All language subtitles for The.Royal.House.Of.Windsor.s01e06.720p.HDTV.x264.mkv.eztv

This year, the Royal house of Windsor

celebrates 100 years
on the British throne.

They are now the most famous
Royal family in the world

and have prospered while other
great dynasties have fallen.

They've seen their relatives
overthrown, murdered and exiled,

overcome family feuds, fire and betrayal.

And they have always followed
one crucial rule… survive,

whatever it takes, whatever the cost.

The Windsors learned the dark art
of survival in the days of war,

a century ago.

They've never forgotten.

Now, Channel 4 can uncover
their secrets with the help of

family insiders,

Royal experts and some of the most
closely guarded papers in the world.

We've combed through letters,
diaries, government memos,

confidential Royal reports, and for
the first time, cameras have been

allowed into the Queen's personal
family archives at Windsor.

What we found rips aside the
mask of royal pomp to reveal

the human frailties and the
secrets of the family that built

Britain's most powerful dynasty.

The present Queen is the fourth
monarch in the Windsor dynasty.

Five years ago, she celebrated
her Diamond Jubilee.

We are now celebrating
the life and service of

a very special person
over the last 60 years.

The 86-year-old was at the top
of the global celebrity A-list.

The house of Windsor was at
the peak of its popularity.

The Queen is now in her 91st year,

the longest reigning British monarch.

Every time she catches a cold,
the world holds its breath.

When the Queen dies, there will
be an outpouring of lamentation

such as we have never seen before.

The British people will be genuinely
saddened by the departure of

somebody who has been a fixture
for so long in their lives.

But we'll also be mourning
the prospect of mortality.

It will be there writ large in
brilliant letters for all to see.

The man who holds the future of
the Windsors in his hands is her

eldest son and heir.

Prince Charles grew up in her shadow.

He has rebelled against
his mother, insisting on

a vision of monarchy which is
radically different from hers.

You are the man!

He is the most outspoken Prince of Wales

in the history of the Windsors.

As King, he could make
or break the dynasty.

'The pictures the whole
world has waited for.

A first look at Britain's month-old
Royal Prince, Charles of Edinburgh.

Prince Charles was born
on 14th November 1948.

His grandparents were King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

For the next four years, they
were in charge of his upbringing.

In 1949, Princess Elizabeth
joined her husband, Philip,

who was stationed with
the Royal Navy in Malta.

She missed her son's second
Christmas which he spent at

Sandringham with his grandparents.

Queen Elizabeth wrote to her
daughter telling her how much

Charles was missing her.

"Somehow, Charles thought you were coming.

"His face lit up and he said,
"Mummy," in a voice of bliss.

"I am sure he misses you and Philip."

When she came back, she didn't
immediately rush to see her son.

In fact, I think she went to the
races before coming to see him.

His mother's cool approach
to her children meant her

son had to wait his turn.

1953, the Queen's Coronation year.

Prince Charles' young mother
was catapulted into the top job

by the premature death of her father.

Prince Charles was just four years old.

From now on, he would, if
anything, see even less of her.

Widowed at only 51, and now
called the Queen Mother,

Charles' grandmother was
nowhere near retirement.

She was determined to maintain
her place at the centre of power.

A letter held in the Queen's private
collection at Windsor reveals

how she wrote to her
daughter's private secretary.

She was anxious to remain a
councillor of state, entitled

to stand in for the monarch.

"Naturally, I would like
this as it would give"

"me an interest, and having been one,"

"it seems so dull to be relegated
to the no-earthly-use class."

The Queen Mother had
moulded one future King,

now, she would mould another.

The Queen Mother provided the
kind of backbone that her late

husband Bertie had lacked.

And, I think she felt that Charles
was similar… that he was kind,

that he required affection and
she felt that she could exercise

over Charles the kind of influence
that she had exercised over Bertie.

'London airport, the giant BOAC
Stratocruiser "Canopus" is ready for

a royal mission to fly Her Majesty
the Queen to the most distant

corners of her Commonwealth.

Five months after her coronation,
the Queen went on a six-month tour.

Charles would be left
with his grandmother again.

After the long separation,

the Queen Mother said goodbye
to her grandchildren.

