0:00:02 > 0:00:0490 years ago, our longest-serving monarch,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Queen Elizabeth II, was born.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Since then, millions of us have met her. And many have got close.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14You're having a good stare at the Queen, aren't you?
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Oh, yes, we are. We had a good view of her.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17But how well do we know her?
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And how well does she know us?
0:00:20 > 0:00:21She said to me that she
0:00:21 > 0:00:24doesn't feel properly dressed without her handbag.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26This is Her Majesty as you've never seen her before.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Good Queen hair you've got going on there!
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I was completely paralysed as this amazing icon walked over my gangway.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36A people's portrait of the Queen.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38She's on our stamps,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and she's on our coins, and she's in our hearts.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43To celebrate the Queen's birthday,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I'm going to be travelling all over Britain
0:00:45 > 0:00:48in search of your memorable meetings with Her Majesty.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52And I'm not alone. With a team of familiar faces, we're going
0:00:52 > 0:00:55to be lifting the lid on what happened when we all met the Queen.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58And I tell you what, it didn't always go to plan.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02John Craven sneaks a peek in Her Majesty's favourite handbag.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04- Ah-ah-ah! - Ooh, can I not touch it?
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Jennie Bond pops into the pub
0:01:06 > 0:01:09where the Queen grabbed a carry-out for Prince Philip.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Carol Kirkwood meets the pint-sized pony
0:01:12 > 0:01:14that misbehaved with Her Majesty.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Look at them!
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And Ainsley Harriott discovers how the Queen's Coronation
0:01:19 > 0:01:22changed this couple's life forever.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23Making me cry!
0:01:23 > 0:01:25You're making me get emotional!
0:01:34 > 0:01:36So here I am, outside Buckingham Palace.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39It's the Queen's official London residence.
0:01:39 > 0:01:40Not bad, eh?
0:01:40 > 0:01:43775 rooms, apparently.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46But, of course, it's more than just a posh place to crash.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48It's Her Majesty's head office.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51A royal HQ, where ceremonies, state visits
0:01:51 > 0:01:55and the likes of you and I go if we're lucky enough to be honoured.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59I got my MBE in there. Just saying.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03The Palace attracts nearly half a million royal fans every year.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05And even if you haven't been here,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08it seems that we all have something to say about the Queen.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12She's lovely. I like the hat. I like the way she dresses.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Yeah, good handbags.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18She's done well to get to 90, hasn't she? But I suppose she gets the full service.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20She's like the Bentley of human beings, so...
0:02:20 > 0:02:23She's a lovely woman. She's got a gorgeous smile.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26And I'm sure that all her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and her family love her.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28She certainly seems a very warm individual.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Wonderful for 90.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34- Happy birthday, ma'am, hope you have a good one.- Happy birthday, ma'am.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37We're going to kick off with a very special story about an excited
0:02:37 > 0:02:41young lad who, 63 years ago, was watching the Queen's coronation -
0:02:41 > 0:02:45which was happening here in London - live on a telly, up north.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52That little boy grew up into, well, a big boy
0:02:52 > 0:02:54who would one day meet the Queen.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56This is Grimthorpe Street,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00where I actually lived with my sister and mum and dad.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Not changed at all, by the look of it.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Very much the same as it used to be. Yeah.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13My first memory of the Queen dates back to
0:03:13 > 0:03:14when I was living here as a child.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16We didn't have a TV back then.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And I remember going to a friend's house
0:03:18 > 0:03:21to watch the Coronation in 1953.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26It was a long time ago, so I've arranged to meet up
0:03:26 > 0:03:30with my sister Jean, who shared the momentous moment with me.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36- Hello!- Hello!- About time, I've been here ages!- Sorry!
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- How are you?- I'm fine, thanks, how are you?
0:03:39 > 0:03:43We're going for a trip - a royal trip - down memory lane.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49- Oh, wow! Look!- That's it.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51That's television, isn't it?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- Bush 9" telly.- Yes! Absolutely.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56- We watched the Coronation on that, didn't we?- We did.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58First time we'd ever seen television.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Yes, because the only news I had ever seen was on at the cinema.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- The Pathe news.- And we couldn't believe that, in this room...
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- It was live.- ..we were seeing Her Majesty the Queen being crowned.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Yes, absolutely wonderful. - It was fantastic.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15And every little girl wants to be a princess.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20And here we were, watching a princess being made into a queen.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22It was just amazing.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29And, less of an event for the nation, but still big for me -
0:04:29 > 0:04:33it was on this Pye 14" - our very first TV set -
0:04:33 > 0:04:38that my family would have watched my first-ever broadcast.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Used to do a youth club programme on ITV, called The Sunday Break.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- With Sam Wanamaker?- That's right, Sam Wanamaker, he was there, yeah.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47I was about 17 at the time.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49It was very special to see you on television as well.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51It was very special to see the Queen,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- and it was very special to see you too.- Thank you.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Little did we know that you would actually meet her,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00when we saw her so many years before,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- when you got your OBE.- I know.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Mr John Craven, for services to rural and children's broadcasting.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08What did you feel then?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11'It was amazing, I mean, never even dreamed I would get one.'
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Were you nervous when you met the Queen,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- because I would have been extremely nervous?- I was too.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18I thought I wouldn't be, you know,
0:05:18 > 0:05:23I'm supposed to have everything under control as a TV presenter,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27- but I was shaking like mad. - I would have been too.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31- Norman Wisdom was there.- Was he? - Norman Wisdom got his knighthood.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36- Oh, really?- Yeah.- Was he giggling? - We were having a laugh beforehand.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39And he said, "I've got a little plan. I've got a little plan."
0:05:39 > 0:05:43And when she, you know, put the sword on his shoulders
0:05:43 > 0:05:45and you step back, and he was walking away,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- he did his famous little trip! - Oh, did he?!
0:05:49 > 0:05:53The Queen thought it very funny. She smiled a lot at that.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Over the years the Queen has become renowned
0:06:00 > 0:06:02for wearing bright colours...
0:06:04 > 0:06:06..pearl necklaces...
0:06:06 > 0:06:08and pristine white gloves.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12She's worn over 10,000 outfits to official engagements,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15and she always has a handbag to match.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25In 1991, the Queen visited the factory
0:06:25 > 0:06:28that makes her favourite handbags.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Back then they were based in London.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34They've kept the sign, but have moved to the Midlands.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44'Managing director Gerald Bodmer has met the Queen several times,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47'and he and his wife designed the handbags.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51'I'm hoping he'll spill the beans about what she keeps in them.'
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Has she got a favourite one, do you know?
0:06:53 > 0:06:55I think the favourite one is the Traviata, which is
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- the one on the front.- Uh-huh. - That's the one she carries.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01And how much, if I wanted to buy that handbag, how much is that one?
