0:00:04 > 0:00:0790 years ago, our longest serving Monarch,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Queen Elizabeth II was born.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Since then, millions of us have met her
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and many have got close.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15You're having a good old stare at the Queen, aren't you?
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Yes, we are. We had a good view of her.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21But how well do we know her and how well does she know us?
0:00:21 > 0:00:23She said to me that she doesn't feel
0:00:23 > 0:00:25properly dressed without her handbag.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29This is Her Majesty as you've never seen her before.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I was completely paralysed as this amazing icon
0:00:32 > 0:00:34walked over my gangway
0:00:34 > 0:00:36A people's portrait of the Queen.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41She is on our stamps and she's on our coins, and she's in our hearts.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42How are you doing?
0:00:42 > 0:00:46In this series, Ainsley Harriot cooks up a coronation treat in London.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Come on, let's wave together now.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Welcome to my home. Thank you. You like the Queen, don't you?
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Aled Jones gets super close with a super fan in Wales.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Look at that. He's practically this close.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And I'll be tracking down people who have met the Queen in a corner
0:01:03 > 0:01:07of Britain that has over 700 miles of stunning coastline.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11So the sea plays a really important part in people's lives here
0:01:11 > 0:01:14and it also lies behind a powerful connection
0:01:14 > 0:01:17between this part of Britain and the Queen.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31My journey starts right here, in the naval city of Portsmouth.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Four generations of the Queen's family have gone to
0:01:34 > 0:01:38sea in Royal Navy ships, some of them from this very port.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43From here, I'll be hitting the road to get to the heart
0:01:43 > 0:01:46of the Queen's special relationship with the place I call home -
0:01:46 > 0:01:48the South West of England.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52During 14 years as the BBC's Royal Correspondent,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55I was lucky enough to meet the Queen quite a few times,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59but she was nearly always on duty and our conversations were
0:01:59 > 0:02:03pretty much small talk, so I'm hoping that by meeting people
0:02:03 > 0:02:07who've chatted with her in different situations, I might learn
0:02:07 > 0:02:12more about the extraordinary woman whose life I've shadowed.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14I think she's always very elegantly dressed.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Yeah, good handbags.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19We've had the Queen here since the Diamond Jubilee,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21back in 2012, here in the market.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23When you think she's 90 and she's at her desk
0:02:23 > 0:02:25at whatever time it is in the morning.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29We've got a new one over here, which we've just had in,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and she looks rather regal in this one.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Happy 90th birthday, we think you do a great job.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41We always boast a big turnout for the Queen,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43here in the South West.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46We brought the entire Navy out to greet the new Queen in 1953.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52She launched her Golden Jubilee tour from Falmouth
0:02:52 > 0:02:54and almost launched her hat.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01Whether opening tin mines or blessing our biggest ships...
0:03:01 > 0:03:03May God bless her and all who sail in her.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09..we always have a curtsey, bow or salute ready to greet her.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15And the Queen has a very personal link to the region.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Her grandfather, her father, her husband
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and two of her children began their military careers here.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26And, as Head of the Armed Forces, she's a regular visitor
0:03:26 > 0:03:28to its many military bases.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29BAND PLAYS
0:03:34 > 0:03:37She's always taken her forces role extremely seriously
0:03:37 > 0:03:41and never more so than back in April 1982, when Britain
0:03:41 > 0:03:45held its breath as we went to war with Argentina.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51We are here because, for the first time for many years,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55British Sovereign territory has been invaded by a foreign power.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Argentina had claimed the Falklands,
0:03:59 > 0:04:04a remote British territory 8,000 miles away in the southern Atlantic.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12A task force of 100 ships and 27,000 troops had to be scrambled...
0:04:14 > 0:04:18..with one aim - getting those islands back.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30Aircraft carrier HMS Invincible set out from Portsmouth on April 5th.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35On board, over 1,000 servicemen, many facing the full
0:04:35 > 0:04:37horror of war for the first time.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43They were sailing into the unknown,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46but that's not the whole story.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49For the Queen, it couldn't have been more personal.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52One of those young men was her own flesh and blood,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54her middle son Andrew.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57As head of the Armed Forces, she had a responsibility to all
0:04:57 > 0:05:00the thousands of British servicemen going to war,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04but, at that moment, she was first and foremost a mother.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Andrew, a naval helicopter pilot with Invincible, was keen to
0:05:10 > 0:05:13get stuck in for his mum, the Queen, and country,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and insisted on front-line duties.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26As the task force headed south, the Queen faced weeks of uncertainty.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34And it wasn't long before Invincible was in the thick of the action.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39Its aircraft provided vital support for an intense battle on land.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44I think you've got a picture of you in action,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46actually, in the Falklands.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47That is me in the middle there,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50just about to go off leading a patrol somewhere.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Brigadier Johnny Rickett was Commanding Officer
0:05:52 > 0:05:54of the Welsh Guards.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58They suffered dreadful losses when HMS Sir Galahad was hit
0:05:58 > 0:06:01by Argentine aircraft.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07Johnny was already on shore when he heard his men had been attacked.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12I was up visiting my forward company and, on the way up,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16suddenly two aircraft came over very low...