They were to travel with their
nanny and nurse on the Royal yacht

Britannia to be reunited with
their parents in North Africa.

This event took place
in Tobruk, North Africa.

The Queen Mother had written
in advance to her daughter,

encouraging her to connect
with her young son.

"You may find Charles much
older in a very endearing way."

"He is intensely affectionate and
loves you and Philip most tenderly."

"I am sure that he will
always be a very loving"

"and enjoyable child to you both."

Reporter: The special train arrives exactly on
time bringing the Queen Mother back to London.

Eager eyes search each carriage and
then with a cry, "There's Granny!"

the children wave their welcome.

The Queen Mother was
huggability personified.

She was tremendously affectionate
and welcoming and warm and cuddly.

Whereas, the Queen was
a very distant mother.

Later, Prince Charles
said, that, as a young boy,

he and his grandmother
established a special bond.

His closest family relationship.

Not only did Charles have a remote
relationship with his mother,

he also had an alpha male father.

The Queen Mother was
wary of Prince Philip.

She thought he bullied his
son and failed to appreciate

how sensitive he was.

To toughen up the boy, his
father wanted to send him to

Gordonstoun, his old school in Scotland.

'Gordonstoun is anxious
to develop character

as well as intellect, to
provide for the tough boy.

It must strengthen the delicate,
not only in his own interest,

but for the service he can render.

The Queen Mother wanted him to go
to Eton and that would have kept him

near the family and, of course, it
was much less brutal than Gordonstoun.

The Queen Mother intervened forcefully.

"However good Gordonstoun is,"

"it is miles and miles away and he
might as well be at school abroad."

"He would be terribly cut-off
and lonely up in the far north."

The Queen Mother's intervention
failed. Prince Philip won the day.

Prince Charles went to
Gordonstoun. He hated it.

Whenever he could, he escaped from
school to stay with his grandmother.

He begged her to persuade his
parents to take him away from

his Scottish prison. She refused.

But she said she would
help him find the strength

to deal with his troubles.

At 18, Charles went to
Cambridge University.

It was the late '60s,
students around the world were

protesting against the
establishment and state repression.

This atmosphere certainly coloured
his worldview in certain respects.

But, he was also, I would
say, a cultural Canute.

He disapproved of long
hair and bare feet and

he looked the part of the
rather '30s undergraduate.

But, I think that that
mixture continued in his life.

In 1969, Charles was officially
launched as Prince of Wales

at his investiture.

To help them get through his ordeal,

his grandmother wrote
him a boosting letter.

"My darling Charles, I can't
tell you what charming and"

"heart-warming things I'm
always hearing about you."

"Everyone loves you and is proud of you."

"And I absolutely know"

"that you'll be able to do
wonderful things for this country."

"Not only in leadership, but by
being your own kind-hearted, loving"

"and intelligent and funny self."

Charles had to give his
first TV interview.

Despite his youth and inexperience,
in his hesitant performance,

the Prince revealed a hint of inner steel.

Service is something that
you give yourself to people.

If, you know, particularly
if they want you,

and sometimes if they don't want you.

If you feel that you can do
something even if they think

that you… You know, you're
not doing something very useful.

And you think you're right
there, then you can be of service.

Charles had shown that
he had a mind of his own.

He was a man who was
going to do it his way.

This would put him on a
collision course with his mother.

In 1971, after finishing university,

Prince Charles dutifully joined the Navy.

Pretty quickly, he realised he
wasn't cut out for a naval career.

The question which has
bothered him ever since

was already preying heavily on his mind.

My great problem in life
is that I do not really know

what my role in life is.

At the moment I do not have one,

but somehow I must find one.

The Queen and her courtiers
expected the Prince of Wales to nod

and smile politely through
public engagements.

Charles, as he later explained
in a private conversation

with three newspaper editors,

was determined to defy these expectations.

I've had to fight every inch of
my life to escape royal protocol.

I've had to fight to go to university,

I've had to fight to have any
sort of role as Prince of Wales.

I am determined not to be
confined to cutting ribbons.

In 1974, a young Jon Snow was working on

a project for homeless
and vulnerable teenagers.

I was in the office one
day and the phone rang and

a very pukka voice said,
"Hello, is that Jon Snow?"

I said, "Yes."