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- £1,500.- £1,500? Wow! That's a lot for a handbag.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07- There's a lot of work in it. - All right.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- And what... It's obviously leather...- Ah-ah-ah-ah!
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- Oh! Can I not touch it?- Yes, you can, but you must push the fitting.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14- Sorry.- Oh, sorry.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16What kind of leather is this?
0:07:16 > 0:07:18This is patent leather,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20which was originally shellac-type leather,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22and she carries a patent, she carries calf as well.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27- And what's inside?- It has a place to put your mobile phone,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and it has zip pockets and it has a mirror.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- The Queen takes a mobile with her, then?- I don't know!
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- I'm told she uses one.- All right. Is there a purse in there?
0:07:38 > 0:07:41- There would be for her, yes, we'd make a purse for her.- Does she have
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- any money in it, do you know? - I've not the faintest idea.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Cos the rumour is that she doesn't carry money.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47I wouldn't think she carries money,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49but you don't know what she has in there.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51On the photos I've seen of her with a bag,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53she seems to have a much longer handle.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55She does, she has a longer handle.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Probably easier to get her hand through it.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00The Queen's handbags are specially made.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04As well as a longer strap, hers are lined with silk,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07rather than suede, to make them lighter.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10She needs lighter because now she is a bit older,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and the last few bags, we've also made some with frames that can open,
0:08:14 > 0:08:15but I haven't got one here.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Also, she seems to be never without it.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21She believes she is not properly dressed without a handbag.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And she's not above getting her favourites repaired.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29It's the women here at the factory that not only make them
0:08:29 > 0:08:31but mend them.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39You put everything into the bag because it's for Her Majesty.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46They also make wallets for the Prince of Wales.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Barbara is a fan of all the Royals, especially the Queen.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57I mean, I'm just mad about her. Just phenomenal, isn't she?
0:08:57 > 0:09:01She's just super, I think. A wonderful lady.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07It's handbag heaven, and as you might expect,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09everyone has their favourite.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13I like the ostrich handbags, what they make in the exotic leathers,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15they're really nice.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Barbara ain't having this one, it's mine.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19There might be a fight.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Very expensive.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24I'll never have one, but I'd like one!
0:09:24 > 0:09:26A leaving present.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29When I leave, this is what I want.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30Yes, that's mine as well.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32LAUGHTER
0:09:35 > 0:09:39And the ladies have one rumour they're willing to share.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44We think she uses different codes of how she holds her handbag, as
0:09:44 > 0:09:49to indicate when she wants to move on or speak to someone different.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52We don't know for definite, but that's what we've heard.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01After John's trip down memory lane,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04- it's time for some- memories - of my own.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- To share my cracking tale of when- I- met the Queen, I'm going back
0:10:07 > 0:10:12to my own childhood, growing up as a young boy soprano in North Wales.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I tell you what, I really love this place.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20It's Bangor Cathedral, it's where I learned my craft.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23I was here as a chorister from the age of 9 to 11,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27that means services on a Tuesday, on a Thursday,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30rehearsals on a Friday and Saturday, two services on Sunday.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33I was really happy here, but I had no idea that the old warbling
0:10:33 > 0:10:35would lead to Royal meetings.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Who would have thought?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40MALE CHORAL SINGING
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Wow, this takes me back. Hasn't changed a bit.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52I remember when I first walked in here as a young kid,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I thought this was the biggest building in the whole world,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I'd never seen anything like it.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03This was my spot as a chorister for four years in Bangor Cathedral.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05I was actually probably about this tall.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10But without the hours of practice and singing I put in here,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13I think the first meeting with the Queen I had would have been
0:11:13 > 0:11:14a complete nightmare -
0:11:14 > 0:11:16well, actually it was a bit of a nightmare anyway.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I'd been asked by Andrew Lloyd Webber to close
0:11:18 > 0:11:22the first half of a Royal gala performance in Edinburgh.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26But my performance in front of Her Majesty didn't quite go
0:11:26 > 0:11:28according to plan.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It was the biggest concert I'd ever done in my life.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Mum and Dad were excited as well.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37On the bill were people like Shirley Bassey, Linda Evans from Dynasty,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40it was huge, about 200 acts.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- Aled Jones. - APPLAUSE
0:11:43 > 0:11:46'My job was to sing that Lloyd Webber classic Memory,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48'only I had to sing it FROM memory
0:11:48 > 0:11:51'because, on the night, I wasn't allowed to use the score.'
0:11:52 > 0:11:58# Midnight Not a sound from the pavement
0:11:58 > 0:12:03# Has the moon lost her memory?
0:12:03 > 0:12:05# She is smiling alone... #
0:12:05 > 0:12:08'Then, in between the first verse and the second verse, it goes...'
0:12:08 > 0:12:11HE HUMS THE MELODY
0:12:11 > 0:12:16On the second one, I looked down the whole hall, and I saw
0:12:16 > 0:12:20an exit sign in red, with the "E" flickering a little bit,
0:12:20 > 0:12:21and I thought to myself,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25"I haven't got a clue what's coming next. I've forgotten the words."
0:12:25 > 0:12:29'And I had 2½ seconds to think of something.'
0:12:29 > 0:12:34# Memory All alone in the moonlight
0:12:34 > 0:12:38# I can hear a choir singing... #
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Thankfully I came up with some words of my own, I said something like,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45"Memory, I can hear the choir singing, they are singing alone.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49"I can hear them singing beautiful songs and the memory lingers on."
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Finally, legs shaking, dry mouth, looking terrified,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55I went back to the normal words for verse three, four and five.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Honestly, I feel sick telling this story now.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04# I can hear them, the choir singing beautiful songs... #
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'So, if you can imagine, I finished the performance...'
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Everyone was lovely - well, everyone bar Rory Bremner.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14He came bounding up to me at the side of stage and went,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16"You were singing Memory - you don't have one!"
0:13:16 > 0:13:19As you can imagine, that went down really well.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21# Someone mutters... #
0:13:21 > 0:13:24'And my recurring nightmare throughout my childhood,'
0:13:24 > 0:13:27no word of a lie, bolt upright in the dark of night,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30would be, "What would have happened if I hadn't made the words up?"
0:13:30 > 0:13:34And in my nightmare, I look up at the Queen and Prince Philip,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37who are just there in the Royal box, and I go,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39"I'm really sorry, Your Majesty," and run off stage crying,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41never to be heard of again.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43And she's shouting, "To the tower with him!"
0:13:43 > 0:13:47# Daylight I must wait for the sunrise... #
0:13:47 > 0:13:50At the end of those Royal Variety-type concerts,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52there's always a line-up where you meet the Queen.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55She put her arm out and shook my hand.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58I was so scared, I was so nervous, shaking like mad,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and she said, "Oh, you've got a beautiful voice, well done, I really
0:14:01 > 0:14:05"enjoyed your interpretation, and good luck in the future."
