Queen Elizabeth II's home movies have been released for the first time, showing touching glimpses of “the fun behind the formality” of her royal life.
The clips, which span her life from being a baby pushed in a pram by her mother to her Coronation in 1953 at the age of 27, come as she is set to celebrate her platinum jubilee.
At the age of 96 and after a 70-year reign in which she has become one of the most photographed women in the world, the queen recorded a personal message to introduce the BBC documentary, Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen.
The film includes a beaming image of her as a young princess showing the camera her engagement ring.
In the message, which was recorded at Windsor Castle this month, the queen says: “Cameras have always been a part of our lives.
“I think there’s a difference to watching a home-movie when you know who it is on the other side of the lens, holding the camera. It adds to the sense of intimacy.
“Like many families, my parents wanted to keep a record of our precious moments together. And when it was our turn with our own family, we did the same.”
“I always enjoyed capturing family moments. Private photos can often show the fun behind the formality.
“I expect just about every family has a collection of photographs or films that were once regularly looked at to recall precious moments but which, over time, are replaced by newer images and more recent memories.”
“You always hope that future generations will find them interesting, and perhaps be surprised that you too were young once.”
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Previously unseen videos from Queen Elizabeth II's personal archive have been released, showing touching glimpses of “the fun behind the formality” of her royal life. Here Princess Margaret and then Princess Elizabeth pose with their father King George VI, on board the 'HMS Vanguard', in 1947. All photos: BBC/PA -
Princess Elizabeth showing off her new engagement ring soon after Prince Philip's marriage proposal at Balmoral, in 1946. -
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at Balmoral in 1939. -
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at Royal Lodge in Windsor in 1940. -
Princess Elizabeth with her father, then Duke of York, in the garden of their home 145 Piccadilly, London, in 1930. -
Princess Elizabeth with her uncle Prince George the Duke of Kent at Windsor Castle in 1930. -
A 20-year-old Princess Elizabeth enjoys a visit to South Africa in 1947. -
Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth with their father King George VI at Royal Lodge in Windsor in 1940. -
King George VI at Balmoral in August 1939. -
Princess Elizabeth with her grandmother Queen Mary. -
Princess Elizabeth at Royal Natal National Park during a visit to South Africa in 1947. -
Princess Elizabeth at Balmoral in 1946. -
Princess Margaret, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip at a picnic at Balmoral in 1946. -
Brothers Edward, the Prince of Wales, and Prince Albert, the Duke of York. -
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at Balmoral in 1938. -
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret travelling to South Africa in 1947.
The 75-minute programme is largely narrated by the queen, using clips and newsreel audio from her speeches to explain what viewers are seeing.
She granted the BBC unprecedented access to hundreds of home-made recordings shot by her, her parents and the Duke of Edinburgh, which have been kept privately by the Royal Collection in the British Film Institute vaults.
Filmmakers listened to more than 300 of the queen’s speeches, spanning over eight decades, to make the film in which she refers to her grandfather, George V, as “Grandpa England”.
Grainy, black-and-white footage of a young Princess Elizabeth with her uncle Prince George, the Duke of Kent, who died in a plane crash in 1942 while on active service, and the King’s last visit to Balmoral in 1951 are among the rare moments captured in the documentary.
It will also show the queen as a young mother with the King and Queen fond as grandparents to her little children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
Prince Charles is variously seen as a toddler pushing his sister in a pram, treading a pile of lawn clippings and lifting his father’s trouser legs to look at his socks.
The queen’s fondness for family life is clear to see, according to BBC Studios, who reviewed more than 400 reels of film, discovered lost newsreels and behind-the-scenes recordings of state events that are believed to have been privately commissioned by the royal family.
A young Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, are seen dancing in matching blue dresses with white polka dots as the corgis look on.
There are also glimpses of them crawling and playing in the garden as infants with their father, King George VI.
Memories also include her first tour abroad, to South Africa with her family when she was 20.
Footage shot by the queen and Prince Philip on her first solo tour, to Canada in 1951, shows behind-the-scenes moments of their downtime, which contrasts with the more formal, high-profile tour that featured on newsreels.
Philip can be seen joking around in some clips that were filmed amid stormy seas.
Countryside walks and family holidays at Balmoral are also captured.
Other memories include a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Royal Lodge Windsor in June 1951, playing with their parents and their grandparents, the then King and Queen.
The King was already battling illness, and newsreel audio for this period states he has cancelled all public engagements.
“I think the film demonstrates the love and fondness Her Majesty’s father, King George VI, had for his daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret," said Claire Popplewell, BBC Studios Productions creative director.
“There’s a scene of him playing football and doing rough and tumble with the two princesses as very young children that is particularly touching.