0:06:17 > 0:06:19..and we realised that they were enemy aircraft.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22REPORTER: Skyhawks, four or five, came low across the bay
0:06:22 > 0:06:25to bomb the two landing ships unloading men and supplies.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31One of the ships, Sir Galahad, burst into flames immediately.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Within seconds I was required on the radio.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40"Get yourself down to Fitzroy as quick as you can,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44"you have got casualties in your battalion coming ashore
0:06:44 > 0:06:45"from the Galahad."
0:06:47 > 0:06:50With the tears almost running down my cheeks,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54I then went back down to Fitzroy to greet the remnants
0:06:54 > 0:06:56of my soldiers coming ashore.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02From the shore, Johnny witnessed
0:07:02 > 0:07:05the full horror of the unfolding nightmare.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08REPORTER: Helicopters which had been moving equipment forward
0:07:08 > 0:07:10now flocked to help rescue survivors.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17On the cliff tops, medical staff waited for the helicopters
0:07:17 > 0:07:19to bring the casualties to them.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24It was a pretty horrific time because we were under
0:07:24 > 0:07:27attack from the Argentine Air Force at that particular time,
0:07:27 > 0:07:32and people were running round in a rather desperate state.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34REPORTER: In the middle of the airlift,
0:07:34 > 0:07:35another air raid was called.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38The orderlies kept working, ignoring the crates of ammunition
0:07:38 > 0:07:41stacked in the grass around about.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48In the confusion, it took hours to find out who'd survived
0:07:48 > 0:07:50and who had not.
0:07:53 > 0:07:5948 men were killed that day - 32 were from Johnny's Battalion.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04So what are your feelings now, looking back on that day?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10One of utter sadness, but the point one has to deal with,
0:08:10 > 0:08:15as a commander, is to grip things and get people thinking forward
0:08:15 > 0:08:18rather than backwards, and I was determined from that moment
0:08:18 > 0:08:20the battalion wouldn't look backwards. We must get on.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22We still had a role to play.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Johnny's troops went on to play a vital part in re-taking
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Port Stanley and winning the war.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36There is a white flag flying over Stanley.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Marvellous.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49So after the conflict, unsurprisingly,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51you were honoured by the Queen, weren't you?
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Along with many others, I can assure you. Tell me about that, though.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Well, it was really rather special and tremendous... When I went in,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03the Queen, obviously, she talks to everybody who gets a decoration
0:09:03 > 0:09:07of some sort, but she seemed to spend a bit longer
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and she was very anxious about the families.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Specifically the families affected by the Galahad?
0:09:11 > 0:09:16Yes, she was anxious about people's feelings and worries,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and were they still all right... Yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22..and it was a very natural conversation. It was wonderful.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Did you feel it was absolutely genuine or she had been briefed?
0:09:26 > 0:09:32Not at all. Not at all. I mean look at her face, that is genuine,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34a genuine happy smile to be amongst us.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39That's me, obviously. She loves her servicemen and women, as you know.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46So, it's no surprise that the Queen was at the centre
0:09:46 > 0:09:48of an outpouring of love and pride
0:09:48 > 0:09:52when her son's ship, Invincible, returned to Portsmouth.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55She sailed out to board the carrier
0:09:55 > 0:09:57to welcome her son and the crew home.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02George Birkett was chief mechanic on board.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07He was coming home to his wife Marie and his teenage son.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I think a lot of people will remember the day that the task
0:10:11 > 0:10:13force came back to Portsmouth.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17It must be seared on your memory. What was it like?
0:10:17 > 0:10:19By the time we came into Portsmouth, it was a lovely day
0:10:19 > 0:10:24and there was small ships, yachts of every size, escorting us in.
0:10:24 > 0:10:30The tugs with the coloured water coming from the canons and thousands
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and thousands of people. You could see them and hear them, could you?
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Oh, yeah. It must have been so emotional.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Oh, crikey, yeah. Definitely.
0:10:38 > 0:10:46# We are sailing
0:10:46 > 0:10:52# Home again 'cross the sea... #
0:10:55 > 0:10:58After five months, it was party time in Portsmouth,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01with Marie one of thousands lining the quay
0:11:01 > 0:11:03desperate to be reunited with loved ones.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10There were thousands of people. It was just amazing, with the placards,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and banners and all sorts waving around, and I had my own... Did you?
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Yes, which said, "Welcome home, George."
0:11:18 > 0:11:24It had 143 on there, on the bottom, which stands for I love you.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Oh, I see. One letter in I, four letters in love
0:11:27 > 0:11:29and three letters in you. I didn't know that. Wow.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Welcome home, George. You could see that... Could you see that?
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Yes, I did eventually, yes.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Meanwhile, on board, Andrew was catching up with his mother
0:11:39 > 0:11:41and sharing his thoughts with the press.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I think I've experienced something
0:11:46 > 0:11:49very few people are able to experience - loneliness.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52When you lie down on the deck, and that moment when
0:11:52 > 0:11:56there are missiles and things flying around, at that precise moment,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00you are on your own and that is all there is.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03You must identify, to some extent,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06with how the queen was feeling herself.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09You were sending your husband away and welcoming him home and,
0:12:09 > 0:12:10for her, it was her son.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I expect she was extremely proud, like we all were.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16From the youngest to the oldest person on the ship,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18all their relations that come to meet them,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22we're just so happy and excited and proud to be there.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26She can't really jump up and down and cheer, can she?