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Phew! Thank God!
0:14:08 > 0:14:14# And a new day will begin. #
0:14:17 > 0:14:20There are some folk who have made it their life's ambition to meet
0:14:20 > 0:14:23the Queen not just once, but hundreds of times.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25FANFARE PLAYS
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Yes, the Queen has her groupies.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Superfans who follow her across the country.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34And here in Ruthin, Denbighshire, I think
0:14:34 > 0:14:37I've tracked down Wales's number-one fan.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- My goodness me!- Welcome to my home. - You like the Queen, don't you!
0:14:43 > 0:14:45My Royal museum.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Amateur photographer Colin Edwards has been an avid Queen spotter since
0:14:50 > 0:14:55watching her Coronation as a small boy on the family's first telly.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Over 30 years he's travelled thousands of miles,
0:14:59 > 0:15:04tracking Royal visits and snapping over 6,000 photos of Her Majesty.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09A lot of the photos I see,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12the Queen is looking like I don't normally see her - she's a monarch
0:15:12 > 0:15:16in lots of the photos, whereas you've got more of a personal side
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- to her.- I think people like myself, we're called "royal watchers",
0:15:19 > 0:15:22and we stand for ages waiting to see her,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25and we get our photographs, and they are a bit more candid and informal,
0:15:25 > 0:15:32we capture her informality more than the official press photographers.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35She always comes and speaks to us, she's very relaxed.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Has she ever said, "Colin, not today, I'm having a bad hair day"?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40She hasn't said that yet, no!
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- She never has a bad hair day, that's why!- She doesn't call me Colin.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48- Right.- It's protocol. Diana always called me Colin.- Yes.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53She was very informal, but the Queen never, ever gives people their name.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57- Have you got any photos I can see? - Of course.- That's a great one.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59I tell you what, that's got to be the closest
0:15:59 > 0:16:03photo of the Queen I've ever seen in my life. Look at that!
0:16:03 > 0:16:05It's practically this close!
0:16:07 > 0:16:10- That's brilliant. Any more? - Yes, of course.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13I ask him "any more?"! He's got 6,000 to get through!
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Sit down, we could be some time!
0:16:15 > 0:16:17You'd be here all day if you saw them all.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- This is just a small selection. - Right.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24That was the Queen outside Westminster Abbey in 1997.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I love this, this is the side of her we never see in the papers.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- This wonderful smile again. - She's got a wonderful smile,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33very infectious. And very spontaneous too.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38You know, the Queen isn't an actress, she's her own true self.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40This is brilliant, this one. Look at that.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43That was in 1992, taken in Wakefield in Yorkshire.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46The character that she's got in all these photos is really great.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50She's got beautiful blue eyes. She looks very animated in that one.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- I was about to say, she looks so alive.- Yes.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54There was an occasion in the late 1980s
0:16:54 > 0:16:56when she was just sort of getting to know me,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59and it was in Burnley in Lancashire, and I do remember this well.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03She was about to walk away, and I said, "Your Majesty,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06"could I take another photograph of you, please?
0:17:06 > 0:17:09"Because I may not see you again for some time." And she said,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12"Oh, I'm not so sure about that because you turn up everywhere!"
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I sang in the Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20and at the end of it we were all in a room
0:17:20 > 0:17:23waiting to meet Her Majesty the Queen.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26She went, "By the way, my husband loves your radio show."
0:17:26 > 0:17:29And I was like, "OK." So up he came, and I said to him,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32"Your wife tells me you listen to my radio show." He said, "Rubbish!
0:17:32 > 0:17:35"The only person I listen to is that cheeky little Welsh chappy."
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- And I went, "That's me! That's me!" - What a wonderful story!
0:17:38 > 0:17:41So the next Sunday, I said, "And if you're listening, Ma'am,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44"this is for you." I played her a nice bit of Elgar.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48MUSIC: Nimrod from Enigma Variations by Elgar
0:17:54 > 0:17:56I love Colin, he's such a great guy,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00and what commitment he's shown Her Majesty over the years. Incredible.
0:18:00 > 0:18:036,000 photos of the Royal Family, and you see
0:18:03 > 0:18:06a side in his photos that you don't normally see in the press.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Look at that. Every person in Britain
0:18:08 > 0:18:10should see Her Majesty like that.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Full of life, full of love, absolutely brilliant.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16And also I'm so pleased that he reaffirmed what I thought
0:18:16 > 0:18:19I knew anyway, in the fact that she likes having a laugh,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22just like the rest of us. Good on Her Majesty.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33And if you want to spot the Queen in relaxed mood,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35a great place to start is Scotland.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Carol Kirkwood is on the hunt for the Scots who have met the Queen.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Balmoral is said to be where the Queen is happiest.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49It's where Prince Philip proposed to her,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and where they spent part of their honeymoon, and it's so peaceful.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57She has over 50,000 acres of Highland scenery
0:18:57 > 0:18:59hidden away from the eyes of the world.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02TANNOY: 'Here we have the Royal Family coming in now.'
0:19:02 > 0:19:04BAGPIPES PLAY
0:19:04 > 0:19:08When the Queen is at Balmoral, she never misses the annual
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Braemar Gathering, which can be traced back over 900 years.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16In her role as Chieftain of the Gathering,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19she really gets into the spirit of the games.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23One of the Queen's neighbours is Willie Meston.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26When he was secretary of the gatherings,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29he found himself in a sticky situation with Her Majesty.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36We've had some very funny presentations over the years.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38One of the occasions was when Geoff Capes
0:19:38 > 0:19:41was being presented with his trophy
0:19:41 > 0:19:44for being the best overall heavyweight at the gathering.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Geoff was taken up to the Royal box,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51introduced to Her Majesty by myself, the trophy handed over.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Unfortunately I hadn't listened to Geoff.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56He still had resin on his hands.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Her glove stuck,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and she just roared with laughter.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04It was a great occasion.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08The other thing that Her Majesty loves every year is
0:20:08 > 0:20:12the children's sack race, and gives them tremendous pleasure.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20But her true passion lies in all things equine.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25And this passion started in miniature.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29She was given her first pony, a wee Shetland called Peggy,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33by her grandfather, King George V, when she was only four years old.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37The Queen's equestrian passion
0:20:37 > 0:20:39is shared by a member of the Royal Regiment,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41who guards her when she is in Balmoral.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44And he goes by the rather wonderful name of the Pony Major,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46and I think I'll find him in here.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54- Ah! Look at them! It's very nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you too.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Oh, they are gorgeous wee ponies. What are their names?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59This is Lance Corporal Cruachan IV,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02who is the regimental mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04and this is Lance Corporal Cruachan III, retired.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- Lance Corporal - they've even got titles?- They have, yes.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11And Lance Corporal Cruachan IV
0:21:11 > 0:21:14welcomes the Queen to Balmoral every year.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Any time that Her Majesty's in Scotland,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19she likes to see them, she likes to spend a wee bit of time
0:21:19 > 0:21:22with them, especially Cruachan III, who's her wee special friend.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24What's so special about him, then?
