. So I was having to try and check
0:20:18 > 0:20:21to make sure it was there without making it obvious.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24As far as I was concerned, I was there to support him,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28to tell them how great he is - it was his day, so I had to lie a bit,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32and just make sure that he wasn't too nervous,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34and everything was going to go according to plan.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42And while all eyes were on the bride and her bridal gown,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46behind the scenes, the groom's own attire
0:20:46 > 0:20:48had also been a source of deliberation.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56Within the Irish Guards regiment, there's several variances of dress you can wear,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and I was opting for a different one than the one I wore on the day.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03So my grandmother very much decided that the red tunic
0:21:03 > 0:21:05was very smart and appropriate for the day,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09so I was duly told on that occasion, so I did as I was told!
0:21:09 > 0:21:13I felt a little bit ridiculous, but his red tunic was definitely
0:21:13 > 0:21:16the one to wear, so she was right, as she always is!
0:21:19 > 0:21:23There's nothing frozen about this as we watch it again.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24Or accidental.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26It's tradition with a twist,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30and the message is thought-through and serious.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- With this ring I thee wed. - With this ring I thee wed.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36- With my body I thee honour. - With my body I thee honour.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40And all my worldly goods with thee I share.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43And all my worldly goods with thee I share.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Many people were tremendously encouraged
0:21:45 > 0:21:50by the fact that here was a very contemporary couple
0:21:50 > 0:21:54deciding to shape their lives
0:21:54 > 0:21:58according to historic Christian disciplines of marriage,
0:21:58 > 0:22:03doing it without fuss, without self-consciousness,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07stepping into a role with confidence and happiness.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11I think it was a very joyful and relaxed occasion in many ways.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17I was quite glad when it was over, though - bit of a blur!
0:22:17 > 0:22:19FANFARE PLAYS
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Above all, by taking into the highest ranks of the Royal Family
0:22:28 > 0:22:33someone many people consider their first genuinely middle-class recruit,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Prince William is continuing the Firm's long-term hope
0:22:37 > 0:22:42of always re-stitching the monarchy into the changing social fabric of the British.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47Will we one day have our first black or Asian member of the Royal Family?
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Well, there's no reason why not.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52CHEERING
0:22:56 > 0:23:02The Windsor dynasty has always presented itself as the family monarchy,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04the ideal family,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08but of course, it's also a real family -
0:23:08 > 0:23:13and real families have bumps and upsets and fallings-out,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and even fallings-apart.
0:23:15 > 0:23:22On the other hand, real families can mend and join hands again
0:23:22 > 0:23:27and grow again - true of us, true of them.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33And this generation just feels different
0:23:33 > 0:23:38even down to the prince driving his bride off in his father's car,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41to the gentle amusement of his brother.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44William's been trying to drive that car for years,
0:23:44 > 0:23:49and the couple of times he has driven it at home, he's stalled it.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54It is a very difficult car to drive, combined with the fact that he can't drive,
0:23:54 > 0:23:59but to make it even harder, he had his spurs on, which was very entertaining,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01to see him doof-doof-doof out of Buckingham Palace.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09And, let's be honest, the Royal Wedding also felt like a happy ending
0:24:09 > 0:24:12after troubles that had dogged the Queen's own family.
0:24:12 > 0:24:18In 1949, as a young married woman, the Queen made a speech to the Mothers' Union
0:24:18 > 0:24:21denouncing divorce and separation
0:24:21 > 0:24:25as producing some of the "darkest evils in society".
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Back then, monarchy and iron-strong traditional marriage
0:24:28 > 0:24:31seemed a natural equation.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36Divorced people couldn't be invited to the Royal Enclosure at Ascot.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41When, in 1955, the Queen's sister Princess Margaret wanted to marry a divorced man,
0:24:41 > 0:24:42Group Captain Peter Townsend,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46a senior minister threatened to resign from the cabinet and the marriage was vetoed.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48But during the Queen's reign,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52attitudes have changed at bewildering speed.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Three of the Queen's own children divorced -
0:24:54 > 0:24:59the sad collapse of the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
0:24:59 > 0:25:03produced a full-scale royal crisis and a time of deep personal unhappiness
0:25:03 > 0:25:07for the Queen herself undoubtedly, the worst year in her life.