0:12:26 > 0:12:29She's got to be dignified. No, no, no.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34True, but I'm sure inside she wanted to, but she just couldn't. I bet.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38While the Queen was on board, no-one could leave the ship.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42But when her visit ended, there was no holding them back.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45The Queen disembarked first, rightly so,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48and then they opened the gangways
0:12:48 > 0:12:53and we shot down like heat-seeking ferrets, I suppose.
0:12:53 > 0:12:59# Oh, Lord, to be near you to be free
0:12:59 > 0:13:08# Oh, Lord, to be near you to be free... #
0:13:11 > 0:13:16What was it like, go on, the first embrace back home?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18It was quite good.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22It was lovely - the first kiss. It was a long wait, it was worth it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26It was lovely. I think George was more emotional than me.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29I was just absolutely beaming.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Is it still emotional today?
0:13:31 > 0:13:37Certainly, when you think of people you knew who didn't get back,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39that is always a bit of a grueller.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Same as all the other guys, First World War, Second Word War,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46all the other conflicts, we should never forget...
0:13:46 > 0:13:48these people put it on the line
0:13:48 > 0:13:50for their country and the Queen, of course.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Listening to George and Marie there really makes you
0:14:02 > 0:14:05think how difficult it sometimes be for the Queen.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09It was such an emotional homecoming that day
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and yet she had this dual role, Head of the Armed Forces,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14having to be formal and carry out her duty,
0:14:14 > 0:14:15when, in all honesty,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18she was probably feeling like every other mum,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21just thank goodness my boy has come home safe.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27MUSIC PLAYS
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I'm really lucky to live here, in Devon, because it's
0:14:42 > 0:14:45so beautiful, but I've also been very lucky to travel
0:14:45 > 0:14:46round the world with the Queen.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50I think you really have to be with her and travel with her to see
0:14:50 > 0:14:52how incredibly popular she is.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56The Queen has said she wants to meet as many people as possible on
0:14:56 > 0:15:00this tour and there certainly seem to be thousands who want to see her.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03# I've been everywhere man
0:15:03 > 0:15:06# Crossed the deserts bare man
0:15:06 > 0:15:08# I've breathed the mountain air man
0:15:08 > 0:15:10# Of travel I've had my share man
0:15:10 > 0:15:11# I've been everywhere... #
0:15:12 > 0:15:15She's the world's most travelled monarch.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19The Buckingham Palace view of the tour
0:15:19 > 0:15:22so far is that it's been a spectacular success.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24And armed with my reporter's notebook,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27and a fine selection of shoulder pads, I've shadowed
0:15:27 > 0:15:33her from India to Australia, Africa to Pakistan.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Jennie Bond, BBC News, Islamabad.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40'Back at my home in Devon...'
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Hey, Fitz. Jenny. '..friends like my old buddy and fellow broadcaster,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47'David Fitzgerald ,were always fascinated to find out whether
0:15:47 > 0:15:50'I'd managed to catch a glimpse of the real woman
0:15:50 > 0:15:52'behind the royal facade.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Hey, come in.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56I've been looking through some of the bits
0:15:56 > 0:15:58and pieces I've collected over the years.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I've got an attic full of them, I tell you.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05That's the kind of invitation you get when you are invited
0:16:05 > 0:16:08to the palace or the castle. Have you had one?
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Yes, I have. Just been the once, yeah. Never likely to go again.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I think the first time
0:16:14 > 0:16:16that I did meet her at one of these receptions,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19I told her what I thought was a very funny story because
0:16:19 > 0:16:22I always like to tell her a funny story or make her laugh in some way.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27So I said, "Oh, Ma'am, I'm always standing outside your house,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30"chatting to the camera, and I think I wonder if you're in there
0:16:30 > 0:16:34"looking out, saying, 'What is that woman talking about now?' "
0:16:34 > 0:16:36And I think she enjoyed it.
0:16:36 > 0:16:42And I think this picture, here, in which I look like some ghastly
0:16:42 > 0:16:46pantomime dame, thinking I'm hysterically funny, cheeks all pink,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48you know, "I'm meeting the queen."
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Ghastly. But, look, I think she thinks I'm quite amusing.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55You also travelled with Her Majesty, which I think that's brilliant.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Where did you get to?
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Oh, gosh, we went round the world so many times I can hardly remember,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03but I think South Africa was really, really magical.
0:17:03 > 0:17:10We went there with the Queen in '95 and it was special for her, as well.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Escorted by a flotilla of small boats,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Britannia sailed into Table Bay, bringing the Queen on one of the
0:17:16 > 0:17:18great state occasions of her reign.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23It was her first visit since 1947, when she had toured as a love-struck
0:17:23 > 0:17:26young princess, newly engaged to Philip.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31This time she was meeting the new president, Nelson Mandela.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35You could see that this wasn't just another foreign trip.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38She wanted to be there and she talked to us about it.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43She said, "I'm so excited to come back. It's been nearly 50 years
0:17:43 > 0:17:44"since I've seen this country."
