Prince Philip is known for spearheading efforts to get the royal family to modernize to keep up with the many changes the UK has faced in the past century. The Duke of Edinburgh, however, witnessed some of his attempts being met with the Queen’s disapproval because of fear of public criticism. Luca Ward, narrator of the Italian documentary series Ulisse, said that one of the projects worried His Majesty so much that she ordered it to remain hidden forever.
Mr Ward said: “Prince Philip wanted the Royal Family to be more in tune with the times and let the cameras enter the palace.
“For a few months, an entire crew accompanied the sovereign, her husband and their four children in their daily activities.
“The documentary ‘Família Real’, broadcast in the summer of 1969, was an audience success, with 23 million viewers, but, except for a few images, no one has seen the entire film since.”
Mr. Ward continued: “Elizabeth withdrew it from circulation. Perhaps she feared that showing royalty by having a barbecue would cause the monarchy to lose the sacredness that guarantees her respect for her subjects.
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“And since then, Elizabeth’s attitude towards film and TV has always been much more cautious.”
The second decade of the Queen’s reign proved revolutionary as the United Kingdom faced the many changes of the 1960s.
RAI presenter Alberto Angela suggested that the growing popularity that His Majesty had been enjoying in the early years had begun to wane and that the Royal Family had sought to strengthen its relationship with the public by appearing more in touch with people.
Mr. Angela said: “Elizabeth was helped by her enormous popularity in the early years of her reign, as well as in the past few years and this is easily explained.
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“A young ruler is loved for his freshness, an old ruler is revered for his experience, but it is in middle age that work is difficult.
“And in the 1960s, an old and dusty institution like the monarchy struggled to cope with a turbulent society.
“London was the center of the world of music, fashion, art and even the Royal Family wanted to present themselves closer to the people.
“And even TV can become a means of bringing monarchy closer to the people. But it can also end up being a double-edged sword.”
Few clips from the Royal Family documentary remain available to the public today, as the full film was removed shortly after the broadcast.
Although Prince Philip was forced to see his project shelved, he still ensured that the family’s relationship with television and films improved.
Family members have routinely participated in a variety of projects to mark special occasions or to defend the charities they support.
Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge this year, appeared on the BBC and ITV to discuss their efforts to improve the mental health debate across the country.
Princess Anne’s children, Mark Phillips and Zara Tindall, contributed to an ITV documentary to mark their mother’s 70th birthday at the beginning of the year.