0:00:02 > 0:00:06I'm here in Windsor for a very special programme, in which I'll be
0:00:06 > 0:00:10joined by Prince Michael of Kent to mark a wonderful milestone,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14the 70th wedding anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Philip.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Welcome to Songs Of Praise.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43On today's programme, I visit Kensington Palace to meet
0:00:43 > 0:00:48Prince Michael, who 70 years ago was a pageboy at the Royal Wedding.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52There was a tremendous feeling of occasion and of happiness
0:00:52 > 0:00:53and fun and awe.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58The Reverend Kate Bottley finds out from another 70th wedding
0:00:58 > 0:01:01anniversary couple exactly what it takes to stay
0:01:01 > 0:01:03married for seven decades.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06You make him believe that he's the boss,
0:01:06 > 0:01:07but you're the boss all the time.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12And we talk to the sculptor who designed the commemorative coin
0:01:12 > 0:01:15to mark this platinum anniversary.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28This is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world
0:01:28 > 0:01:32and British monarchs have lived here for almost 1,000 years.
0:01:32 > 0:01:3470 years on from their wedding day,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Windsor is the main home of the Queen and Prince Philip.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And what better way to start than with one of the Queen's
0:01:43 > 0:01:46favourite hymns, which was actually sung at her wedding.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Now, for today's show,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I've received a royal invitation to come here to Kensington Palace
0:04:17 > 0:04:20to meet a member of the royal family who was
0:04:20 > 0:04:24right at the heart of the ceremony, in which Princess Elizabeth,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27as she was then, married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Prince Michael of Kent, the Queen's cousin,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37seen here on the right, played an active
0:04:37 > 0:04:43part in the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on the 20th of November 1947.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Your Royal Highness, you were a pageboy
0:04:49 > 0:04:51at Princess Elizabeth's wedding
0:04:51 > 0:04:53and part of your role was carrying her
0:04:53 > 0:04:56train down the aisle as she made her way into the church,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58but you were only five, which is
0:04:58 > 0:05:01quite a big responsibility for such a little boy.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02It was very exciting.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I was one of two pages.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07The other was Prince William of Gloucester,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09who sadly is not with us any more.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11So I'm the only survivor.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15It was quite daunting because first of all the train was very heavy
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and it was quite a long way to go all the way down the Abbey.
0:05:19 > 0:05:26So, one had to behave properly and so it was quite a drama.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30There were rehearsals, I imagine, but I don't remember any of them.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33And, so, with you and the other pageboy,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36do you think that there was ever any nerves on behalf of the grown-ups
0:05:36 > 0:05:39that you might panic or misbehave even?
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- I'm afraid to tell you, I think that we behaved perfectly well.- Good.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46- I'm glad to hear it. - I behaved particularly well.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Going round corners was complicated.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52And not treading on it was complicated, I seem to remember.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55And then one had shoes with buckles on.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02It was a very exciting moment because it was in November, it was
0:06:02 > 0:06:05just after the War, when everything was very grim,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and there wasn't very much to light people's lives up.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12So, suddenly, to have this tremendous, exciting service
0:06:12 > 0:06:16and ceremony was something which was radiated in people's lives.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22With this being, obviously looking back at all the photographs
0:06:22 > 0:06:26and some of the footage, a huge national occasion,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29did you really understand that as a five-year-old boy?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33I think not, really. I'm sure people tried to tell me all about it.
0:06:33 > 0:06:39The problem was that the coronation came only a short time later,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43so my memory is a bit muddled as to what happened when.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48But, really, the actual wedding was a very splendid occasion
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and a very dramatic and, as I say, daunting one.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54And all these grown-ups pushing and shoving and making sure one
0:06:54 > 0:06:59did the right thing, but I played a very small part, but it was magic.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04But there was a tremendous feeling of occasion and of happiness
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and fun and awe.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11The singing was terrific. The volume of it was so amazing.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14And The Lord Is My Shepherd I know was one of the hymns.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17One used to sing it in church.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21I've always had a taste for hymns because they are rather fun
0:07:21 > 0:07:23and some of the words are marvellous.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28So, let's hear the beautiful words to The Lord's My Shepherd,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30which are based on Psalm 23.
0:09:36 > 0:09:3970 years of marriage is a real achievement
0:09:39 > 0:09:41and I'm here to talk to a close
0:09:41 > 0:09:44observer of the royal family to find out what has made
0:09:44 > 0:09:47the bond between the Queen and Prince Philip so strong.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- Hugo, lovely to meet you.- And you.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55'Biographer Hugo Vickers is the author of many
0:09:55 > 0:09:58'books about the royal family.'
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Could you tell me how you think the Queen
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and Prince Philip have been able to create such an enduring marriage?