"Squadron Leader David Checketts here"

"and I'm the Prince of
Wales's Private Secretary."

I said, "I'm the Pope!"

"No, no, no, I really
am." And then he said,

"The Prince of Wales would very
much like you to come and see him."

So I cycled down to Buckingham
Palace the following week

and Prince Charles said,

"Look, I've got an awfully
long time before my mother dies"

"and I'm really thinking about
how to use my life productively."

So I said, "Look, if you were
ever prepared to put your name to"

"a project that was really going
to make a difference to people"

"who had really serious social problems,"

"you would make a fantastic impact."

Then he said, "Sort of Prince
Charles's Trust, perhaps?"

Prince Charles was thinking
hard about how to help the poor.

Britain was facing a social and
economic crisis with unrest,

poverty and record levels
of youth unemployment.

I came across memos that he'd
written as a young man that

gave some insight into his
character and evolving interests.

And the most interesting of
these was written in 1978.

And he starts by saying…

I want to consider ways in which I can

escape from the ceaseless
round of official engagements

and meet people in less
artificial circumstances.

I felt that it was important
to take risks with people

who perhaps other
charities or other groups

would never perhaps take a risk with.

There we were in Buckingham
Palace and talking homelessness,

drug addiction, dealing.

Of course, the Royal Family was
conventionally involved with

things like the Scouting
movement and the rest of it,

but there was nothing like this.

This was a shock to the system.

- So, you know exactly how to look after rabbits, do you?
- Yes.

- And what do you feed it on, lettuce?
- Apples.

- Is it getting fatter and fatter and fatter?
- Yeah.

- Has it produced any babies yet?
- That's a boy. - That's a boy?

My mum's trying to get a girl.

Hi, rabbit.

At the same time, the
Palace was busily planning

a public appeal to mark the
Queen's upcoming Silver Jubilee.

Her scheme aimed to encourage
young people to help others.

In the summer of 1974,

Martin Charteris, the
Queen's Private Secretary,

subtly warned Charles to get
his tanks off his mother's lawn

with his plans for a rival Prince's Trust.

I think the message is to go
steady on the trust the Prince

has in mind until the dust settles.

He warned against a potential
conflict of interest.

Charles didn't give up.

Privately, he worked away on
plans to set up his own project.

In 1976, the year before the Jubilee,

the big royal story was the
breakdown of the marriage of

the Queen's sister, Princess
Margaret, to Lord Snowdon,

a huge scandal.

That summer, Charles made what
would become one of the most

significant moves of his life.

He launched The Prince's Trust.

It barely merited a mention.

Buckingham Palace was
intent on making sure

the Queen's Silver Jubilee was a success.

The Prince's Trust was
an unwelcome distraction.

Prince Charles complained about
the level of pushback he got.

The Queen and Prince Philip
have very strong ideas about

how you do monarchy and
Prince Charles comes along

and starts doing things very differently.

His father in particular
actively opposed him.

One suspects that from the moment
that Prince Charles was old enough

to have ideas of his own that
he began to get quite impatient

of having to listen to his father
saying how his father thought

that he should do it,

because this is the way that
father-son relationships often work.

In defiance of both his parents,

Charles stuck to his beliefs.

He developed a wide range of interests,

ranging from organic
biscuits to inner cities.

I believe the Prince's Trust
should strive to tackle

the racial minority problem,

to dampen down a potentially
disastrous situation.

The new leader of the Conservative
Party showed that she was

going to make immigration
an election issue.

If we went on as we are, then
by the end of the century

there would be four million people

from the new Commonwealth
or Pakistan here.

Now, that's an awful
lot and I think it means

that people are really rather afraid

that this country might be rather swamped.

Later the same year,

the Prince of Wales expressed
a radically different position,

- saying he'd like…
- To have more visits to immigrant areas in order

to help these people to feel that
they are not ignored or neglected.

The idea of the heir to the throne
showing support for immigrants

was highly sensitive.

A member of Charles's own
staff felt the need to reassure

Buckingham Palace that they…

Would move cautiously and
only with advice on this one.

Two years after Margaret
Thatcher's election victory,

there were race riots in
several cities across England.

Here he was, seeing all these problems,

not really understanding them,
and what he wanted to do was to

go out and talk to these people
and find out and help them.