0:25:08 > 0:25:161992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29LAUGHTER
0:25:30 > 0:25:33SIREN BLARES
0:25:33 > 0:25:371992 was the year that struck the Queen like no other.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39On her 45th wedding anniversary,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42the seat of the monarchy for almost 1,000 years, Windsor Castle,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47went up in flames after a humble spotlight began a blaze
0:25:47 > 0:25:50which spread through more than 100 rooms.
0:25:52 > 0:25:59The inferno accelerated a dramatic shift in the way the Queen dealt with money and tax.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03The Government suggested taxpayers should fund the £37 million bill
0:26:03 > 0:26:06for restoring Windsor, but there was an outcry,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and it came when questions were already being asked
0:26:09 > 0:26:14about why the Queen didn't pay tax on her personal income.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19The fire at Windsor I think affected the timing of the announcement of it,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23but that sort of area of reform,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26people had been thinking about for quite a while,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and it was progressive.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Because there had been a drumbeat of criticism,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34and the opinion polls were showing that people felt she should pay tax?
0:26:34 > 0:26:40Yes, that she shouldn't be above that part of the law.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44During that period, at any stage were you worried
0:26:44 > 0:26:47about the status of the monarchy in the country?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50I was concerned at the shower of criticism and unpopularity
0:26:50 > 0:26:53that the monarchy was facing in the short term.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56I wasn't worried about the long term for two reasons.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Firstly, we had seen this before -
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Queen Victoria being an obvious example,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04very unpopular for a long period of time after Prince Albert died,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08and, secondly, the roots of the monarchy are so deep
0:27:08 > 0:27:11that, even in a period of unpopularity,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14it can sustain that and come through at the end of it.
0:27:15 > 0:27:21The Queen moved quickly, finalising her decision to pay income tax
0:27:21 > 0:27:23and deciding to meet the Windsor repair bill
0:27:23 > 0:27:26by throwing open the doors to paying visitors,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29starting with Buckingham Palace.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Since 1993, they've arrived in their tens of thousands
0:27:32 > 0:27:39to see the famous corridors, the grand interiors and the priceless art collection.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41The income has grown and grown
0:27:41 > 0:27:43though this is money not for the Queen,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47but earmarked for the care of those palaces and artworks.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51The greatest traditional source of royal wealth are the Crown Estates
0:27:51 > 0:27:57monarchy's farmland, London squares, forests and foreshores,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00going back to medieval times.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04A new deal means the monarchy will get a percentage of that income, with safeguards,
0:28:04 > 0:28:08and the right of MPs to oversee spending.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Most of what the Queen has isn't really hers personally
0:28:12 > 0:28:13she can't go out and sell it
0:28:13 > 0:28:18and the annual cost of the system to the rest of us isn't exactly huge.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21It's been estimated that every year the monarchy costs each of us
0:28:21 > 0:28:24about half the price of a cup of coffee at a high street chain.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30Still, monarchy is a relatively expensive option or is it?
0:28:30 > 0:28:34What do you think Britain would be like if there was no monarchy,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37there had been no Queen's reign, and we were a republic?
0:28:37 > 0:28:40A number of people think we'd be better off,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44because we'd spend less money. Well, let's knock that on the head.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47If you look at those countries with presidencies,
0:28:47 > 0:28:52turns out they spend almost as much, if not more, in some cases, than we do.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- So I don't think... - It doesn't save you money.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59When I think about the Royal Wedding, which I had the privilege to be at,
0:28:59 > 0:29:05that sort of event on the global stage - how much would we have paid
0:29:05 > 0:29:11for the advertising for our British design industry to get all that on global television around the world?
0:29:11 > 0:29:16- A third of the world's population, I read, probably watched that. - Probably watched British designers
0:29:16 > 0:29:20selling their wares, you know. This was fantastic free advertising.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25The Windsor fire was a great disaster for the Royal Family,
0:29:25 > 0:29:30but from the ashes of that disaster has grown an enormous success.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35In the 2011 season, half a million people have come through here.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39It raises enormous amounts of money for the Royal Collection.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42In total, around the country - all the palaces, all the galleries,
0:29:42 > 0:29:47all the shops - something like £42 million a year.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51In modern Britain, never underestimate
0:29:51 > 0:29:54the huge economic importance... of cake!
0:29:58 > 0:30:02In her 60 years, the Queen has broken new ground
0:30:02 > 0:30:05well beyond simply opening up the palaces,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08and in 2010, this palace, Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11was the setting for a highly significant moment.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16Scotland has had a long, sad history of bigotry and hostility
0:30:16 > 0:30:20between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
0:30:20 > 0:30:25'It wouldn't be the same at the Rangers-Celtic match if opposing supporters didn't clash.'