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Well, it certainly is an enduring marriage.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- I mean, 70 years is absolutely remarkable.- It's amazing.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12And I think that's what's interesting was that perhaps
0:10:12 > 0:10:15the one thing that the Queen did was in a way to sort of act
0:10:15 > 0:10:17out of character by suddenly deciding to marry Prince Philip.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I mean, her mother wanted her to marry a Grenadier Guard,
0:10:20 > 0:10:21somebody like that,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and she found this of course incredibly dashing naval man
0:10:24 > 0:10:27who had a wonderful war, a very good career in the Navy,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29who comes from the Greek royal family,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33so he knows what it is to be a prince consort, as he later became.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36But, in a way, she was rather acting out of character.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Of course, they were the most remarkable couple.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40He was incredibly good looking, so was she.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43He was sort of fashionably good looking,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45in the way that people were at the end of the War.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And it was terribly exciting when they got married in 1947.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50I mean, I've heard things about them
0:10:50 > 0:10:53being very honest with each other and straight talking to each other.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Do you think that's important for a monarch and a consort?
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I think probably Prince Philip is well-recognised as the only
0:10:59 > 0:11:02person who can actually just say to the Queen exactly what
0:11:02 > 0:11:04he thinks, in the way that he wishes to say it.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07I mean, he is a very robust person.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10He likes to wrestle with problems, he likes to argue points
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and he's not a quiet person to have around the house
0:11:13 > 0:11:14and I think that's very refreshing.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17She really took on somebody her own size, if that makes sense, you know.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20They're a very good, strong partnership,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22which is fantastic.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24And, of course, the Queen is the head of the Church of England.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27How much time sort of practically does that take up for her?
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Well, it's one of her many duties is to be head of the Church of England,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33so, senior to the Archbishop of Canterbury and, of course,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35obviously, she goes to church every Sunday.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37She, I think, very much likes matins.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40She, I think, doesn't like sermons to go on too long,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42but she does of course have time to listen to the sermon.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45The Queen really concentrates when she does that
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and she does take a great interest in the Church
0:11:47 > 0:11:50and Prince Philip takes a slightly different interest, I think.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53He likes to wrestle with all the issues of religion
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and, you know, likes to sort of, you know, argue them through
0:11:56 > 0:11:58and see all the different points.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00And it's an interesting thing that in his library,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04he has more books on ornithology and religion than on any other subject.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07And do you think that faith has been important in their marriage?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Extremely important, yes.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I think their faith is very, very important indeed.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13A very, very big part.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35The Queen is unique among British monarchs in having reached
0:15:35 > 0:15:36her platinum anniversary.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38But, in recent times,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42over 1,000 couples reach that milestone most years.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45One husband and wife celebrating seven decades together live
0:15:45 > 0:15:50in Desborough, where the Reverend Kate Bottley has been to meet them.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52- KNOCKS ON DOOR - Hello!
0:15:52 > 0:15:56- Hello.- I'm Kate. You must be Josie. - I'm Josie, yes.- And you must be Ted.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- I'm Ted. - 'Josie and Ted Greener are both 93.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03'They first met when they were 18, during the War.'
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- Was it love at first sight?- Yes.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Tell me about when you met her.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13The first time was during the war.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18I was in the Navy, she was in the Land Army.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21It was at a friend's birthday party
0:16:21 > 0:16:26and we just started playing games, as you do at a birthday party,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and she was the number that I kept picking.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31THEY LAUGH
0:16:31 > 0:16:35And then we didn't see each other from then until the end of the war.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40And we met again at my cousin's wedding.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45From there, it was the natural course of events, you know.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47We fell in love and that was it.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49So, what made him special, then?
0:16:49 > 0:16:54I don't know. It was just... I think it must have been love, really.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59And we went out together for six months.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02We got engaged at the Christmas.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05The following year, we got married, in the August.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07The wedding was...
0:17:07 > 0:17:09The church was absolutely packed.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12And tell me about your wedding dress.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16It was white satin, covered buttons all the way down the back
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and up the sleeve, to the elbow.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21It's not the only picture you've got, is it?
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Because up on your wall is a picture of the church where you got married.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28That's St Mary's and Joseph's, Brooms.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Commonly just called Brooms
0:17:30 > 0:17:34because there was all this broom growing all around it.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38I noticed that on your table, you've got your rosary.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43Yes, on his table. We say the rosary every day.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46We pray together twice a day.
0:17:46 > 0:17:52That is the one thing that is left for us that we're able to do,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56is pray for others. It's the economy of grace.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Tell me about that, Ted. Tell me about the economy of grace.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04You're doing things not for yourself,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08but so that other people can get help.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11I would love to see your church. Would you show it to me?
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- Yes, we would. - I would really like that.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22- Is it important that you were married in church?- BOTH: Yes.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- Why's that?- It is important.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29When you look at marriage, marriage is a sacrament.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34And I think I wouldn't feel as if I was married
0:18:34 > 0:18:38if I'd been at a registry office or somewhere else.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41And, you see, women get their own way.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43THEY LAUGH
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- I told you that before.- Is that the secret to 70 years?- That's it.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48That's the secret to 70 years.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Just do as you're told.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55The secret is, make believe, make him believe that he's the boss,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57but you're the boss all the time.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58THEY LAUGH
0:18:58 > 0:19:02So, tell me, if we could play a hymn for you, what would you like?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04BOTH: Love Divine.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08Is that because you're still in love with each other after all these years?