0:17:44 > 0:17:49I was excited too because the whole of South Africa seemed to
0:17:49 > 0:17:52want her to be there.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55One of the most memorable events took place in the township
0:17:55 > 0:17:57of New Brighton.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02There was a man escorting her
0:18:02 > 0:18:04and he was brandishing a spear.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07He turned out to be a Xhosa tribesman.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11They walked up this aisle with him going, "Lalalalalala!"
0:18:11 > 0:18:17She came ever so close to me and said, "I do hope he's friendly."
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Brilliant! Lovely!
0:18:19 > 0:18:22That does sound like a great trip, but did you meet the real Queen?
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Of all the times I've met her, I think, in South Africa,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29there was some kind of connection between us
0:18:29 > 0:18:33and I felt I saw the real woman, the woman who has lots of emotions
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and lots of warmth but who, most of the time,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40because of her feelings of duty, covers it up and doesn't let
0:18:40 > 0:18:42us see beneath that royal facade.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48It's been lovely looking back on that trip to South Africa
0:18:48 > 0:18:52and I know it meant an awful lot to the Queen, just as her previous
0:18:52 > 0:18:55trip had done 50 years earlier, because then she was coming home
0:18:55 > 0:18:58to marry her prince -
0:18:58 > 0:19:00a love story that began right here in Devon.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10I'm heading just 15 miles along the South Hams coast,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14up these windy Devon roads, to a place that has launched thousands
0:19:14 > 0:19:16of naval careers and one royal romance.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22So this is where it all started -
0:19:22 > 0:19:25the Britannia Royal Naval College - and it really is a stunning
0:19:25 > 0:19:29setting for a love affair that was to last, well, a lifetime.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36The Queen has visited the training college many
0:19:36 > 0:19:39times as Lord High Admiral of the Navy.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43But in 2011, she gave that grand title to her husband,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Philip, as a 90th birthday present.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Now that is love.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54And it all began right here, on this croquet lawn, 77 years ago.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58College historian Jane Harrold has the pics to prove it.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00This is the photo album that belonged
0:20:00 > 0:20:03to Captain Dalrymple-Hamilton, who was the captain at the time.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07This is just his family album, but he's got the whole day in here,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11including some pictures where he clearly saw the significance
0:20:11 > 0:20:15of the meeting. Here we have them on the lawn down there,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17part of a game of croquet.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20This one shows just the two of them together,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24perhaps contemplating their next move, who knows?
0:20:24 > 0:20:28And so it was that a royal visit in 1939 led to a dashing
0:20:28 > 0:20:32young cadet, 18-year-old Prince Philip of Greece,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34entertaining the young princesses.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37You know, it seems wrong to say that love started here because
0:20:37 > 0:20:40the princess was just 13 - she was no more than a child -
0:20:40 > 0:20:43but there's no doubt that she found him very attractive, didn't she?
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Absolutely. I think she was probably of an age where she was
0:20:46 > 0:20:48just starting to appreciate the opposite sex,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51so I tend to think of it as a schoolgirl crush.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Well, he was drop dead gorgeous, wasn't he?
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Absolutely. He was your Greek Adonis.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00He was tall, he was athletic, he was blonde, he was beautiful to look at.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Who wouldn't be impressed?
0:21:02 > 0:21:06We've got Princess Elizabeth, she's preparing to take a shot there,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08and Prince Philip in the background.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Oh, look, he's just the same, hands behind the back. He still does that!
0:21:11 > 0:21:16Obviously a habit he adopted early on and here we can see them
0:21:16 > 0:21:17again, looking the other way,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19a little bit closer together this time.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Looks like Philip is preparing a shot there
0:21:22 > 0:21:26and she's watching very intently. Very attentively. Absolutely.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Eight years later they were married and, 68 years on,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41the longest royal marriage in British history
0:21:41 > 0:21:42is still going strong.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49I just think they are... They were made for one another.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Absolutely. They were the perfect match. Yeah.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56What about you? Have you actually met the Queen yourself?
0:21:56 > 0:22:00I have met the Queen. I met her the last time she came to the college,
0:22:00 > 0:22:01which was in 2008.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I showed her around the museum a little bit and she showed a huge
0:22:04 > 0:22:06amount of interest.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10It's not just that she was visiting her naval academy.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Her father, her grandfather, her uncles, her sons,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17of course, her husband, where she met him.
0:22:17 > 0:22:23So she's a proper naval person - a wife, a mother, a grandmother -
0:22:23 > 0:22:25so it felt very genuine.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28It really was the pinnacle of my career here to meet her.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Navy life, its highs and lows,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35were a hot discussion topic on the rather chilly day the Queen
0:22:35 > 0:22:38met the college's commanding officer.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Wow! Hello, Captain. How very... Hello, Jennie. ..kind of you.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45Hello. Thanks for asking me in.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49What a gorgeous place, you lucky person. I am incredibly lucky.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Very privileged and honoured to be captain
0:22:51 > 0:22:53of Britannia Royal Naval College, that's for sure.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56I couldn't help but notice, as I walked in, this picture
0:22:56 > 0:22:57of you and the Queen...