0:30:25 > 0:30:28So it's a significant place for the Queen,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30supreme governor of the Church of England
0:30:30 > 0:30:35and a member of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland to receive,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39for the first time, the Catholic Pope of Rome on a State Visit.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42'It means a great deal, of course, to Scotland and Scots'
0:30:42 > 0:30:45to have the visit starting in Scotland, and secondly,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48in terms of the communities of Scotland,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52the fact the whole country was able to embrace His Holiness the Pope
0:30:52 > 0:30:54with the warmth and affection that was displayed.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58It is a great unifying feature of Scottish society.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00It shows how far we've travelled
0:31:00 > 0:31:04in terms of overcoming prejudices of the past.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08This is the Queen as unifier, puller-together,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11symbol of healing in the very place
0:31:11 > 0:31:15where a Catholic Queen Mary was imprisoned. She was later beheaded
0:31:15 > 0:31:19on the orders of Queen Elizabeth, an earlier Queen Elizabeth.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23100 years ago, even 50 years ago, it would've been almost unthinkable
0:31:23 > 0:31:27for the Pope of Rome and the defender of the Protestant faith
0:31:27 > 0:31:30to meet here in Scotland, all friendly.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Not a hint of tension.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37And when the Pope and the Queen get together,
0:31:37 > 0:31:39here between them, on the carpet,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42an old taboo lies...
0:31:43 > 0:31:46..dead.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50'Your Holiness, in recent times,
0:31:50 > 0:31:54'you have said that religions can never become vehicles of hatred,'
0:31:54 > 0:31:57that never by invoking the name of God
0:31:57 > 0:32:00can evil and violence be justified.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06Today, in this country, we stand united in that conviction.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09We hold that freedom to worship
0:32:09 > 0:32:14is at the core of our tolerant and democratic society.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22The Queen has been willing to face many taboos in her time,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24some more difficult than others.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29It's May 2011 and the Queen is about to set foot in the Irish Republic.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33No reigning British monarch has been here for a century.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38When it comes to broken ground, it doesn't get more broken than this.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Now, this is not a visit without risk.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46There were security alerts in London and in Dublin
0:32:46 > 0:32:51before the Queen's arrival, and there's almost nowhere that she's going that doesn't have
0:32:51 > 0:32:54some kind of sensitive, historical echo.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59So this is not entirely easy stuff.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02The Queen, as the representative of the British State,
0:33:02 > 0:33:06takes credit for all the things that Britain gets right
0:33:06 > 0:33:11and has done in history and, as the representative of the British State,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15sometimes she has some harder jobs to accomplish as well.
0:33:16 > 0:33:21As she touches down, a reminder that this is not a nation of Royalists.
0:33:23 > 0:33:24It's just another Head of State.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29We have Obama as well coming at the end of the month
0:33:29 > 0:33:32so I don't really think much of it, one way or the other.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37I don't think it's that important, but now that she's coming,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41we will show her as much courtesy
0:33:41 > 0:33:43as we can garner.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48It's the first visit in about 100 years from the monarch.