0:21:24 > 0:21:28When she visited here in '96, in Redford Barracks,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Cruachan had a wee nip at her. It wasn't prominently at her -
0:21:31 > 0:21:35she had a posy of flowers, that she had received from the families,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and he thought it was breakfast.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- Oh!- So he took Her Majesty's glove off,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- so he got into a wee bit of trouble for that.- Oh, no! Bless him.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- Did the Queen think it was funny? - She thought it was hilarious.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49She knows Shetlands, she learned to ride on a Shetland,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51so she knows they've got a mind of their own.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54So does the Queen still come and see them a lot?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Every morning she'll come down,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01she'll have a small brown sack of carrots.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05And in these the chefs have batoned them,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09and she'll say good morning to him, spend a bit of time with him.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12You said there that she immediately puts you at ease.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13- OW!- Did he get you?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Oh! You little rascal! He just bit me!
0:22:16 > 0:22:20- You little scallywag. - It will sting for a bit!
0:22:20 > 0:22:22For about two years!
0:22:24 > 0:22:27What were we saying? She makes you feel at ease.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I think she loves meeting people as she's moving around the estate,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34and if some of the soldiers are walking around she will stop
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and speak to them, and she'll remember their names.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39And it makes the soldier feel,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43"I'm doing my duty but Her Majesty is talking to me, I'm a person."
0:22:43 > 0:22:47- Special.- It gives you that lift for the day.- Yes.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Her Majesty is always out riding in the mornings
0:22:50 > 0:22:52when she's in Balmoral, she'll go away with her groom.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54So, how long does she go out for?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56She can be out for roughly an hour every morning.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Still looking fresh as a daisy out riding round the estate.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04It's amazing, when you think, it's her 90th birthday this year,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and she's still out riding for an hour.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09It's great to see, and I hope I'm like that when I'm 90.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12On behalf of Lance Corporal Cruachan III,
0:23:12 > 0:23:13Lance Corporal Cruachan IV,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16the Royal Regiment of Scotland, happy birthday, Your Majesty.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22So the Pony Major and the Queen share a love of spirited
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Shetland ponies.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27But I have to say, that's the last time I'm going anywhere near one
0:23:27 > 0:23:30without a pair of steel-lined jeans!
0:23:38 > 0:23:42For her next meeting, Carol's on slightly safer ground, or should
0:23:42 > 0:23:48I say water, as she sets course for Edinburgh and one very famous boat.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50MUSIC: Rule, Britannia!
0:23:52 > 0:23:54The Royal Yacht Britannia.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59From the minute Britannia was built in Scotland,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02to the day it was decommissioned and returned there,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06the Queen treasured her time aboard her home on the high seas.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09And just as well - she was on board for months at a time.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14In the Queen's service, Britannia travelled over a million miles
0:24:14 > 0:24:17and visited over 135 countries.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20And on those long royal trips abroad,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23the Queen looked forward to getting home at night,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27not to fancy palaces, but to her own ship with familiar faces.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Come on.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36'Familiar faces like Britannia's longest-serving Royal yachtsmen...
0:24:38 > 0:24:40'..Ellis Norrell and Albert Deane.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45'These gents - Norrie and Dixie to their friends - have promised me
0:24:45 > 0:24:48'an "insiders' view" of the Queen's bedroom.'
0:24:48 > 0:24:53- Gentlemen! Hello, it's lovely to meet you.- Hello, Carol.- Dixie?- Yes.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- I got that right, so, Norrie. - Norrie, yes indeed.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Thank you for this, what a fabulous yacht.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04- So, this is the State Dining Room. - Yes, certainly is.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06It looks magnificent.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09How many people would have been sitting down at this table, then?
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It seats 56 for a state banquet,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and besides the... A dining room,
0:25:15 > 0:25:20it also converted into a cinema, and also for church on a Sunday.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22So how did that work, then?
0:25:22 > 0:25:26For the church and the cinema, chairs would be laid out,
0:25:26 > 0:25:31cinema screen there, or a lectern here for the church.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34So, were you invited in to watch these films with the Royal Family?
0:25:34 > 0:25:38- Oh, yes.- Can you remember any of the films that you actually saw?
0:25:38 > 0:25:41It was "Carry On... Up The Khyber" with Sid James
0:25:41 > 0:25:45as the local governor of something, and they were watching a polo match,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and he said to Joan Sims, I think was his wife,
0:25:48 > 0:25:49"That Philip's a good lad -
0:25:49 > 0:25:52"he'll go a long way if he marries the right girl."
0:25:54 > 0:25:57And he did! That's really good.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01So how did the Queen like to relax when she was on the yacht?
0:26:01 > 0:26:06- The Queen would dress relaxed, trousers and blouse and...- Jacket.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Once we were out of sight of land, there was no paparazzi,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and then she could completely relax.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I would love to see some more of her rooms, if I may, gents.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20- Would you show me, please?- Yes, come this way.- Where are we heading now?
0:26:25 > 0:26:29- What a view!- This is the Queen's bedroom, here on the right.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34As you see, it's quite small, in comparison to most bedrooms.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Do you know, I can't help but notice how small the bed is.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42It's a single bed, and look at the bedspread on it as well.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45That's something like MY granny would have had.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49There's an adjoining door through there,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and that would be the Duke's bedroom a bit further forward.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55This is fascinating.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57- This way?- Yes.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00But the real fun took place at the front of the ship.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05We'd have concert parties here.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07There'd be a big canvas backdrop
0:27:07 > 0:27:11which the chief painter would have done, pertaining to where we were,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14either the South Seas or a city skyline.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18You know, there's a tropical background, and that's
0:27:18 > 0:27:21the Queen there, and that's the Duke of Edinburgh's head there.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- So it is. And were you gents in that picture?- That's me.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28What a fine-looking man you are, Dixie.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32- And there's Norrie at the back there.- And you too, Norrie.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35So, how did the Queen react to the plays that she was watching?
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- Did she enjoy them?- Yes, on one occasion she did in fact take part.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42The Private Secretary was waiting to greet her, grass skirt on,
0:27:42 > 0:27:47and a blazer, and he bowed to the Queen as he came onto the stage,
0:27:47 > 0:27:53he bowed, and he had a baldpate, and he had a big "E II R" on his head!
0:27:53 > 0:27:55And Princess Anne was actually in a grass skirt
0:27:55 > 0:27:59and all the Royal household were taking part, and the Queen
0:27:59 > 0:28:04and the Duke came in, and the Queen actually went to shake hands with
0:28:04 > 0:28:07the people one way and the Duke went round the other,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09and the Queen and the Duke ended up, shook hands and said,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12"Have we met before?" Brought the house down!