You are the man. You are the man!

He was actually saying,
"This may be political,"

"I don't give a stuff if it is,"

"it's social and I know I
can do something about it."

"And as far as I'm concerned,"

"if that gets me into
trouble, I don't care."

Prince Charles would insist on
pursuing his vision of monarchy,

even if that meant challenging his mother.

By 1984, the Prince of
Wales had done his duty.

He'd married a suitable
girl, Diana Spencer,

and produced an heir and a spare.

- Future helicopter pilot.
- Yes. - Without a doubt.

But it wasn't enough.

A glamorous, younger wife
and two attractive children

didn't help Charles when it
came to making himself heard.

He didn't ease up on his activism

when William and Harry were born.

But then, I'm afraid, that told
us a lot about the relationship

he was having with his wife at the time.

You don't appear to hit it off
exactly eye to eye on the slopes.

What is the secret of this?

You two read the papers.

I don't think I can help it.

I suspect most husbands and wives
find that they often have arguments.

- But we don't.
- No, no, no.

- But occasionally we do, because, I mean…
- No, we don't.

I-I… You know, I…

- I go on longer sometimes.
- Yes, but I'm faster.

There we are.

He found fulfilment
through his official life

in much the same way as
Diana was to find fulfilment

through her engagements.

Certain things have to be said.

If you were to skirt
around issues all the time,

how do we ever get anywhere in life?

And I just feel that sometimes I can throw

a rock into the pot and watch the ripples.

The problem was that when
Charles created ripples,

Diana caused a tsunami.

Charles realised rapidly that she
was doing this to upstage him,

and he resented it,

having always himself in the
past occupied the limelight.

Once again, he turned to
his grandmother for support

over his marital difficulties.

He also turned to the woman

Diana thought was the
cause of their problem,

Camilla Parker Bowles, whom Charles
had loved to since he was 24.

Like the Queen Mother,

she gave him unconditional love.

Unlike Diana,

she was happy to remain in the shadows,

not stealing the limelight.

Camilla saw life

as Charles's mistress as a bit of fun,

something that would never be
made public and would probably

continue for as long as
she was sexually active.

I don't think there was ever any
ambition on her part to advance

herself to become the wife
of the Prince of Wales.

The Queen Mother is
relatively broad-minded.

She didn't mind Prince
Charles having an affair with

Camilla Parker Bowles, provided
that this did not become a scandal.

And this was what worried her
because she had seen what

happened in the abdication
crisis where a private matter had

blown up into something that had
practically wrecked the monarchy.

The Queen Mother allowed the
couple to use her Scottish home,

Birkhall, as a bolthole.

With Camilla's support, Charles
pursued his diverse interests,

ranging from homeopathy
to dry stone walling.

Most of the public viewed him as
a crank who talked to his plants

and cheated on his wife.

One group not put off by
lurid stories about the

Prince's private life and eccentric views

were Islamic scholars based in Oxford.

They were looking for
patron or an Islamic centre,

which would be built at the
heart of the agent city.

Charles was the obvious candidate,

with his well-known interest
in different religions.

He is a man of great personal faith

and he has a very strong
sense of the spiritual.

I think Islam for him is
very interesting and a very,

very fulfilling aspect of
understanding the world around him.

Prince Charles became

the first royal actively
to support another religion.

This was radical stuff

for the man destined to be the
head of the Church of England.

His support was even bolder in the
climate of rising Islamophobia,

the perception in the minds of
some people that Islam was about

burqas and book burning.

Prince Charles was convinced he could make

a difference by delivering

a speech about Islam.

These two worlds, the
Islamic and the Western,

are at something of a
crossroads in their relations.

We must not let them stand apart.

Halfway through the lecture,

it was obvious that something

historic was happening there,

and the way he had jam-packed

Sheldonian Theatre in his hands.

We must not be tempted to believe

that extremism is in some
way the hallmark and essence

of the Muslim.

Extremism is no more the monopoly of Islam

than it is the monopoly
of other religions,

including Christianity.

The Prince was speaking nearly
a decade before the horrors

of 9/11 and 7/7.

The speech was largely ignored in Britain,

but in the Muslim world,

he enjoyed hero status.