“And like all families, they like to play up to the camera, no more evident than the home movie in South Africa while they are on their three-day break.
"Prince Philip does too – playing for the camera in a trappers hat during a break on the Canada tour in 1951.
“There’s a wonderful extended montage of Prince Philip – water-skiing, playing chase with a dog, riding the children’s toy vehicles – which, combined with the queen’s words about him, is incredibly moving.
“Little things like successive generations wheeling small children around on wicker garden sun lounges give a sense of the family’s traditions,” she says.
The last scenes show a composed queen being photographed after her coronation, complete with family group shots, children wanting to race around and Philip looking kindly at his wife.
“Then in the final shot, just her, she smiles and swallows. That swallow is so very human,” Ms Popplewell said.
Queen Elizabeth II with celebrities through the years – in pictures
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Queen Elizabeth II meets American actress and model Marilyn Monroe at the premiere for the film 'Battle of River Plate' in London in 1956. Getty Images -
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie is presented with the Insignia of an Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in 2014. Getty Images -
Legendary American singer Frank Sinatra bows as he is presented to a smiling Queen Elizabeth at the premiere for film 'Me and the Colonel', in London in 1958. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets Sir Elton John, Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Tom Jones and Sir Paul McCartney backstage after the diamond jubilee Buckingham Palace concert in June 2012. Getty Images -
Star of the silent film era Charlie Chaplin greets Queen Elizabeth during the premiere of 'Limelight' at the Empire cinema in Leicester Square, London, 1952. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets pop star Madonna at the world premiere of James Bond movie 'Die Another Day' in London. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth speaks to singer Lady Gaga after the 2009 Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth famously starred in the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony with James Bond actor Daniel Craig. AFP -
Queen Elizabeth shakes hands with former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar David Beckham at Buckingham Palace in 2018. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets American singer and actress Jennifer Lopez backstage at the Dominion Theatre in London in 2001. Getty Images -
1990s girl band The Spice Girls meet Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Command Performance in 1997. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth receives an honorary Bafta from actor and director Kenneth Branagh in recognition of a lifetime's support to British Film and Television, at Windsor Castle in 2013. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets tennis royalty in 2010, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic, as she attends Wimbledon Championships. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth watches Dame Helen Mirren delivering a speech from Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' at a dramatic arts reception in the ballroom of the Buckingham Palace in 2014. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth greets Italian operatic tenor Andrea Bocelli at the Royal Variety Performance in 2012. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets former One Direction member Liam Payne after the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in 2018. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and American singer and actress Bette Midler chat after the Royal Variety Performance in 2009. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth greets Penny Lancaster and pop star Rod Stewart at St James's Palace in 2013. Getty Images -
British tennis great Andy Murray meets Queen Elizabeth at Wimbledon in 2010. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets Star Wars and Indiana Jones creator George Lucas at Windsor Castle in 2013. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth shakes the hand of former James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore at Windsor Castle in 2006. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and former Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox attend a reception at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2016. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth presents artist David Hockney with the Order of Merit at Buckingham Palace in 2012. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets comic actor Rowan Atkinson and 'X-Files' star Gillian Anderson at Buckingham Palace in 2012. Getty Images -
Cinema stars Veronica Hurst and Rock Hudson are introduced to Queen Elizabeth in Leicester Square, London, in 1952. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets horror film actor Christopher Lee at Windsor Castle in 2013. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth talks to British boxer Anthony Joshua at the Commonwealth Day Service in 2020. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and former Take That frontman Gary Barlow on stage as part of her diamond jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in 2012. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth presents jockey Frankie Dettori with his award for winning The Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2018. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth greets Australian singer Kylie Minogue, as American singer Neil Diamond looks on at the Royal Variety Performance in 2012. Getty Images -
Hollywood star Rex Harrison meets Queen Elizabeth at the premiere of the film 'Dr Dolittle' in London, in 1967. Getty Images -
Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal meets Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in 2012. Getty Images -
Members of the band Girls Aloud smile as Queen Elizabeth attends the Royal Variety Performance in 2012. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets the show's stars on a visit to the set of the long-running television soap opera Coronation Street, in 2021. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets actress Joan Collins and singer Shirley Bassey at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2012. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth shakes hands with actress Carey Mulligan at Windsor Castle in 2013. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth greets Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates at Windsor Castle in 2021. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne at Windsor Castle in 2013. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth sits next to editor-in-chief of 'Vogue' Anna Wintour as she visits London Fashion Week in 2018. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets British artist Tracey Emin while visiting the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate, in 2011. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth welcomes actress Gemma Arterton to a reception at Buckingham Palace in 2014. Getty Images
