Mirror Online: LONDON, England – A fly on the wall documentary which showed the Queen doing a food shop and Prince Charles making a salad has been leaked more than 50 years after the royal family banned it.
A film crew spent a year following the Monarch, Prince Philip and their children in the 60s, getting clips of them chatting at the breakfast table, relaxing in their living room, carrying out royal tasks and looking at jewels.
Richard Cawston’s programme – titled ‘Royal Family’ – aired on the BBC on June 21, 1969, with 37 million viewers settling down to watch.
Shortly afterwards the Queen changed her mind, deciding it was too “too intrusive” and ordered for the film to be kept hidden in the BBC vaults.
But earlier this month the entire film was leaked online, with thousands of fans tuning in to watch.
The video has since been removed and the page now shows a message from YouTube explaining that it’s been taken down following a copyright complaint from the BBC.
In one part of the documentary, the Queen is seen taking Prince Edward, four, to a grocery shop to buy an ice cream.
The Monarch can be seen chatting to the man before the counter and taking money out her purse, voicing concern that her son’s treat will cause a mess in the car.
Another clip shows the family having a barbecue, with Charles chopping lettuce for a salad.
The royals reportedly didn’t enjoy the experience of being filmed, and it’s said to be the reason the Queen decided against doing a televised Christmas Speech that year, reports the Telegraph.
It wasn’t just the Queen who wasn’t happy with the footage.
Princess Anne also turned her nose up, later admitting: “I never liked the idea of ‘Royal Family’, I thought it was a rotten idea.
- Top Feature Photo: Getty Images