0:33:48 > 0:33:49Maybe an apology would be good.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Too many people have died because of the British.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Absolutely shocking.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59On the same day her father became King, the Parliament
0:33:59 > 0:34:03of the Irish Free State removed the monarch from its constitution.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Now, his daughter arrives as the Queen of the United Kingdom
0:34:06 > 0:34:08of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
0:34:08 > 0:34:12to meet the then Irish President, Mary McAleese.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17If there is one place on Earth,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21which has defined its identity against the British crown,
0:34:21 > 0:34:23it's here.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28It's important that we remember our history, but sometimes, then,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31we have to forget it again.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34And, for all the noise we're about to hear,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37that is the Queen's job -
0:34:37 > 0:34:41she's here to put a little history to sleep.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50'It's like a door that's been locked to her for a long time'
0:34:50 > 0:34:52and she's been dying to see what's on the other side of it.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Many people won't understand not being able to go somewhere
0:34:56 > 0:34:59or see something for your life
0:34:59 > 0:35:03and being almost like a child not allowed to go into a certain room.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07For her, it's very much a case of Ireland was off limits.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09She's always wanted to go in an official capacity
0:35:09 > 0:35:12so I think it was a huge turning point for her.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18There must have been a certain amount of nervousness beforehand,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21because there's a lot of history to put to bed there.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26I was nervous about it, but I was hugely admiring of the fact
0:35:26 > 0:35:30that the Royal Family wanted to go ahead with this visit
0:35:30 > 0:35:34relatively quickly after the finalising
0:35:34 > 0:35:38of the last bits of devolution of power to Northern Ireland.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41They didn't want to wait and play it a bit longer,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44and I thought that was a fantastic judgment.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50A century ago, crowds met the Queen's grandparents,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53King George V and Queen Mary, with enthusiasm.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56At the time, Home Rule, a reconciliation
0:35:56 > 0:36:00of Nationalist Ireland with Imperial Britain, seemed likely.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05The First World War and the Irish Easter Rising put paid to that
0:36:05 > 0:36:08and a bloody history began to uncurl.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Today on the streets of Dublin,
0:36:10 > 0:36:14the public are kept well back from the Royal party
0:36:14 > 0:36:18and voices of discontent are kept to the traffic-free side streets.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Roads have been sealed off to keep the Queen moving.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Yes, the security from our point of view
0:36:26 > 0:36:31was exceptionally heavy and exceptionally tight and had to be so,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34because this was receiving global coverage
0:36:34 > 0:36:38on everything from Al-Jazeera to Bloomberg.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Personally, my own office got several thousand messages
0:36:41 > 0:36:44and each of them contained two words -
0:36:44 > 0:36:46pride and respect.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48APPLAUSE
0:36:48 > 0:36:52The Queen understands the torment of the Irish Troubles.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Violence has marked much of her 60-year reign
0:36:55 > 0:36:59and it reached her own family in the most direct way.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02In 1979, the Queen's cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten,
0:37:02 > 0:37:06the former First Sea Lord, one of the most colourful and closest influences
0:37:06 > 0:37:08on the inner circle of the Royal Family,
0:37:08 > 0:37:13was assassinated by the Provisional IRA at his home in Ireland.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Lord Mountbatten had taken his boat
0:37:18 > 0:37:22and members of his family on a day out in County Sligo.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24On board was a boat hand, Paul Maxwell,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Mountbatten's eldest daughter Patricia,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30her husband Lord Brabourne, her mother-in-law
0:37:30 > 0:37:34and their 14-year-old twins, Nicholas and Timothy.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38The seven of us went out.
0:37:38 > 0:37:44We had been going for a few minutes, beautiful flat, calm sea,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47not a cloud in the sky and...
0:37:47 > 0:37:50my grandmother, sitting also in the stern with her legs up
0:37:50 > 0:37:54in front of her, said, "Oh, isn't this a beautiful day?"
0:37:55 > 0:37:58And shortly after that,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01there was this almighty bang.
0:38:04 > 0:38:10I mean, it wasn't for a long time that I knew that it was the IRA,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13I thought, because we'd had problems with the boat,
0:38:13 > 0:38:17I thought the engine had blown up. And not until after I came out
0:38:17 > 0:38:20of intensive care did somebody explain to me,
0:38:20 > 0:38:24"No, no, it was a bomb," which I was really surprised about.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Only three people survived the blast.
0:38:29 > 0:38:34Patricia, her husband and just one of their twins, Timothy, were all seriously injured.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40So at what point did you realise that Nicky was dead?
0:38:40 > 0:38:43My sister Joanna, one of my two sisters, came to me...
0:38:45 > 0:38:47..and she explained that,
0:38:47 > 0:38:51"When you arrived in the hospital, you were unconscious.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54"You woke up - Nicky never did."
0:38:56 > 0:38:58And...
0:38:58 > 0:39:02I knew really in an instant that...
0:39:02 > 0:39:05either I was going to survive
0:39:05 > 0:39:08or I would never get over it and, in that instant,
0:39:08 > 0:39:12I think the path towards being a survivor started.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18A few weeks later, his parents still hospitalised,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22the Queen stepped in and invited Tim and a sister to Balmoral
0:39:22 > 0:39:24to help with his recovery,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28and he saw a side of the Queen seen by very few outsiders.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31We arrived through the door
0:39:31 > 0:39:35and I looked down this long imposing corridor
0:39:35 > 0:39:37and the sight that greets me
0:39:37 > 0:39:41is of the Queen, Prince Charles at her side,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44and she's sort of steaming up the corridor towards us with -
0:39:44 > 0:39:47it's difficult to describe -
0:39:47 > 0:39:52it had this feeling of a mother duck gathering in some lost young.