0:19:08 > 0:19:10- Yes.- Of course. Always will be.- Yes.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Each year, we hold a Young Choir of the Year competition.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Previously, it's been just for schools,
0:22:47 > 0:22:48but now it's open to all choirs
0:22:48 > 0:22:51whose members are aged 18 and younger.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54We've extended the closing date to December 14th,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57so, to find out more, go to the website:
0:23:00 > 0:23:02There you'll find all the details and terms and conditions.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Our next hymn is from last year's winners, Lindley Junior School.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16# Dear Lord and Father of mankind
0:23:16 > 0:23:21# Forgive our foolish ways
0:23:21 > 0:23:26# Reclothe us in our rightful mind
0:23:26 > 0:23:31# In purer lives Thy service find
0:23:31 > 0:23:37# In deeper reverence praise
0:23:37 > 0:23:42# In deeper reverence praise
0:23:47 > 0:23:52# In simple trust like theirs who heard
0:23:52 > 0:23:56# Beside the Syrian sea
0:23:56 > 0:24:02# The gracious calling of the Lord
0:24:02 > 0:24:07# Let us, like them, without a word
0:24:07 > 0:24:12# Rise up and follow Thee
0:24:12 > 0:24:17# Rise up and follow Thee
0:24:22 > 0:24:27# Breathe through the heats of our desire
0:24:27 > 0:24:32# Thy coolness and thy balm
0:24:32 > 0:24:38# Let sense be dumb Let flesh retire
0:24:38 > 0:24:43# Speak through the earthquake wind and fire
0:24:43 > 0:24:48# O still, small voice of calm
0:24:48 > 0:24:55# O still, small voice of calm. #
0:25:02 > 0:25:05The royal couple's platinum wedding anniversary is, of course,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09the perfect opportunity for a celebratory commemorative coin.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12We've been to the Royal Mint, where the coins are struck,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16and to meet the sculptor who has designed a rare double portrait
0:25:16 > 0:25:18of the Queen and Prince Philip.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Here in south Wales, silver and, of course,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29platinum £5 pieces are being minted for the 70th anniversary.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34With, for the very first time in this country, two double portraits.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37The Queen and Prince Philip on horseback
0:25:37 > 0:25:40and with their two heads together.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44For that image, the Mint came to this sculptor's studio in London.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49Etienne Millner had already created statues of the Queen.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Last year, he had a private sitting with her to sculpt a bust.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57The brief for this commission was to show the Queen in the centre of
0:25:57 > 0:26:03the composition with Prince Philip beside her and slightly behind.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Therefore representing the Queen as monarch.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11One of the main challenges in this portrait was to give
0:26:11 > 0:26:15great strength to Prince Philip's head, which is behind,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19but it was greatly helped by his clear features.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24Very distinctive nose and firm mouth and eyes and eyebrows.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26I'm a portrait sculptor
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and one of the things I had to come to grips with was that
0:26:29 > 0:26:33I was only allowed two millimetres to model in.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38And so the depths and the high points are very close
0:26:38 > 0:26:40when you look across the coin.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Etienne also designed the lettering around the edge, with the Latin
0:26:46 > 0:26:50abbreviation showing the Queen is head of the Church of England.
0:26:50 > 0:26:56The DG stands for Dei Gratia Regina - By the Grace of God, Queen.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01And the FD, Fidei Defensor - Defender of the Faith.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06The sculpture had to work as a coin.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09At the Mint, Gordon Summers is senior designer.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14So this is the plaster model from Etienne, as it came in
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and after we've scanned it.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19So our purpose now is to take this original plaster model
0:27:19 > 0:27:23in all its detail and reproduce that on the final coins.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26We'll use a combination of state-of-the-art technology
0:27:26 > 0:27:29and traditional hand skills that go back thousands of years.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33So here's a couple of the sample coins.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37This is a proof coin, this is our very highest-quality standard coin.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39This is originally produced by a laser,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43working very accurately to less than a 240th of the thickness
0:27:43 > 0:27:46of a human hair to create all this very fine detail.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48But we also work on this by hand.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50All the dies are individually polished.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52We only make a few coins off each individual die.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55And each coin that's struck will be inspected.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58And if it's not up to our very high standard, it would be rejected.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02And on the floor of the Mint,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06the royal couple's image is stamped into the most precious of metals.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11It's been wonderful for me
0:28:11 > 0:28:13to have been part of such a special occasion.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16To mark such an important occasion in their lives
0:28:16 > 0:28:18and the lives of the nation.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Well, that's nearly it for our celebration of the Queen
0:30:46 > 0:30:49and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Next week, David Grant hosts a highlight
0:30:52 > 0:30:54in the Songs Of Praise calendar -
0:30:54 > 0:30:57the Gospel Choir Of The Year competition.
0:30:57 > 0:30:58Prepare to be inspired
0:30:58 > 0:31:03as five of the best amateur choirs in the country take to the stage
0:31:03 > 0:31:04here at the Central Hall, Westminster,
0:31:04 > 0:31:09to compete for the title, Gospel Choir Of The Year 2017.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Don't miss it!
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Our final hymn comes from Windsor Castle's very own
0:31:16 > 0:31:17St George's Chapel.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Until next time, thanks for watching.