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Then they took their seats and the rest of the concert party went on.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20The Queen walked around those decks.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22She was in the rooms we were in as well.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24And she was free as a bird here.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28There was no pomp and ceremony surrounding her private time.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31She could do as she liked, wear what she wanted,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34and she was at home here as well.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37And the other lovely thought is the yacht was made in Scotland,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40and I think perhaps when she was travelling abroad,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43she was taking a bit of Scotland with her.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Britannia was in service for over 40 years
0:28:49 > 0:28:53and carried out 696 overseas trips.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58But even though she travelled the globe, it was the Scottish coast
0:28:58 > 0:29:01the Queen chose for her own family sailing trips.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07In 1997, the Queen was visibly upset
0:29:07 > 0:29:10when she was forced to bid farewell to her beloved Britannia,
0:29:10 > 0:29:14when the yacht was decommissioned by the government at the time.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24It's very rare for the Queen to shed a tear in public, but
0:29:24 > 0:29:27a compassionate and caring nature is always there when it counts,
0:29:27 > 0:29:31especially when she's meeting people in their hour of need.
0:29:35 > 0:29:36Mountains all over Wales,
0:29:36 > 0:29:40but these are the mountains of South Wales, so we're down in the valleys.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43It's a really great part of the world, absolutely amazing.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48Lots of choirs, lots of really close-knit communities as well.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50People really look out for one another.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Nowhere more so than one village here in the Taff Valley.
0:29:59 > 0:30:0250 years ago, its name became known to the world.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07It would gain a very special place in the Queen's heart.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10She returned here again and again.
0:30:22 > 0:30:28Disaster struck here in Aberfan on 21st October 1966...
0:30:30 > 0:30:34..when a huge pile of coal waste slid down from the hills,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36engulfing the junior school.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41'Parents and teachers join police, firemen,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44'civil defence workers and mine rescue teams at the school.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46'Some of the helpers tore at the rubble
0:30:46 > 0:30:50'with bare hands in their desperate efforts to get at the children.'
0:31:08 > 0:31:11And this is where Pantglas Junior School was.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Here one minute, gone the next,
0:31:13 > 0:31:17as half a million tonnes of slurry demolished it.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19It was a terrible, terrible tragedy.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23116 children aged seven and eight lost their lives.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Bless their hearts.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31'Jeff Edwards remembers it vividly.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33'He was just eight years old
0:31:33 > 0:31:36'when he arrived for school on that dreadful day.'
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- Where was your classroom? - This was my classroom here.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44And we went into the classroom, the teacher then was starting
0:31:44 > 0:31:48a mathematics lesson, and there was this roaring sound,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52and the lights started to shake, and the teacher said to us,
0:31:52 > 0:31:57reassuring us, really, "Oh, don't worry, it's only thunder."
0:31:57 > 0:32:00And that noise got noisier and noisier, and the next thing
0:32:00 > 0:32:04I remember was waking up with all this tip material all over me.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12It took just five minutes for the deadly landslide to
0:32:12 > 0:32:15sweep down from the hills and bury the school.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21The roof had collapsed on top of me.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25And I was fortunate because that actually saved me.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29It provided me with a pocket of air that enabled me to breathe.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32I tried to get out, there was all these screams and shouts,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36but those screams and shouts got less and less as time went on
0:32:36 > 0:32:40because obviously people were dying because of the lack of air.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46In the end I heard a fireman shout at me,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49basically saying, "There's a boy with white hair down here."
0:32:49 > 0:32:53They started to dig around me. I was the last one to come out alive.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02It took a week to recover all the bodies.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13How hard has it been for you to cope with the fact that you survived
0:33:13 > 0:33:16- and so many didn't? - It's been very difficult.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18The guilt is the main issue, really.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22You feel guilty that you've survived and others haven't.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27That's the huge thing that is difficult to come to terms with.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29- Even now?- Even now. Yes.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34One minute we were all happy kids going to school, and we then...
0:33:34 > 0:33:38had no friends - all my friends were destroyed in the disaster.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Out of my class, only four of us survived.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44So it was a huge impact, really, on us,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47and we had to grow up very, very quickly.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52- 50 years have gone on, but you don't forget.- No.- Or you can't forget.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56And what happened to us will be with me until I die.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07What an honour to meet Jeff. What a brave man he is.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10You can tell that, you know, 50 years on,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13the events of Aberfan still haunt him greatly
0:34:13 > 0:34:16but, my goodness me, who can blame him for showing emotion?
0:34:16 > 0:34:18I would, I know that.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21I can't think of anything worse as a parent than losing your kids.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24You think they're going to be safe when they go to school, don't you?
0:34:33 > 0:34:37A week after the disaster, the Queen visited the stricken village.
0:34:42 > 0:34:47Aberfan left her so moved, she returned four times.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55In 1973 she opened a new community centre.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58This centre looks to the future.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04It stands as a symbol of the determination that
0:35:04 > 0:35:08out of the disaster should come a richer and a fuller life.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Over the years, she met Jeff several times,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17and even made a private donation to his Aberfan community charity.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25In 2012, the Queen made perhaps her most poignant return -
0:35:25 > 0:35:27to open a new primary school.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Alongside Jeff,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33headteacher Simone Roden was also there to greet Her Majesty.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38She made a promise to the people of Aberfan, and she said to them,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41"You build your new school and I'll come back and open it."
0:35:41 > 0:35:44And clearly she did that.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47She was a lady of her word, and as soon as the school was open,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50in no time at all, she was invited down,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53she accepted the invitation, and she arrived in all her glory.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Capturing some of that Queenly glory....
0:35:59 > 0:36:00Hi, guys, how are we?
0:36:00 > 0:36:03- You all right?- Very well, thank you. - Nice to see you, Mr Burns.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06'..some budding Michelangelos from Mr Burns' class.'
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Good Queen hair you've got going on there!
0:36:11 > 0:36:15- Did any of you meet the Queen when she came?- Yes.- What was she like?
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- She was nice.- She was really nice. - Really nice?
0:36:19 > 0:36:22- Were you scared about meeting her? - Yes!- Were you? Were you nervous?
0:36:22 > 0:36:26I was nervous the first time I met her, my legs were shaking like that.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30She came in a big car and she left in a red helicopter.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34Yeah, that's the way to travel. Are you jealous?
0:36:34 > 0:36:38Finished? You're quick. Are you done as well? Good work.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Yours looks like your teacher?!
0:36:44 > 0:36:46It does look a little bit like your teacher!
0:36:48 > 0:36:52If Mr Burns was King of England, that would be a brilliant drawing!