0:22:57 > 0:23:00and neither of you are looking very happy.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03There's a really good reason for that. It was bitterly cold,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07we were in Tallinn in Estonia, and it was just sub zero.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11I always say the Queen and I have something in common,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14which is that, when our faces are in repose,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17we're just thinking about something, might be quite joyful,
0:23:17 > 0:23:22we look glum and people come up and say, "Oh, cheer up, dear."
0:23:22 > 0:23:24No, I was perfectly happy, actually.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I think I just look grumpy because I was cold.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Or you were just grumpy. Did you find her easy to talk to?
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Yeah. I was in command of HMS Liverpool,
0:23:32 > 0:23:37the finest Type 42 Destroyer, and there was a remarkable moment
0:23:37 > 0:23:38when she walked up onto my gangway.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43And as she was walking up, I am very rarely lost for words
0:23:43 > 0:23:44and, in fact, count myself
0:23:44 > 0:23:49unflappable, and I had a nano-second where I was completely paralysed,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53as this amazing icon walked over my gangway.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55I knew exactly what I was going to say, I just couldn't say it.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58You still couldn't say it? She was fantastic.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00She said, "Good morning, Captain, how are you?"
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Shook my hand and put me completely at ease.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Clearly, she is well practised at this.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09She was fabulous with my ship's company, my sailors and indeed
0:24:09 > 0:24:13my beautiful wife, Lisa, was there and she met her.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18And she was so attuned to the trials and tribulations
0:24:18 > 0:24:22of being a naval officer's wife - a lot of time looking...
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and she talked to Lisa about it. Did she?
0:24:24 > 0:24:27What did she say? What did she say?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29You can't just leave that hanging.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33She said, "Wow, it's always hard to be the wife of a naval officer
0:24:33 > 0:24:36"because you go away for so long."
0:24:36 > 0:24:39That year I had been away for ten and a half months at sea,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41with two little boys, and she gets all of that,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44which makes her... Well, she is just the most remarkable sovereign.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50From commanding officers to young cadets,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54the Queen has made a lasting impression.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Lieutenant Darren Roach met her when he was awarded star cadet
0:24:57 > 0:25:03back in 2008 and he hasn't forgotten her wise words.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05She made a speech in front of the attendees,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07down on the parade ground here.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10She started initially by talking about her connection with
0:25:10 > 0:25:12the college, which made it seem quite personal.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15One of her closing lines was, "Always remember who you are
0:25:15 > 0:25:16"and always be loyal to yourself",
0:25:16 > 0:25:19and that has always stuck with me throughout.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20That was really quite special.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22You were down there and the Queen came out,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25so you had to salute her, I suppose, did you?
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I did, yeah. I had to march on to the parade ground.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30She was in position already, so, as I approached her,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34I had to stand to attention in front of her and then salute the Queen.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Yeah, slightly different in the Navy.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41We actually salute with our fingers down.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44With the other services, they have their hand up.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48We salute this way. Back in the days where sailors would work with
0:25:48 > 0:25:52rope and tar, and had dirty hands, it was seen as inappropriate to
0:25:52 > 0:25:53salute an officer with a dirty palm,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56so the tradition is that we have our palms facing down.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Go on, give us one. Is it always your right hand?
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Always the right hand, always with a cap on,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03so I'll show you how we do it.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Stand to attention in front of her, salute her, she then nodded back
0:26:07 > 0:26:09and then cut the salute.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12I feel like the Queen. I do, I do! That's fantastic!
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Do you know? It was really rather special to see where that
0:26:18 > 0:26:21little princess met the man she was going to marry.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25It's obvious she still feels very connected to the college,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and the cadets find her inspirational whenever she comes here,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and who wouldn't want to come here?
0:26:30 > 0:26:34It's so beautiful. Maybe that's why she keeps coming back
0:26:34 > 0:26:36to this part of the country.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37MUSIC PLAYS
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Sometimes, when I was royal correspondent,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56it was the quirky stories that were the most fun to do, I remember.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00And after all the turmoil of the Diana years, the divorces,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04the fire at the castle, there was a little bit of light relief
0:27:04 > 0:27:09when the Queen did something she'd never ever done before.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11She went to the pub.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16It was 1998 and no-one was more surprised
0:27:16 > 0:27:18than the Cheffers family,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22owners of this rather historic inn, here in Topsham, Devon.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Landlady Caroline showed the Queen around that day.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30The room was actually a malt house and there would've been another
0:27:30 > 0:27:32floor here at that time.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35This was...
0:27:35 > 0:27:40And 18 years later, she's still every bit the consummate host.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45Hello, you must be Caroline. Hi, Jennie, welcome to The Bridge.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Well, it's quite some place, I must say, and also very nice and warm.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Tell me, how long have your family had this business?
0:27:52 > 0:28:00Well, my great grandfather came here in 1897, so, with my grandchildren
0:28:00 > 0:28:05now, they are the sixth generation of our family in the inn.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07How did you hear that the Queen was coming to visit?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Well, it was really extraordinary because my dear dad
0:28:10 > 0:28:15took the phone call from the Lord Lieutenant's office in Devon.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19And I said, "Don't worry, Dad, it's just someone playing a prank."