0:39:52 > 0:39:59They just wanted really to go into their default setting of love,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01of care, of asking about family,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04of plying us with soup and sandwiches
0:40:04 > 0:40:08and of wrapping us up in what I can only really describe
0:40:08 > 0:40:11as a sort of motherliness coming from the Queen.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18The Queen's visit to Ireland was,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22in a completely different way, another act of healing.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Formal salve for old wounds,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27it goes to the most sensitive places possible.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35'I always had this idea'
0:40:35 > 0:40:39that, in a way, the culmination of, um...
0:40:39 > 0:40:43the changed relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the UK
0:40:43 > 0:40:46would be a Royal Visit, and it's something
0:40:46 > 0:40:49I discussed with the then Irish Prime Minister.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53This, again, is a role probably only she could've played to put the stamp
0:40:53 > 0:40:57on the fact that history was history and the future would be different.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11Perhaps one of the most important places for the Queen to visit was Croke Park.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19In 1920, during the Irish War of Independence, 13 spectators
0:41:19 > 0:41:25and a player were killed here as forces under British control opened fire at a match.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Earlier that day, IRA assassination squads
0:41:28 > 0:41:32had shot 14 suspected British intelligence agents dead.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34It became known as Bloody Sunday.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40At Dublin Castle that evening,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43the Queen made an unexpected opening to her speech,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46and she expressed sympathy, though not apologies,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49for what had happened between the British and Irish.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52A Uachtarain agus a chairde.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02'I wondered to myself, because I speak Irish,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05'how she would get on with the words "A Uachtarain agus a chairde",'
0:42:05 > 0:42:11which means "President and friends", and yet she did it very well.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15In fact, it was exceptionally good pronunciation.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17It had an absolutely electric effect.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20All these people who were sitting around,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22who are quite strong Republicans,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25you could sort of...
0:42:25 > 0:42:28hear the hearts melting in the room. You could just see
0:42:28 > 0:42:33she had used the authority of the monarchy,
0:42:33 > 0:42:35her own brilliance and experience,
0:42:35 > 0:42:40to crack a problem and to improve a relationship
0:42:40 > 0:42:46and to change the nature of, um, of what has gone between us
0:42:46 > 0:42:49in a really, absolutely spellbinding way.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53We could never forget those who have died or been injured,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55and their families.
0:42:55 > 0:43:01To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10With the benefit of historical hindsight,
0:43:10 > 0:43:15we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently
0:43:15 > 0:43:17or not at all.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22She did close a circle of history.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26So everybody can make a contribution for the future. After all,
0:43:26 > 0:43:28we are closest neighbours.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Ireland and Britain, for many reasons,
0:43:32 > 0:43:36are probably the closest in every sense of that word, and that's to be welcomed.
0:43:43 > 0:43:48- Are a lot of people coming tonight? - Yes, quite a lot.
0:43:48 > 0:43:54Back home as Head of State, she's welcomed so many overseas leaders, icons of the 20th century,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58such as France's Charles de Gaulle, South Africa's Nelson Mandela
0:43:58 > 0:44:00and Cold War Russians like Khrushchev.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04She knew the last emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie,
0:44:04 > 0:44:05and, obeying her ministers,
0:44:05 > 0:44:09she's also had to greet some brutal tyrants -
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Nicolae Ceausescu, the Marxist dictator of Romania,
0:44:13 > 0:44:15welcomed in 1978.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18He gave her a Communist medal.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe came into 1994,
0:44:24 > 0:44:28although he was later stripped of his honorary knighthood.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Uganda's Idi Amin, a monstrous leader,
0:44:32 > 0:44:36arrived to visit in 1971 and promptly asked the Queen to arrange
0:44:36 > 0:44:39a visit for him to Scotland, Ireland and Wales
0:44:39 > 0:44:43so he could meet "The heads of revolutionary movements
0:44:43 > 0:44:46"fighting against your Imperialist oppression."
0:44:46 > 0:44:49So, she's known all sorts.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55In 2011, the Queen is about to welcome her 101st Head of State,
0:44:55 > 0:44:58and he really is welcome.