0:36:52 > 0:36:53THEY LAUGH
0:36:57 > 0:36:59But, you know, she's going to be 90, isn't she?
0:36:59 > 0:37:02And do you know how many things she does every week?
0:37:02 > 0:37:07- How many engagements, like coming to this school.- No?- Five, every week,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09at the age of 90 - that's amazing, isn't it?
0:37:09 > 0:37:12She should be at home watching EastEnders with her feet up,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15eating chocolates. Listen, before I leave on my helicopter...
0:37:15 > 0:37:17I haven't got a helicopter, have I?
0:37:17 > 0:37:19What would you like to say to the Queen? Go on.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22ALL: Happy 90th birthday, Your Majesty!
0:37:24 > 0:37:27What a happy and vibrant place that is,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30and how brilliant that something so positive as this school
0:37:30 > 0:37:33has been borne out of something so dark and tragic.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36I reckon with this building at the heart of this community,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Aberfan's future is a very, very bright one.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Her Majesty's official manor is, of course, London.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47In the capital, we are used to seeing the formal Queen
0:37:47 > 0:37:50on grand occasions, like her Coronation
0:37:50 > 0:37:52and the annual Trooping Of The Colour.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Ainsley Harriott, a Londoner born and bred,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00is ditching the formalities and serving up some very personal
0:38:00 > 0:38:03memories of meeting Her Majesty here on his home turf.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11When the Queen was crowned in 1953, she pledged her devotion
0:38:11 > 0:38:15not just to the United Kingdom, but also to the Commonwealth.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20After the war, people from all over the Commonwealth
0:38:20 > 0:38:24were encouraged to come and work in the United Kingdom.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28Among them were my Jamaican parents, Chester and Peppy.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33'Today, I've invited my sister, Jacqueline, over to my place.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37'We grew up knowing the Queen was a very special person.'
0:38:37 > 0:38:40My mum and dad were two of nearly 500,000 people
0:38:40 > 0:38:43who came from the Commonwealth just after World War II,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46probably round about the time of the 1950s,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48to live here in Great Britain
0:38:48 > 0:38:50and, for them, Britain was truly great,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53and that was very much down to our Queen.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Sis, I've got to say we've got some fantastic memories here.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Not only have we got these wonderful commemorative coins,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05but looking back here - look at that, for instance, Dad!
0:39:05 > 0:39:07And of course, Mother.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12Well, she responded to the call, and came up to train as a nurse.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15- So many people came from the Commonwealth.- Absolutely.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Were the streets paved in gold, do you think? What was the attraction?
0:39:18 > 0:39:23I think it was more an opportunity to...progress themselves.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27And they felt that Britain was the country where you COULD have
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- a good life.- Absolutely.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32'And it was our late mother who instilled a healthy respect
0:39:32 > 0:39:35'for Her Majesty into my sister and me.'
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- There's our lovely mum. She was a big royalist, wasn't she?- She was.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44A big lover of the Queen. She looks rather regal there herself.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Yes, she had poise and dignity.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49I just remember Christmas-time, every time there was
0:39:49 > 0:39:52the Queen's Speech, we all just sort of had to pay attention.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Mum had this thing about it, and we didn't eat until
0:39:55 > 0:39:58- after the Queen's Speech.- I was just going to say that to you, actually!
0:40:03 > 0:40:07'I always wanted to meet our Queen, maybe because of my dear old mum.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09'So I was very excited
0:40:09 > 0:40:12'when I got a little closer as a young chef in the '80s.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17'On more than one occasion I got asked to cook for
0:40:17 > 0:40:21'Princess Margaret, and her sister would sometimes pop in for a lunch.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25'And for the Queen and her sister, I'd knock up dishes
0:40:25 > 0:40:29'like this simple combo of cod, mash, cabbage and bacon.'
0:40:30 > 0:40:34- Not too much of the spice. - Not too much spice.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37That's it, food fit for a Queen.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Fresh.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Clean.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43- Mmm.- Very nice.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46'I may have tickled her taste buds in the '80s, but I didn't get to
0:40:46 > 0:40:49'meet the Queen until I was well established as a TV chef.'
0:40:51 > 0:40:53- 40 seconds!- All right, Fern! QUIET!
0:40:56 > 0:41:00In 2006, I was invited to meet the Queen face-to-face,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03at a celebrity charity lunch for Age UK.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08I remember the Queen's equerry coming up and saying,
0:41:08 > 0:41:10"Would you like to meet Her Majesty?"
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Sis, my legs just started to shake.
0:41:12 > 0:41:18- Jellied eels! - Jellied legs, like, "Yes, please."
0:41:18 > 0:41:22I don't know why, because when I did meet her,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26oh, instantly she just made you feel comfortable.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29I just remember her saying, "And we know what YOU do!"
0:41:29 > 0:41:34And at that moment I wanted our mum to be there
0:41:34 > 0:41:36because she'd have felt so proud...
0:41:36 > 0:41:39- IN JAMAICAN ACCENT:- "The Queen watched my son on television!"
0:41:39 > 0:41:42She would have told everybody at the ambulance headquarters,
0:41:42 > 0:41:46- wouldn't she?- She'd have gone to church and told everybody,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49the whole neighbourhood, everything.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51And she said, "We know what YOU do!"
0:41:51 > 0:41:55And she said, "Do they REALLY accomplish that in that time?"
0:41:55 > 0:41:58She was amazed that the chefs could actually cook food of that
0:41:58 > 0:42:02quality in that time. And Mum would have been so, so proud.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09When Ainsley met the Queen, it was one of the most memorable
0:42:09 > 0:42:10highlights of his life.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13And for one couple,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16the day THEY saw the Queen changed their lives forever.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23- Audrey, Ralph!- Oh!- How are you doing? Lovely to see you.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Hello, Ralph, how are you doing?
0:42:27 > 0:42:30What's it like being back on The Mall after all these years?
0:42:30 > 0:42:36- 63 years.- 63 years ago! - Yes, we've been married 60 years.
0:42:36 > 0:42:41- 63 years, we met here.- Wow. And this is exactly where you met.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46More or less. It would be in this part here, I expect, where we met.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49So how did this all come about? How did you first...?
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Well, my friend,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54he was bringing his girlfriend up for the Coronation,
0:42:54 > 0:42:59but he said he had a friend of his girlfriend who wanted someone
0:42:59 > 0:43:01to join to make a four.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05I said, "That's all right, I don't mind doing that." So we all came up.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08- It was a blind date, really! - It WAS a blind date, wasn't it!
0:43:08 > 0:43:11OK, so there was no-one in your life at the moment at that stage?
0:43:11 > 0:43:14- Oh, no, no.- Not really. Not seriously.- Oh, "Not really!"
0:43:14 > 0:43:17That's the first time you've heard that, isn't it, Ralph?
