Unseen footage of King Charles over past 70 years to feature in new documentary

Buckingham Palace granted the BBC exclusive access to footage of the royal

The then Prince Charles learning to fly, in a clip featured in a new BBC documentary. PA

Previously unseen personal moments of the royal family and King Charles III flying solo are among clips to feature in a new BBC documentary.

The king will tell his more than 70-year story as heir to the throne, through his own words and audiences will have the chance to view unseen and rarely seen footage of him in Charles R: The Making of a Monarch.

The BBC was granted exclusive access by Buckingham Palace to unseen footage of the king from the 1969 documentary, Royal Family.

The footage shows the royal family enjoying a bonfire at Sandringham, the then Prince Charles flying solo, and the future king on a private visit to Malta in 1968.

There are also clips of King Charles on royal engagements, including a trip to the Royal Mint with his parents, and a visit to a North Sea oil platform.

Other intimate moments that have never been seen before include the late Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles and other members of the family taking a trip by hovercraft and the family sitting down to dinner on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.

BBC Studios has also been given special permission to use clips from the royal family’s private home movie footage, showing the king’s early love of nature, gardening and animals.

The BBC says the programme is told through the king’s own words, as recorded through the decades.

Viewers will hear the king discuss his childhood, including his memories of the queen’s coronation, as well as his school days, adolescence and investiture as Prince of Wales.

It also contains recollections of the king’s military service and personal commentary of his commitment to charitable work, as well as his private passions and the role of the institution he now heads up.

The UK prepares for the coronation of King Charles III - in pictures

Royal enthusiasts at their impromptu campsite on The Mall in London, where they await the May 6 coronation procession of King Charles III. Getty

Police officers patrol near Westminster Abbey as security is heightened for the coronation. AFP

A telephone box in the village of Compton, Surrey, decorated with the ears, nose and crown of King Charles. AFP

A royal fan takes a break after booking his spot on the coronation route in London. AP

Town crier Tony Appleton takes the train into central London. AFP

The drum major's state coat, adorned with the new CR III cypher, to be worn during the coronation. AFP

Decorations are put up outside Number 10 Downing Street in London. AP

A royal fan gets into the spirit of the coronation on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace. Reuters

Yeoman of the Guard, the British sovereign's bodyguards, prepare to board a bus in London. Getty

The UK's military held a full dress rehearsal for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III on Tuesday night. Reuters

A royal fan sleeps at The Mall outside Buckingham Palace as the countdown to the coronation continues. Reuters

Big Ben, in central London, is lit up during a rehearsal for the ceremony. PA

An art installation in London depicts St Edward's Crown. AP

Madame Tussauds in Sydney, Australia, unveils a waxwork figure of King Charles, alongside figures of Prince William and his wife Kate. Reuters

Royalists have slept out on The Mall in London for days for the best view of the ceremony. EPA

A knitted coronation-themed postbox topper in Isleworth, London. AP

Tailor William Skinner with a ceremonial uniform on Savile Row, London, before the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, on May 6. Reuters

Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the King's Works of Art, adjusts the imperial mantle, a part of the coronation vestments, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. AFP

A banner celebrating the coronation at Kings Cross Station in London. AP

Upholsterer Beatrice Ekwalla works on restoring a throne chair for the coronation at the Marlborough House workshops in London. AFP

Royal fan Margaret Tyler poses for a portrait in the living room of her home in north London. EPA

Parliament Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle with the Speaker's State Coach. PA

Violinist Adrianna Forbes-Dorant, 17, takes part in a rehearsal with the Brixton Chamber Orchestra for coronation performances in London. AP

British Army soldiers rehearse at RAF Odiham for a coronation parade. Getty

Shoppers browse souvenirs for the coronation of King Charles III outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Reuters

Temporary stands are constructed on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace, central London. PA

Members of the military pass by Westminster Abbey in central London during a night-time rehearsal for the coronation. AP

Britain's Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, attends a Coronation Big Lunch at Westminster Abbey. Reuters

The London Scottish Band in Burlington Arcade, London, at an unveiling of a celebratory installation to mark the coronation. PA

A crown is placed on top of a flagpole on The Mall in London. Getty Images

The official 'Crowning of the King' souvenir programme sits on a shop shelf in central London. AFP

Workers prepare the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the big event. AFP

Ardent monarchist Anita Atkinson sits among her 13,283 pieces of royal memorabilia at her Weardale farm near Bishop Auckland. AFP

Members of the Household Cavalry take part in a rehearsal for the coronation at Buckingham Palace. Getty Images

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will travel to the coronation in the modern Diamond Jubilee State Coach and return in the Gold State Coach, pictured. PA

A potter works on chinaware produced for the coronation at a factory in Stoke-on-Trent. AFP

The Coronation Chair, also known as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair, at Westminster Abbey in London. AFP

King Charles is presented with the first struck £5 coronation coin by Royal Mint chief executive Anne Jessopp and director Rebecca Morgan at Windsor Castle. Reuters

The first struck £5 coronation coin. Reuters

A member of staff at Fudge Kitchen puts up bunting in Windsor. PA

A crown made by British milliner Justin Smith, created using 319 Scrabble tiles to mark the board game's 75th anniversary and the coronation. PA

People browse a souvenir kiosk in London. Reuters

The new commemorative 50p coin, part of the coronation coin collection. PA

Five never-before-seen images from the programme were released on Tuesday including shots of the then prince flying a plane solo, a visit to the Royal Mint with the queen, a trip to Malta when he was young, and a shot of the prince decorating a Christmas tree at Windsor.

“It’s a real privilege to be trusted with such rare, unseen archive material to create a new and distinctive portrait of someone so famous and photographed," said Simon Young, the BBC’s head of history.

“As their majesties’ coronation approaches, this film will give audiences a fresh insight into his remarkable life.”

Claire Popplewell, creative director for BBC Studios events productions, added: “This documentary brings audiences a treasure trove of scenes filmed across seven decades in the life of the king.

“Unique and unseen moments with contemporary archive sources and the spoken words of his majesty, Charles R: The Making of a Monarch tells the story of how a prince became a king.”

Charles R: The Making of a Monarch will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, April 30.