0:45:02 > 0:45:07So here we are on the sun-dappled lawns on Buckingham Palace
0:45:07 > 0:45:10where President Barack Obama has just arrived,
0:45:10 > 0:45:15only a few days after the Queen's historic reconciliation visit
0:45:15 > 0:45:17to the Republic of Ireland.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20And there is something that connects these two events,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23because, when Barack Obama first became US President,
0:45:23 > 0:45:27many people in Whitehall were worried that he was
0:45:27 > 0:45:31not particularly pro-British, even a bit cool.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Part of the reason for that was that Barack Obama's own grandfather
0:45:34 > 0:45:38was arrested, imprisoned and tortured
0:45:38 > 0:45:41by forces loyal to the Crown
0:45:41 > 0:45:44just before the Mau Mau Rebellion,
0:45:44 > 0:45:48one of the darker colonial moments in the young Queen's history.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53And so the fact that, when he arrives here, the Queen has formed
0:45:53 > 0:45:57such a strong personal relationship with Barack Obama
0:45:57 > 0:46:02and his family is a sort of human reconciliation.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05I'm not saying that it's the most important thing
0:46:05 > 0:46:08in British-American relationships, of course not,
0:46:08 > 0:46:12but at a human level, this sort of thing really does matter.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15BAND PLAYS "The Star-Spangled Banner"
0:46:15 > 0:46:17They are extraordinarily gracious people.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20They could not have been kinder to us.
0:46:20 > 0:46:25I met the entire Royal Family the first time I was in England
0:46:25 > 0:46:28in April 2008, and then Michelle and the girls
0:46:28 > 0:46:32actually visited London again and went to Buckingham Palace.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36She could not have been more charming and gracious to the girls.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38They had a chance to ride in the carriage on the grounds.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42I think what the Queen symbolises,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45not just to Great Britain
0:46:45 > 0:46:48but to the entire Commonwealth, and obviously the entire world,
0:46:48 > 0:46:52is the best of England and we're very proud of her.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57On all of these visits, small touches count -
0:46:57 > 0:47:01each guest gets a special show from the Royal Collection archives.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05This time, it emphasises how hostile Queen Victoria was
0:47:05 > 0:47:07to slavery in America
0:47:07 > 0:47:11and it displays King George III's anguished handwritten note
0:47:11 > 0:47:13"America is Lost!"
0:47:13 > 0:47:19- He travelled incognito as Lord Renfrew?- Theoretically.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25This is a gentle little break in the day - the President is off
0:47:25 > 0:47:28to Downing Street for serious talks about the world economy,
0:47:28 > 0:47:32and then he's going to dress up for a State Banquet
0:47:32 > 0:47:34in the Buckingham Palace Ballroom
0:47:34 > 0:47:37which won't be your average dinner party.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39You've got the Queen and the President here
0:47:39 > 0:47:44and then key other guests across the top of the table.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49The silver gilt that we're using is part of the Grand Service
0:47:49 > 0:47:52commissioned by George IV in 1811, approximately,
0:47:52 > 0:47:54although it's been added to over the time.
0:47:54 > 0:47:59There's in excess of 4,000 pieces in this.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03- All right?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:48:03 > 0:48:06Every time, once the table is set at about 6pm,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09in comes the boss for a final check.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11Smells nice, doesn't it?
0:48:14 > 0:48:16These are rather fun, aren't they?
0:48:16 > 0:48:21And she really does check. What about those microphones
0:48:21 > 0:48:24for the after-dinner speeches? Shouldn't they be hidden?
0:48:24 > 0:48:26They're a bit more obvious this time.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30Of course, because he's so tall.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33Is that all right, in fact? He's taller than you!
0:48:33 > 0:48:34A good bit taller than you.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39I think that they're quite sensitive, aren't they?
0:48:39 > 0:48:41It'll pick them up fine.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43The Queen checks the menus, the flowers,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47the seating plan. She'll show visitors to their bedrooms,
0:48:47 > 0:48:50where she's suggested bedside books for them.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54It's all gently flattering. There is no such thing here
0:48:54 > 0:48:57- as a routine foreign visitor. - It looks nice having the roses.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01Bowl of roses in the front.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04I wondered if there'd be anything left after Chelsea.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07This is what we were concerned about -
0:49:07 > 0:49:11the good stuff went to Chelsea, but we seemed to not do too bad.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21I think people may not realise around the world
0:49:21 > 0:49:24what an iconic figure the Queen is.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28The highlight of the State Visit is the Buckingham Palace Banquet.
0:49:28 > 0:49:33It does an enormous amount of good. Can you quantify it? Very difficult.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37Does it matter? Yes. Is it in the British interest?