0:43:21 > 0:43:23On the night of 1st June, three million people
0:43:23 > 0:43:27lined the streets to catch a glimpse of their new Queen.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32Like many others, Audrey and Ralph camped out all night.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35So the boys brought some blankets
0:43:35 > 0:43:39and we brought odds and ends of food, and it was really exciting.
0:43:39 > 0:43:44So we came and bagged our pitch, the afternoon before, didn't we?
0:43:44 > 0:43:49- So, what was in the sandwiches, Ralph?- Oh, jam!- Jam!- Yes!
0:43:51 > 0:43:54As that procession went past, did it take your breath away?
0:43:54 > 0:43:56- Did you feel a little bit...?- Yes.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00I mean, I'd never seen anything of the Royal Family before, so
0:44:00 > 0:44:05to see them going down here with all their regalia was something special.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10By which time it was pouring with rain
0:44:10 > 0:44:14and the carriages were closed, apart from the Queen of Tonga.
0:44:14 > 0:44:15The Queen of Tonga.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18It was absolutely throwing it down,
0:44:18 > 0:44:21- and she was still there in the open carriage.- Wow.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27There was always something to watch, wasn't there, throughout the day.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30And the night, there were things happening all through the night.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32And, of course, it was during the night
0:44:32 > 0:44:34when it was announced along The Mall,
0:44:34 > 0:44:39somebody came along and said that they conquered Everest, of course.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41It was a wonderful occasion.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Well, I've got a little bit of a surprise here for you guys.
0:44:46 > 0:44:52- I just went and picked those up. - Oh, sandwiches! Jam sandwiches!
0:44:52 > 0:44:55- Jam sandwiches. - The important thing was the tin.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59Because... when the procession came back,
0:44:59 > 0:45:04I got a better view by standing on the tin.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Come on, let's wave together, Ralph!
0:45:08 > 0:45:10There she goes, look!
0:45:14 > 0:45:19- Still love him, do you?- I do.- Still love her?- I tell her so every day.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22Yes, he does, actually. He does. Every day.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25I think a little bit of congratulations is in order,
0:45:25 > 0:45:27because it wouldn't have happened, your meeting,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30without that Coronation that day.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34- ALL:- Happy birthday, Ma'am.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37And many thanks for bringing us together
0:45:37 > 0:45:40and giving us 60 years of happy marriage. Thank you.
0:45:40 > 0:45:45- TEARFULLY:- You're making me cry! - You're making ME get emotional!
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Since that day, the Queen has reigned for an astonishing
0:45:56 > 0:45:5963 years, and she has shaken millions of hands.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02But in 2012 there was a handshake that became one of the most
0:46:02 > 0:46:04symbolic of her reign.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06It took place in Northern Ireland.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13The Queen, as Great Britain's head of state,
0:46:13 > 0:46:17and head of the Armed Forces in the United Kingdom, shook hands
0:46:17 > 0:46:20with former IRA commander Martin McGuinness.
0:46:21 > 0:46:25This was one of the many visits - over 20 of them, in fact -
0:46:25 > 0:46:27that the Queen has made to Northern Ireland.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32She's met with folks from all walks of Irish life,
0:46:32 > 0:46:34from market stall holders...
0:46:36 > 0:46:40..to the cast and crew from hit series Game Of Thrones.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44Between handshakes, Her Majesty took a moment to admire the furniture.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50Maybe even putting in an order for her OWN throne.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07The south-west of England, 700 miles of glorious coastline.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11No surprise the sea plays a huge role in people's lives here.
0:47:15 > 0:47:20It's also home territory for former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23She's been lucky enough to meet the Queen on many occasions.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Today she's heading up the road to a place that's launched
0:47:30 > 0:47:35thousands of naval careers and one royal romance, here in Dartmouth.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43So this is where it all started. The Britannia Royal Naval College.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46It really is a stunning setting for a love affair that was to last,
0:47:46 > 0:47:48well, a lifetime.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55The Queen has visited the training college many times,
0:47:55 > 0:47:57as Lord High Admiral of the Navy.
0:47:57 > 0:48:02But in 2011, she gave that grand title to her husband, Philip,
0:48:02 > 0:48:06as a 90th birthday present. Now, that IS love.
0:48:07 > 0:48:13And it all began right here on this croquet lawn 77 years ago.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17College historian Jane Harrold has the pics to prove it.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19This is the photograph album that belonged
0:48:19 > 0:48:22to Captain Dalrymple-Hamilton, who was the captain at the time,
0:48:22 > 0:48:24and this is just his family album,
0:48:24 > 0:48:27but he has got the whole day in here, including some pictures
0:48:27 > 0:48:31where he clearly saw the significance of their meeting.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34- Here we have them on the lawn down there.- Just there.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38Part of a game of croquet, and this one shows just the two of them
0:48:38 > 0:48:42together, perhaps contemplating their next move, who knows?
0:48:43 > 0:48:47And so it was that a royal visit in 1939 led
0:48:47 > 0:48:51to a dashing young cadet, 18-year-old Prince Philip of Greece,
0:48:51 > 0:48:53entertaining the young princesses.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56You know, it seems wrong, really, to say that love started here,
0:48:56 > 0:48:59because the princess was just 13, she was no more than a child,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02but there is no doubt that she found him very attractive, didn't she?
0:49:02 > 0:49:04Absolutely. I think she was probably at an age
0:49:04 > 0:49:06where she was just starting to appreciate
0:49:06 > 0:49:10the opposite sex, so I tend to think of it as a schoolgirl crush.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12Well, he was drop-dead gorgeous, wasn't he?
0:49:12 > 0:49:15Absolutely, he was your Greek Adonis, he was tall,
0:49:15 > 0:49:19he was athletic, he was blond, he was beautiful to look at.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Who wouldn't be impressed?
0:49:21 > 0:49:24We've got Princess Elizabeth, she is preparing to take a shot there,
0:49:24 > 0:49:27Prince Philip in the background.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Look, he's looking just the same, hands behind the back.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32- Still does that. - And here we can see them again.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36- Looks like Philip's preparing a shot.- And she's watching him very...
0:49:36 > 0:49:38- Very intently.- Very attentively. - Absolutely.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50Eight years later they were married, and 68 years on, the longest
0:49:50 > 0:49:54royal marriage in British history is still going strong.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I just think they are, they were, made for one another.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05- Absolutely, they were the perfect match.- Yeah. What about you -
0:50:05 > 0:50:08have you actually met the Queen yourself?