0:28:19 > 0:28:22And lo and behold, three weeks later, she duly arrived.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Of course, she had never been in a pub before, had she?
0:28:24 > 0:28:26No, this was her first official visit.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Whether she had been in a pub or not is another matter.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32That is a very good point, Caroline.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Sometimes, when she was younger, she did skip out of the palace
0:28:34 > 0:28:37in disguise - once, at least, we know about.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41And she was an army girl. Indeed, indeed.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44It's her first official visit. What did you think her?
0:28:44 > 0:28:48I thought she was absolutely delightful. Was she easy to chat to?
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Yes, she was, yes. And, as she walked through here,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54she actually said, "It must be very difficult to remain
0:28:54 > 0:28:57"unchanged in these changing times".
0:28:57 > 0:28:59And I actually thought,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02"I think probably both you and I know that, ma'am."
0:29:02 > 0:29:05I think, rather like her mother, essentially in her heart,
0:29:05 > 0:29:06she's a traditionalist.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10I mean, how hard she has worked for this country.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14It's, you know, her world has been one of duty, I suppose,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17but hopefully she has enjoyed it.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20From the smile on her face, she enjoyed her visit
0:29:20 > 0:29:24and she was given a carry out - a crate of beer for Philip -
0:29:24 > 0:29:29although she missed out on her favourite tipple, Dubonnet and gin.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34I gather a few of you were here on that big day itself.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Well, I was lucky. I was the local police officer in Topsham,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40so I was stood outside on crowd control,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43and trying to keep people back and keep people happy and safe.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45How did the media behave?
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Badly! As one would expect, they're keen for the best shot.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53I know. I was there. It was very tough times for the monarchy then
0:29:53 > 0:29:56and there was a thought that this was really a bit of a PR stunt
0:29:56 > 0:30:01to make her seem, I don't know, more in touch with people.
0:30:01 > 0:30:02Did you go along with that?
0:30:02 > 0:30:06No, I think there was a genuine reason for her picking Topsham
0:30:06 > 0:30:09and I thought it was the history of the pub.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11It was very nice for her to meet the people
0:30:11 > 0:30:14and they responded well to seeing her.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18It was particularly memorable for Caroline's daughter, Rhiannon,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21who was 17 at the time.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25It was a really exciting day and it's not every day that the Queen
0:30:25 > 0:30:28asks to come to your home, ultimately,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30and I remember feeling very special because the Queen
0:30:30 > 0:30:32was coming to my home at that age.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35I've been waiting years for her to come to my house,
0:30:35 > 0:30:37just ring up and say, "Jen, can I come round?"
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Does not happen, I'll tell you.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41So are you going to be doing something special
0:30:41 > 0:30:43here for the birthday, the big one?
0:30:43 > 0:30:46We're going to have a garden party in the car park
0:30:46 > 0:30:50and I think we might even go as far as having posh frocks and hats.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Whoo! I would expect nothing less.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56ALL: Happy 90th birthday, ma'am.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Following the Queen around the world, it certainly taught me
0:31:07 > 0:31:09one thing about her and that's how hard she works.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11It's incredible, actually.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13She kept me pretty busy, I have to say, to be honest.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17It was quite hard juggling my job with being a mum.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22If I ever felt sorry for myself, I thought, "Do you know what?
0:31:22 > 0:31:25"She's been a working mother since she was 25."
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Now, as she turns 90, she is still working hard.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30In fact, she carries out way over
0:31:30 > 0:31:36400 official visits every single year.
0:31:36 > 0:31:37It's pretty amazing.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47Someone else who has packed a lot into his 90 years
0:31:47 > 0:31:49is Reverend Amos Creswell.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53Let me blow my nose. I don't want to be sniffling.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57Amos was born on the same day as the Queen and has a lovely tale to
0:31:57 > 0:32:00tell about the time he went to Buckingham Palace for a joint
0:32:00 > 0:32:0280th birthday party with her.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09We had a card in the post, and my wife saw the invitation
0:32:09 > 0:32:13and immediately went and bought a new dress, so I knew that she was
0:32:13 > 0:32:16the one that I was going to have to take.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20We got to the palace. They met us and I said,
0:32:20 > 0:32:22"Where will I be sitting?" "Oh," he said,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24"You'll be sitting next to the Queen."
0:32:24 > 0:32:27And I looked at him, I said, "You what?!"
0:32:29 > 0:32:32After getting over his shock, Amos then had to deliver a speech.
0:32:32 > 0:32:37Luckily, 60 years as a Methodist minister has fine tuned
0:32:37 > 0:32:39his oratory skills.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43When I finished, something happened which I shall never forget.
0:32:44 > 0:32:49Her Majesty stood up and looked at me,
0:32:49 > 0:32:53bowed her head towards me and smiled,
0:32:53 > 0:32:57and said, "Thank you for a lovely speech."
0:32:58 > 0:33:03To think that the Queen of England said that to me,
0:33:03 > 0:33:08who comes from a working class family, whose father was out of work
0:33:08 > 0:33:09on the day he was born...
0:33:09 > 0:33:12I mean, we talked about all sorts of things.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16We talked about families, grandchildren and I said,
0:33:16 > 0:33:23"You know, Your Majesty, nowadays, we find it difficult to get people
0:33:23 > 0:33:25"to join societies."