His speech left quite an
impact on all Muslims,

that here is someone, Prince of Wales,

future king of the United Kingdom,

addressing us Muslim as equals.

A month after his speech,
Charles was filmed for this TV

documentary, arriving in Saudi Arabia.

It showed the King paying him
the great honour of leaving his

palace at three in the morning
to welcome the British royal.

The first half an hour of
their discussion was the king

speaking about the speech.

That degree of gratitude for what
had been said was exceptional.

Prince Charles has
nurtured his relationship

with the Arab royals for over 25 years.

But he has been criticised
for turning a blind eye

to human rights abuses,
the treatment of women

and other controversial
aspects of the Saudi regime.

The slightly sinister side of it

is that these royal families

pour a lot of money into his charities,

not to his personal pocket,

but to his charities.

And there is a sense that he
might be too beholden to them.

Prince Charles showed foresight
in reaching out to Muslims,

but he was a prophet without
much honour in his own land.

His approval ratings remained
stubbornly low throughout the '90s.

The Princess of Wales's death

could have been a catastrophe for him.

But he benefited from huge public
sympathy for his bereaved sons.

Very soon after Diana's death,
Charles made it clear that

Mrs Parker Bowles was, in
his words, non-negotiable.

Two years later, the couple's
relationship became official.

The Prince of Wales and
Camilla Parker Bowles seen

together in public quite clearly.

No secret about their relationship now.

Having stability in his private
life would give the Prince the

confidence to push even harder
in making his opinions known.

The mood at Buckingham
Palace was less upbeat.

To understand what was going on
in 1999, you've got to remember

that the palace had come through an
extended period of great difficulty.

And then the Prince of Wales's
determination to carry on

doing rings on his terms,

which had been very hard
to reconcile with those very

traditional, conventional attitudes

that still exist to this day
inside Buckingham Palace.

These tensions came to a head in 1999,

at the time of a controversial
Chinese state visit.

There were protests against China's
human rights record and its

occupation of Tibet.

The monarchy was expected
to put on a show.

We were trying to foster good
trading relations with China.

And in order to do that,

all parts of the state
system have to work smoothly.

And the royal family, as
ever, had a big part to play.

They were really rolling
out the red carpet.

As part of the traditional protocol,

the Chinese would host a state
dinner at their embassy.

The Queen was the guest of honour.

There absolutely was an expectation
that Charles would be there,

and the way that the royals
arrive at these banquets,

the Queen is the last to arrive,

so Charles would have been sort of
the second to last to get there.

When the car came and it
was the Queen getting out,

then obviously we realised we
had a big story here because the

Prince of Wales wasn't there.

There was no explanation for it.
The Palace didn't brief on it.

I think they were caught unawares.

By not attending on this occasion,
he was not only letting down

the monarchy, he was
embarrassing his mother.

Those who work for the Prince of Wales

didn't have an explanation

beyond that he had an unbreakable
social arrangement elsewhere.

That unbreakable social
arrangement turned out to be

a small dinner party hosted by the
Prince and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Having a significant figure
like the Prince of Wales,

heir in line, signalling his
disapproval of what is going on

in Beijing was damaging in the extreme.

Buckingham Palace's
response was one of anger,

so angry in fact that some of their
senior officials briefed journalists

about what they described as a
petulant and selfish prince.

Charles's behaviour was
particularly galling to his father.

I should think this is a source
of considerable frustration

and dismay to Prince Philip,

who's led an intensely disciplined life,

with which he's kept his mouth
largely shut, under intolerable

stresses and strains, and he's been
this absolutely rock-like support.

Prince Charles was now not only
in conflict with his parents

but also with the government.

The Labour government was
spitting tacks, fuming about it.

They saw this as a huge breach
of the Prince's duty to the state.

Prince Charles had intended
to snub the Chinese.

He wanted to signal his
support for the Dalai Lama,

the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet.

In 1996, he'd paid a
private visit to Britain,

which irritated the Chinese,

but he was welcomed by the
Queen Mother at her home.

The meeting was captured in these
never before seen autographs.

Charles's grandmother's bond
with the Tibetan leader chimed

with his interest in Buddhism
and the plight of the Tibetans.

It was another legacy
from the woman he called…

Quite simply the most magical grandmother

you could possibly have.

For me,

she meant… everything.