0:50:08 > 0:50:10I have met the Queen, I met her
0:50:10 > 0:50:14the last time that she came to the college, which was in 2008.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16I showed her around the museum a little bit,
0:50:16 > 0:50:18she showed a huge amount of interest.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22I mean, obviously it's not just that she was visiting her naval academy -
0:50:22 > 0:50:25her father, her grandfather, her uncles,
0:50:25 > 0:50:30her sons, of course her husband, where she met him,
0:50:30 > 0:50:34so she's a proper naval person - a wife, a mother, a grandmother.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37So it felt very genuine,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40and it really was the pinnacle of my career here to meet her.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Sometimes, when I was Royal Correspondent,
0:50:50 > 0:50:54it was the quirky stories that were the most fun to do, I remember.
0:50:54 > 0:50:58And after all the turmoil of the Diana years, the divorces,
0:50:58 > 0:51:02the fire at the castle, there was a little bit of light relief,
0:51:02 > 0:51:06I remember, when the Queen did something she'd never done before.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10She went to the pub.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16It was 1998, and no-one was more surprised than the Cheffers family,
0:51:16 > 0:51:20owners of this rather historic inn, here in Topsham in Devon.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25Landlady Caroline showed the Queen around that day.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28The room is actually... was a malt house,
0:51:28 > 0:51:31and there would have been another floor here at that time.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33So this was...
0:51:33 > 0:51:38And 18 years later, she's still every bit the consummate host.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42- Hello! You must be Caroline! - Welcome to The Bridge!
0:51:42 > 0:51:46Well, it's quite some place, I must say. Also very nice and warm.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Tell me, how long have your family had this business?
0:51:49 > 0:51:55Well, my great-grandfather came here in 1897,
0:51:55 > 0:51:57so with my grandchildren now,
0:51:57 > 0:52:03they are the sixth generation of our family in the inn.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05So how did you hear that the Queen was coming to visit?
0:52:05 > 0:52:09Well, it was really extraordinary because my dear dad took
0:52:09 > 0:52:13the phone call from the Lord Lieutenant's office in Devon,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16and I said, "Don't worry, Dad, it's just someone playing a prank."
0:52:16 > 0:52:20And lo and behold, three weeks later she duly arrived.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23So what did you make of her?
0:52:23 > 0:52:25I thought she was absolutely delightful.
0:52:25 > 0:52:29As she walked through here, she actually said, "It must be very
0:52:29 > 0:52:33"difficult to remain unchanged in these changing times."
0:52:33 > 0:52:34And I actually thought,
0:52:34 > 0:52:37"I think probably both you and I know that, Ma'am."
0:52:37 > 0:52:41From the smile on her face, she enjoyed her visit.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44And she was given a carry-out - a crate of beer for Philip,
0:52:44 > 0:52:49although she missed out on HER favourite tipple, Dubonnet and gin.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55So I gather quite a few of you were here on the big day itself.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59Well, I was lucky, I was the local police officer for Topsham.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01So I was stood outside on crowd control,
0:53:01 > 0:53:05trying to keep people back and keep people happy and safe.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- How did the media behave?- Er... - Badly!
0:53:07 > 0:53:11- As one would expect, they're keen for the best shot.- Yes, I bet.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14And it had been very tough times for the monarchy then,
0:53:14 > 0:53:18and there was a thought that this was really a bit of a PR stunt
0:53:18 > 0:53:22to make her seem, I don't know, more in touch with people.
0:53:22 > 0:53:23Did you go along with that?
0:53:23 > 0:53:26No, I just think there was a genuine reason for her
0:53:26 > 0:53:30picking on Topsham, and I thought it was the history of the pub,
0:53:30 > 0:53:33and I thought it was very nice for her to meet the people,
0:53:33 > 0:53:35and I think they responded well to seeing her.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39And it was particularly memorable for Caroline's daughter
0:53:39 > 0:53:42Rhiannon, who was 17 at the time.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46It was a really exciting day - it's not every day
0:53:46 > 0:53:49that the Queen asks to come to your home, ultimately.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51And I remember feeling that I was very special
0:53:51 > 0:53:54because the Queen was coming to my home at that age.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56I've been waiting for years for her to come to my house,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59just ringing up and saying, "Jen, can I come round?" Does not happen!
0:53:59 > 0:54:02So are you going to be doing something special here
0:54:02 > 0:54:04for the birthday, the big one?
0:54:04 > 0:54:07We're going to have a garden party in the car park,
0:54:07 > 0:54:11and I think we might even go as far as having posh frocks and hats.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Whoo! I would expect nothing less!
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Happy 90th birthday, Ma'am!
0:54:21 > 0:54:25Her Majesty has reigned for 63 years, hosted garden parties
0:54:25 > 0:54:30for over a million people, and ordered more than 400,000 honours.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36Now in her tenth decade, there are few signs of her slowing down.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44We're nearly at the end of our people's portrait of Her Majesty.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48But there is one special lady we still have to meet.
0:54:50 > 0:54:5590-year-old Hilda Price was born on 21st April 1926,
0:54:55 > 0:54:57the same day as the Queen.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02Oh, I've loved her to death.
0:55:04 > 0:55:09She's absolutely wonderful. I sit here often and see where she is
0:55:09 > 0:55:13and what she's doing, and I think, well, I don't think I could do that.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15I really admire her.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19Every year, she sends the Queen a birthday card.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25"Wishing you many happy returns of the day, from your twin,
0:55:25 > 0:55:26"Hilda A Price."
0:55:27 > 0:55:30Hilda's met Her Majesty several times.
0:55:30 > 0:55:36Each time I felt that she's so normal, can I say?
0:55:36 > 0:55:41And like one of us when she speaks to us, and I think
0:55:41 > 0:55:45that's a real gift because she's far away from us, really.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53In 2006, Hilda was invited to celebrate her 80th birthday
0:55:53 > 0:55:56alongside Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Just such a wonderful feeling to be sitting there,
0:56:00 > 0:56:03seeing the Duke of Edinburgh sitting by her,
0:56:03 > 0:56:07and we were on almost the next table to them.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11I was lucky enough to have a photo taken with her,
0:56:11 > 0:56:14and it went into "Hello!" magazine.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17Oh, we had a beautiful time there.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20She spoke to us very well and we got to know people there,
0:56:20 > 0:56:23and we were allowed to go round the palace.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Wishing you a very happy 90th birthday, Ma'am.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34And wishing us both good health.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57You know, I don't think there's a corner of Great Britain where
0:56:57 > 0:56:59Her Majesty hasn't left her mark.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01And she's met us for many different reasons.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04She's brought us together, comforted us, shared our grief,
0:57:04 > 0:57:06and even shared a giggle.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10And by sharing your great memories we've built up a brilliant
0:57:10 > 0:57:12people's portrait of our Queen.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14A woman with a gift for making everyone who
0:57:14 > 0:57:17comes into contact with her feel really special.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21I'd just like to say happy birthday to the Queen. Love her.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25I hope you have a lovely birthday, and I think you're amazing.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27Happy birthday!
0:57:27 > 0:57:29Happy birthday, Queen Elizabeth!