0:33:25 > 0:33:27She looked at me and said,
0:33:27 > 0:33:32"You know, when we were young, we were taught the meaning of
0:33:32 > 0:33:39"commitment and nowadays they don't take that so seriously as we did."
0:33:39 > 0:33:42She said, "That, I think, is at the bottom of it."
0:33:42 > 0:33:47And then I paused and I thought, "That is at the top of why
0:33:47 > 0:33:52"she stands out as such a great leader of the country -
0:33:52 > 0:33:53"she is committed."
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Totally committed.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01And she will serve us till the end of her energies.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06My body's beginning to fail.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11I've lost my sight since I saw her...ten years ago.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13My limbs are creaking.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17She seems to do very well and thank God for that.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23She is the tops as far as I'm concerned.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29I would like to wish you a happy birthday, Your Majesty,
0:34:29 > 0:34:30and God bless you.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33MUSIC PLAYS
0:34:42 > 0:34:45You'll find plenty of people doing their bit for society,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49as the reverend put it, at a vibrant community centre, here in Bristol.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55The Park, as it's known locally, is a former school
0:34:55 > 0:34:58that's now a lively community hub.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03Back in 2005, it found itself on the royal radar.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Then we came in through the door there.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09When team member Joy Pollard first heard she was to expect a
0:35:09 > 0:35:13special visitor, her reaction was priceless.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16I won't tell you what I said because it's not nice.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Oh, tell me what you said. You cannot leave it there.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20What did you say? I said, "Don't be so ridiculous."
0:35:20 > 0:35:23There was no way the queen was coming to come here.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25And then it was all go then, people getting really, really excited.
0:35:25 > 0:35:30We had a visit from Bristol City Council, who wanted to come
0:35:30 > 0:35:33and paint everything, and I sent them away and said, "No.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36"She is coming to see what we are." Good for you!
0:35:36 > 0:35:38People always do that.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42We did paint a toilet that we thought she might use,
0:35:42 > 0:35:46but, apart from that, what she saw was what we were.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50What sort of things go on here? We have an education programme.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54We do construction. We do level two childcare.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56We do health and social care.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59It's all to do with skills and vocational...
0:35:59 > 0:36:03They come away with proper qualifications that can take
0:36:03 > 0:36:08them into uni...if they want to go that way.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12On the day of the visit, Joy was on hand to greet the Queen.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Waiting inside was nervous construction trainee Steph Monks,
0:36:15 > 0:36:19who was quite literally bricking it.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23When Joy told you the Queen was going to come visit,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25and she might talk to you, what did you think?
0:36:25 > 0:36:27I told her I don't believe her.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29I said, "Oh, don't be silly."
0:36:29 > 0:36:32She was like, "No, she is, she wants to see you.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Steph had dropped out of school early and was at the centre training
0:36:36 > 0:36:38to be a bricklayer.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Were you the only brickie around? Female, I mean.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Yeah, I was the only girl on the course.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47That's why, when she come in, she was happy to come and talk to me.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50That's something to look back on as an adult.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52"Oh, yeah, I've met her." But no-one believes me!
0:36:52 > 0:36:57Did she seem quite natural with you? Did it change your image of her?
0:36:57 > 0:37:00Yeah. You look at her as this royal person
0:37:00 > 0:37:03but when she come in, she was quite down to earth.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06She asked me about my wall, why I'm doing the course.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10Yeah, I spoke to her. Something I can say to my grandkids.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13They will be dead impressed.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15And they'll be impressed that Steph,
0:37:15 > 0:37:18inspired by the Queen's visit, went on to teach at the centre.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24What did it all mean, in the end, the Queen coming here?
0:37:24 > 0:37:26Did it boost the centre in any way?
0:37:26 > 0:37:28I think it boosted morale.
0:37:28 > 0:37:33A lot of the young people that were here never believed she was going
0:37:33 > 0:37:35to come, even after we told them.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38I that gave them the sense that, if we said, here at The Park,
0:37:38 > 0:37:40something was going to happen for them, then it was going to happen.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Just goes to show what brilliant foundations can be laid with
0:37:47 > 0:37:49a royal seal of approval.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57If there's one thing this whole journey has reinforced for me,
0:37:57 > 0:38:02it's how at home the Queen is with people from all walks of life.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05But here in the South West, she is never far from a salute,
0:38:05 > 0:38:09and the men and women who serve her and their country.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Well, I'm getting towards the end of my journey round my home turf now,
0:38:16 > 0:38:19but there's just one more group of people I'd like to meet.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Now, they know exactly what it's like to fear
0:38:21 > 0:38:23for their loved one's lives
0:38:23 > 0:38:25because, like the Queen, they too
0:38:25 > 0:38:27have a deep connection with the Armed Forces.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34This part of the world, Wiltshire, is home to 20%
0:38:34 > 0:38:38of our Armed Forces and the UK's largest
0:38:38 > 0:38:41military training area, Salisbury Plain.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Over 12,000 soldiers are based here, training hard before heading off to
0:38:47 > 0:38:49conflicts around the world.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53They leave behind wives and girlfriends,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57who can only wait and worry...