0:49:37 > 0:49:41Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Would we lose something if it wasn't there?
0:49:41 > 0:49:43We certainly would.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48I must say, though, this dinner is a humbling reminder
0:49:48 > 0:49:53of the fleeting nature of presidencies and prime ministerships.
0:49:54 > 0:50:00Your Majesty's reign has spanned about a dozen of each, and counting.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05That makes you both a living witness to the power of our alliance
0:50:05 > 0:50:08and the chief source of its resilience.
0:50:10 > 0:50:15It's been a delicate dance between tradition and modern times.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20The unsentimental demands of international politics
0:50:20 > 0:50:22and old-fashioned politeness.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25And not everything survives Britain's changed status,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28as the Queen herself knows all too well.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33I name this ship Britannia.
0:50:33 > 0:50:38I wish success to her and to all who sail in her.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41BAND PLAYS "Rule Britannia"
0:50:41 > 0:50:46In 1953, the Queen launched the Royal Yacht Britannia,
0:50:46 > 0:50:51which would sail the seas for half a century as her personal vessel.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57What was it like being on Britannia with her?
0:50:57 > 0:51:01It was the most enjoyable single thing that I did.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03I wouldn't have missed it.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07Did you think that the Queen was more relaxed on Britannia than she would've been elsewhere?
0:51:07 > 0:51:11She certainly was. There was a magic moment at the end of the day
0:51:11 > 0:51:14when she came down the stairs from her room
0:51:14 > 0:51:19and kicked off her shoes and gave herself a good Scotch
0:51:19 > 0:51:23and embarked on a sort of resume of the day.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28You saw a different person -
0:51:28 > 0:51:31the Queen in trousers and a shirt
0:51:31 > 0:51:33and sitting around telling
0:51:33 > 0:51:37funny stories from the past.
0:51:38 > 0:51:43I think the yacht's just been enveloped in one huge low
0:51:43 > 0:51:47and wherever we went, the heavens opened and the wind blew.
0:51:47 > 0:51:52We were the luckiest people to be able to go on holiday on Britannia.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55I mean, so many memories.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57She was a home away from home,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59certainly in the early years
0:51:59 > 0:52:02when they were doing six-month world tours, Britannia was home.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06Aboard her, the Queen made almost 1,000 Royal
0:52:06 > 0:52:09and State visits around the world, playing host to leaders
0:52:09 > 0:52:12from Boris Yeltsin to Ronald Reagan.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16If the Queen was Queen of the United Kingdom,
0:52:16 > 0:52:20Britannia would be a floating extravagance.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22But she wasn't and isn't.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25She's head of the 54-member Commonwealth
0:52:25 > 0:52:28and Britannia was part of the plan
0:52:28 > 0:52:31to keep that extraordinary organisation,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34ranging from huge countries
0:52:34 > 0:52:38to tiny little barnacle-encrusted lumps of rock together.
0:52:40 > 0:52:45But there was a secret role for Britannia throughout the Cold War.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52Once the Royal Yacht was in existence, its real purpose in war was not to be a hospital ship -
0:52:52 > 0:52:57that was the cover story. It was her floating nuclear bunker.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02It would lurk in the sea lochs on the north-west coast of Scotland.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06The mountains would shield it from the Soviet radar, and at night,
0:53:06 > 0:53:09it would quietly go from one sea loch to another - it wouldn't be static.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13So if the Prime Minister was wiped out once the Sovs knew
0:53:13 > 0:53:16where the bunker was that he was operating from
0:53:16 > 0:53:19from the signals traffic, the Queen would be in a position
0:53:19 > 0:53:22out of the rubble to appoint a surviving prime minister,
0:53:22 > 0:53:24because only the Queen can appoint one.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28So the British Constitution was taken care of even unto Armageddon,
0:53:28 > 0:53:33and she would've been somewhere beyond Kyle of Lochalsh ready to do the business
0:53:33 > 0:53:36when her kingdom was a smoking and irradiated ruin.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39Dreadful thought. Dreadful thought.
0:53:42 > 0:53:47As it was, the yacht proved to be a safe haven of a different kind.