And I had dreaded, dreaded this moment.

In his grief at the Queen Mother's
death on the 30th of March, 2002,

there was hope

that her passing would
signal a radical change

in her grandson's personal life.

And the prospect of him as king

arouses strong feelings on both sides.

The death of the Queen Mother was a
devastating blow for Prince Charles.

Above all, she saw the funny side of life

and we laughed till we cried.

Oh, how I shall miss those laughs.

But her death was also
an opportunity for him.

Marrying Camilla was something
that was much easier for him to do

after his grandmother had died.

Within three years of
his grandmother's death,

Charles and Camilla had moved into
Clarence House and got engaged,

with Camilla flashing a ring which
had belonged to the Queen Mother.

After their wedding in Windsor,

they spent their honeymoon at the
Queen Mother's Scottish home.

The Windsors' phobia about
divorce was finally lifted.

The curse of the former King, Edward
VIII, who had abdicated to marry

a divorced woman, Wallis Simpson…

the man the family called Uncle David.

The thing that hung over Prince
Charles all his young life

was the spectre of his uncle David…

…and he was constantly
warned against being like that.

Charles has succeeded where his
predecessor had failed miserably.

He has married the woman he loves
despite them both being divorced

and he hasn't had to give up the throne.

Camilla has already got the one
thing Wallis Simpson always wanted

and never received… the
title "Her Royal Highness".

I think Queen Camilla
was always on the cards.

You'll never find it acknowledged,
you'll find clever wording like,

"there are no plans" or
"it is not envisaged."

I bet you a dollar a doughnut Her
Majesty Queen Camilla will be crowned.

Being with Camilla hasn't stopped
Charles obsessively lobbying

ministers about his various hobbyhorses…

…as was revealed when the
government finally had to hand over

the Prince's "Black Spider" memos.

Such was the extent of Prince
Charles' meddling in government,

sending these letters,

endless letters that he
scribbled in his own hand,

that the government went to
extraordinary lengths to protect him

against his own folly by amending
the Freedom of Information Act

to exempt him in the future.

Prince Charles need look no
further than Edward VIII for

a bad end for a monarch who
interfered and spoke out.

Apart from wanted to
marry a divorced woman,

he's remembered as a royal
who meddled in politics.

His Majesty's visit to
South Wales is not only

a promise of new life but a gesture
of sympathy, with men and women

who for years have born bravely the
misery and sufferings of unemployment.

He famously said,
"Something must be done."

The public loved it.

But, to the establishment,

his remarks were further evidence
of Edward's unsuitability to reign.

His intervention was,

"A constitutionally dangerous proceeding"

"that would threaten, if continued,
to entangle the throne in politics."

Poverty and social problems
still trouble Britain today.

In the riots during the summer of 2011,

the Conservative government blasted
the culprits as "feral youth".

After two riots in a generation,
Tottenham was set to become

a complete no-go zone.

It was horrendous.

And of course, amidst all of that,

the phone rang and it
was the Prince of Wales.

He sounded very concerned

and his question was, "What can I do?"

I said, "You can come."

And he didn't just come back once.

He's been back six times.

- Hi, Camilla. - Hello.
- How are you? Welcome to Tottenham.

Today, the Prince's Trust has no
less than six projects in Tottenham.

I still think half the problem
is that people join gangs

because it's a cry for help.

In fact, they're looking
for a framework and

a sense of belonging and meaning.

All we've been doing is
tinkering with the symptoms for

a long time and not getting
to the root causes.

As Prince of Wales, Charles
has gone way beyond his brief,

according to his critics.

Some of us are nervous because
Prince Charles does controversy

and, in the end, it doesn't matter
whether the cause is right or wrong,

if the monarchy is to survive and prosper,

not only must it not be political,
it mustn't be controversial.

I have had it from sources very
close to the Prince of Wales

that Prince Charles is
completely clear about

what the difference is between being
Prince of Wales and being monarch.

You know, it's hard-wired in his DNA.

But there are many who think
that, based on his track record,

the leopard simply won't
be able to change his spots.

The quality that makes a
monarchy successful…

because a monarchy in many
ways is a ridiculous idea

in the 20th-century,
never mind the 21st…

to make it work you have got to
have a terrific degree of discipline

and, of course, the one quality
Prince Charles visibly does not have

is any degree of discipline.

For over 60 years, the Queen
has been faithful to the promise

she made on her first tour of
South Africa when she was just 21.

I declare before you
all that my whole life,

whether it be long or short,

shall be devoted to your
service and to the service

of our great imperial family,
to which we all belong.

She is not a great reformer…

let's put it like that.

Her thinking is based on tradition,

and she is comfortable and
confident in what she inherited and

sees in her lifetime… no
need for further change.

She has her eye on history, too.

She wants people to think that
she has been the best monarch

the country has ever had.

I think there's a very good chance
that she will be judged that way,

but in order to achieve that goal,

conserve that which you have,
try and make it better if you

possibly can, and don't
do anything brand-new.

The Diamond Jubilee marked the
beginning of the transition.

Charles' team are discreetly
planning for the time when the long

wait is finally over.

The eternal wait is very
much what has been going on.

I mean, he is the oldest
Prince of Wales in history.

The Diamond Jubilee was
the first glimpse we had

of Charles' vision for
the future monarchy.

I remember watching that scene
on the balcony and thinking,

"My goodness, this is
a moment to remember."

Of course the Duke of Edinburgh was
in hospital with a bladder infection,

but it was Charles' vision,
that "magnificent seven".

Charles wants a slimmed down,
value for money monarchy,

with no embarrassing hangers-on.

This version of the Royal
Family would exclude his own

siblings' children.

Princess Anne has accepted it,

the Wessexes have also
accepted it with good grace.

The sticking point seems to
have been with the Duke of York.

Prince Andrew's antics over the
years have led to nicknames

including "Randy Andy"
and "Air Miles Andy".

He has been a liability
to the Royal Family,

from his ill-advised friendships
with convicted paedophiles,

to business deals with Kazakhstanis,

to his relationship with his ex-wife,

which is one of the things that
I'm told really riles Charles.

It all contributes together

into something that is
just not very palatable.

Andrew was furious.

He feared his daughters,

the princesses Beatrice and
Eugenie, were going to be sidelined.

He wrote to the Queen, insisting his
girls must keep their royal status.

The Queen personally sided with
Andrew in this war of words,

but I think the Queen is not going
to go against Prince Charles.

Eventually, Andrew had to admit defeat.

He took the unusual step of
issuing a personal statement and

conceded via Twitter
that his daughters are:

"Modern, working young women
who happen to be members"

"of the Royal Family."

You could argue that Charles
isn't being mean to his brothers

and sisters by trying to elbow them out.

This is Charles wanting to
secure the longevity and future

of the House of Windsor.

Charles is following the example of
the founder of the House of Windsor.

Anti-German feeling
during the First World War

was directed at the Royal Family.

George V made all his German
relations living in Britain

give up their German Royal
titles and adopt British names.

He changed his own name from a German one

to the solidly British "Windsor".

He slimmed down the monarchy and
made its core members work hard

to show they provided value for money.

There's a streak of
ruthlessness in George V,

but he's also being pragmatic
and he thought that,

if he didn't make these changes,
the British monarchy might go down.

George V's reforms saved the monarchy

and established the
popularity it enjoys today.

The monarchy is going to come
under a lot of pressure in the

decades ahead

and Charles' willingness
to intervene could,

if he doesn't overstep the mark,

take the monarchy into a
new style, a new generation.

From the beginning,

the House of Windsor has been shrewd
in adapting to changing times.

Never ahead, but never too far behind.

They've been cunning in weathering
crises and they've been lucky.

The monarchy appeals to
atavistic feelings in the public

and I think for that reason
it perhaps will survive.

The pressure to undermine
this great edifice

is not very great at the moment

and, in our isolated and
exposed position in the world,

we probably want to cling to nurse
for fear of getting something worse.

In an uncertain world, the Windsors
are going to need all the guile

and wisdom they've accumulated
over the last hundred years

to navigate the uncharted
waters which lie ahead.

It would be very rash for those
around the throne to take the

continuation of the monarchy for granted.

Support for the monarchy
is much more fragile in

a very swiftly changing
21st-century environment.

I don't think the Royal Family these
days would have to do much wrong

for suddenly the monarchy to
find itself in a lot of trouble.