0:38:57 > 0:39:00but some of them have found a rather brilliant distraction.
0:39:00 > 0:39:09# There are times I need somewhere that I belong... #
0:39:09 > 0:39:13This choir is one of over 80 military wives choirs that
0:39:13 > 0:39:17have sprung up over the country in the past five years.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21# Safe, secure and feels like home
0:39:21 > 0:39:25# Heard a voice... #
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Heidi Cox joined after struggling with the isolation
0:39:28 > 0:39:29of being a military wife.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33What sort of things have you had to face alone?
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Childbirth. Really? That was a big one on my list.
0:39:36 > 0:39:42My husband was in Kosovo and my baby came at 34 weeks.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45I had a friend who visited me after two years in Australia.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48She came for pizza and ended up staying four days,
0:39:48 > 0:39:51and helping me deliver a baby, which was amazing.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Andy managed to get back the day after and we had one week together,
0:39:55 > 0:39:58and then he had to go back away on operations
0:39:58 > 0:40:00and I was left holding a baby.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02And I'd never held a baby before,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05before I gave birth, so that was shocking.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07When baby number two came along,
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Heidi felt in desperate need of support.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Andy told me he was going off on tour to Afghanistan,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17and it was a couple of weeks beforehand,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19and we had quite a few nights
0:40:19 > 0:40:22where I was just going, "How am I going to survive with two children?
0:40:22 > 0:40:25"You're going away again, urgh, this is just a nightmare."
0:40:25 > 0:40:27And so I thought, "I'm going to just join the choir
0:40:27 > 0:40:29"and see what happens."
0:40:29 > 0:40:32It turned a corner for me and, ever since then,
0:40:32 > 0:40:35it has been a network that I can rely on.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37It doesn't matter where I get posted.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42# Together we belong together we are strong
0:40:42 > 0:40:45# Together we are stronger we can overcome... #
0:40:45 > 0:40:49The Military Wives choirs made headlines with Gareth Malone's
0:40:49 > 0:40:51hit series in 2011.
0:40:51 > 0:40:59# And now nothing can divide us we are stronger together... #
0:41:00 > 0:41:05But very few know it was the idea of one woman - Nicky Clarke.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10What's the longest your husband was away for?
0:41:10 > 0:41:13He was away for seven months in Afghanistan,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16with a couple of weeks of R in the middle of that.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Is that what made you start the choir?
0:41:18 > 0:41:24Absolutely, 100%. I enjoy singing and I'd sang in a choir locally.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27There seemed to be lots of barriers to us
0:41:27 > 0:41:31getting to know each other, so rank, service, where you live,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34whether you have children or not, and all these things that
0:41:34 > 0:41:37divided us. And I thought, actually, a choir could bring us all
0:41:37 > 0:41:41together and it didn't matter who you were, or what your husband did,
0:41:41 > 0:41:45or where you came from, we could all just be part of a choir together.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48And there was no stopping them.
0:41:48 > 0:41:55# Sing it louder, sing it clearer knowing everyone will hear you... #
0:41:55 > 0:41:58In 2012, Nicky and the wives got the golden ticket to
0:41:58 > 0:42:03sing at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations...
0:42:03 > 0:42:08with the added bonus of performing alongside Take That's Gary Barlow.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13Oh, I was there...and you were there. I was there. I saw you!
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Right on the back row.
0:42:17 > 0:42:22It was the most incredible experience for all of us.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25It was a great evening, I must say. It was. It really was.
0:42:25 > 0:42:31# Sing it louder, sing it clearer knowing everyone will hear you... #
0:42:31 > 0:42:34It became the biggest selling record of the year,
0:42:34 > 0:42:38bagging a number one for Gary and the wives.
0:42:38 > 0:42:39And, as if that's not enough...
0:42:40 > 0:42:43And, of course, you've been honoured, haven't you?
0:42:43 > 0:42:44So you must have met the Queen there.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46You have an MBE, is that right?
0:42:46 > 0:42:50I have. It was, again, an incredible privilege and, as I have always
0:42:50 > 0:42:55maintained, as much as I felt amazingly honoured myself,
0:42:55 > 0:43:00I truly felt that I was collecting that for all military wives.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Her Majesty was a military wife, a military mother,
0:43:03 > 0:43:05a military grandmother
0:43:05 > 0:43:10and I felt it was an incredibly special thing for all of us.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13There's one final song still left to sing.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Take it away, ladies.
0:43:15 > 0:43:23# Happy birthday to you
0:43:23 > 0:43:29# Happy birthday Your Majesty
0:43:29 > 0:43:36# Happy birthday to you. #
0:43:40 > 0:43:45LAUGHTER
0:43:45 > 0:43:46MUSIC PLAYS
0:43:52 > 0:43:55You know, all those years as royal correspondent can leave you
0:43:55 > 0:43:57a wee bit cynical.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01But after making this programme, meeting all those people,
0:44:01 > 0:44:05it's obvious the day they met the Queen is a day that's going to live
0:44:05 > 0:44:07for ever in their memory.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10Quite simply, she's been around for most of us,
0:44:10 > 0:44:14for all of our lives, and she's still as popular as ever.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16It really is some achievement.