0:53:47 > 0:53:52Unlike her other residences, this was the only one built for her.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56She designed it in great detail herself, and this is what she chose.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01This is her bedroom on Britannia and it is commendably plain.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03It's rather 1950s in style.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07Lots of people of that generation will recognise it exactly.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09You can make the same point about the Duke of Edinburgh,
0:54:09 > 0:54:14because his bedroom, designed by him, is just next door.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17It's a rather starker, more masculine version
0:54:17 > 0:54:20of the same thing.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24He left very detailed instructions about it - for instance,
0:54:24 > 0:54:28when it came to the pillowcase, "No frills."
0:54:34 > 0:54:39As she said goodbye in 1997, after a million miles shared,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42the Queen was seen to shed a tear.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47Conservative ministers had never inveigled New Labour politicians
0:54:47 > 0:54:51onto the boat to enjoy it and so, after that year's general election,
0:54:51 > 0:54:54Tony Blair's government had no substantive debate
0:54:54 > 0:54:58about decommissioning Britannia without a replacement.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02This happened just when we came in and it was
0:55:02 > 0:55:07the time when we were keeping to some very tough financial measures.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11It would've been a very hard sell at the time.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15But it was arguably something that had earned its way as an institution.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18And I think there is a case for that...
0:55:18 > 0:55:22so I don't know whether, if it had come at the end of the ten years,
0:55:22 > 0:55:25maybe I'd have had a different view of it.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27There's talk, though not from the Queen,
0:55:27 > 0:55:30of a new privately-funded yacht. We'll see.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34Meanwhile, Britannia herself remains a gleaming motionless museum,
0:55:34 > 0:55:36tethered outside Edinburgh.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40The last cruise that we did on the west coast in '97...
0:55:40 > 0:55:45Yeah, it was very emotional and very sad for Granny as well, because...
0:55:45 > 0:55:48it was a massive part of her life and her growing up.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52I think it says up there, when you go
0:55:52 > 0:55:54and look around it, there's a picture of her
0:55:54 > 0:55:57and it says, "The place where I feel most free."
0:55:57 > 0:55:59Which just says it all.
0:56:07 > 0:56:12Most people in their 80s have stopped changing.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15For the Queen, that isn't an option.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19Central to the monarchy's survival is the constant need to adapt
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and stretch out to everyone from thinkers and leaders
0:56:22 > 0:56:25to the crowds at garden parties.
0:56:26 > 0:56:31When God Save The Queen is played, some people still stand to attention.
0:56:31 > 0:56:35She has lived at attention,
0:56:35 > 0:56:3960 years of never standing still.
0:56:41 > 0:56:47'To think, for example, in 1947, the Cold War really froze'
0:56:47 > 0:56:50and yet in 1990, by 1990,
0:56:50 > 0:56:54it's over without a general war or a global nuclear exchange.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57If you consider a woman, who was monarch
0:56:57 > 0:57:01when Stalin was still in the Kremlin, seeing through all that.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04She's got on with the job,
0:57:04 > 0:57:07she hasn't expressed public angst about being monarch
0:57:07 > 0:57:10or about being monarch of a declining nation,
0:57:10 > 0:57:12she's just got on with it.
0:57:12 > 0:57:17It's arguably the case that she's been a very good front person during this period when, in many ways,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20Britain has de-Victorianised, downsized, deimperialised,
0:57:20 > 0:57:22she's been terrific for that.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25'What the Queen's managed to do is bring the monarchy
0:57:25 > 0:57:30'into the 21st century as best as she can.'
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Every organisation needs to look at itself over time
0:57:32 > 0:57:35and the monarchy is a constant evolving machine.
0:57:35 > 0:57:41I think it really wants to reflect society and move with the times.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43It's important it does for its own survival.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47In her 60-year reign, the Queen has seen much
0:57:47 > 0:57:50and said little. In episode three,
0:57:50 > 0:57:53we revisit the rare moments
0:57:53 > 0:57:56when we've heard the Queen's inner thoughts.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58What I say to you now
0:57:58 > 0:58:03as your Queen and, as a grandmother, I say from my heart.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05Those words in that speech were her own.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09We go right back to February 6th 1952,
0:58:09 > 0:58:12the day she unexpectedly became Queen and we follow her
0:58:12 > 0:58:18to a country where the monarchy's future is hotly debated - Australia.
0:58:18 > 0:58:22- What about the Commonwealth? - She's been referred to as the glue
0:58:22 > 0:58:25that binds the Commonwealth together.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27And, in this final episode, her family
0:58:27 > 0:58:31reveal who the Queen herself turns to for support.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34I personally don't think that she could do it without him.
0:58:52 > 0:58:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd