Christopher Warwick
Queen Elizabeth II: Before the Crown
George VI was said to have called Elizabeth his “pride” and Margaret his “joy.” Much of Princess Elizabeth’s lessons in life have been well taught by her father, who prepared Elizabeth to be queen as soon as he was coronated. It’s likely that this boost helped to inspire Elizabeth’s well-known loyalty and devotion to the United Kingdom. The influence of her surroundings, and the very nature of her family, shaped her into becoming the longest-reigning monarch in all of British History. Elizabeth was taught from such a young age, what a monarch should be about. She put in the forthright dedication just as much and her father did, and is now known to have become… The longest reigning monarch… In British History.
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Heartbreak At the Palace
The British Royal Family, an institution where stability, consistency and duty come above all else, and where tragedy and turmoil pose a great risk. Over the last half century, the reputation and stability of this great institution has faced great challenges, through death and divorce, the palace has been rocked to its core, and recovering has not always been easy. The great tragedy of King George VI’s death in 1952 saw his daughter ascend to the throne and become Queen Elizabeth II. A Queen who would later be known as one of the most dutiful, stoic and stable monarchs in British history, as well as the most beloved. But in spite of the extraordinary reputation she would come to earn, there were significant challenges she would need to overcome. Queen Elizabeth’s reign was littered with tragedies, but it would be in the way she coped with them that would reveal her exceptional attitude towards her constitutional role as monarch.
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Legacy of the Name: Elizabeth
How much meaning and power does a name hold? Can a chosen name become a curse or a blessing, or can it even represent a heavy burden of a legacy that needs to be carried forward? Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II are two of the most significant monarchs in British history - but do they share anything else besides their names?
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The Early Life of Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret was well-known for her glitz and beauty, her passion for nightlife, the arts, and her regular media appearances. She battled throughout her life to strike a balance between her obligations as a member of the British Royal family and her independent spirit and artistic temperament. Despite being the subject of rumours, tabloid speculation, and scandal, the Princess' romantic relationships were crucial in modernising Royal love. Coming of age at a unique time when celebrity culture and tabloid journalism were beginning, her status as the younger sister to the Queen of the Commonwealth and her natural beauty made her one of the most famous faces in the world. People who came into contact with her could be perplexed by her swings between frivolity and formality. She was a glamorous, charming and informal individual who stood out amongst Royal stereotypes.
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Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones
On 6th May 1960, Princess Margaret married photographer and designer Antony Armstrong-Jones. In true Margaret fashion, the Princess had broken a centuries long tradition and married a commoner. The first British Royal to marry a non-aristocrat in 400 years. The partnership broke down class barriers, widened Margaret’s social circles beyond aristocracy, and brought a sense of fun to the monarchy. Actors, singers, celebrities, and Bohemians all wanted the chance to mingle with the famed couple. The one of a kind pairing changed royal marriages forever and catapulted the monarchy into the 20th century.
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Royal Yacht Britannia: Aboard the Floating Palace
For more than a million nautical miles, for 43 years, she sailed the seas and oceans of the world, visited hundreds of countries and became Her Majesty’s favourite residence and sanctuary - a floating palace. The Royal Yacht Britannia served the Queen faithfully from 1954-1997, allowing her to attend and host hundreds of diplomatic meetings and receptions. It also hosted a number of royal holidays and honeymoons, becoming a favourite place for the royals to relax away from the prying eyes of the press.
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The Late Queen's Sister
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. During her reign, she saw World Wars, presidential assassinations, moon landings, disasters and many other memorable events. The Queen outlived all those dearest to her, watching the world change with their passing. Her reign represented an enormous change for the country - in seventy years, Her Majesty remained the only constant. Throughout Her Majesty’s life, she was surrounded by influential people who left their mark in time, including her infamous younger sister, Princess Margaret. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was very different from the Queen as she was commonly known as a rebellious royal. But despite their natural differences, Princess Margaret always had a close-knit relationship with the Queen throughout her reign. Follow the story of Princess Margaret, The Late Queen’s Sister.
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The Late Queen's Mother
Queen Elizabeth II was a woman bound by her duty to the United Kingdom. As the longest-reigning monarch in British history, the late Queen put her own life on hold, ensuring she put country first, remaining the one constant in everyone’s life for over 70 years. For 50 of those years, The Queen Mother was by her side. A symbol of the modern royal family, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was thrust into the public eye after marrying the future King when she was just 23. For the rest of her life, during wartime and peacetime, through love and grief, The Queen Mother’s own sense of duty and optimism would offer stability to both the monarchy and the country she served. These characteristics would live on through her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, undoubtedly influencing her long and prosperous reign.
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Crown in Crisis: Death
The British Royal family embodies strength, resilience and stability. Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, has led a life of commitment, supreme dedication and duty towards her people. Her life was heavily influenced by the critical people that surrounded her, but also by their deaths and the toll these would take on the course of history. The lives but also the deaths of these remarkable members of the monarchy have shaped the course of history as we know it - their choices and destinies influenced the world we live in today. Take a look behind the facade and uncover the truth from the monarchy’s darkest days... This is the crown... in crisis.
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Moments that Defined Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II. The longest reigning monarch in British history. A monarch we have never known the likes of, nor possibly shall we ever again in our lifetimes. A life of supreme service, of duty, of resilience, of inspiration. She was a Queen for all her people. Her life will be remembered for her sense of duty and commitment, of right and wrong, of tolerance and forgiveness. For a pledge fulfilled. But what are the most iconic and memorable moments which defined the life of this extraordinary woman?
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Life Before the Crown: Princess Elizabeth
On April 21st 1926, the future Queen was born. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. During her grandfather's reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her uncle Edward and her father. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second in line to the throne, after her father. Her younger sister, Princess Margaret, became her best friend and confidant as a child. They grew up in a relatively stable and mundane family dynamic. It was a seemingly blissful life with privilege, with very little in the way of the pressure they would later face. Elizabeth’s exceptional dedication and attitude to the duties she inherited, as she followed in her father’s footsteps, would have the nation’s unwavering respect and love. A love which Margaret would come to envy. They were both Princesses, but only one could be Queen. She would grow up to become the most powerful woman in the world, and the titled leader of the British Empire.
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Princess Margaret: The Trouble with Townsend
Princess Margaret. Known for her glamour and beauty, her early love for nightlife and the arts, and her consistent appearance in the papers. She struggled throughout her life to balance an independent spirit and artistic temperament with her duties as a member of Britain’s Royal family. From her dramatic almost-marriage to her very public divorce, Margaret’s turbulent love life dominated the Royal spotlight for years. The Princess’s romantic entanglements were the stuff of rumour, tabloid speculation and scandal, yet they played a critical role in modernising Royal love along the way. Hand in hand with her marriage was her shocking divorce, which almost became her unwritten legacy, and normalised Royal divorce for the future generations, despite the backlash she faced at the time. Coming of age at a unique time when celebrity culture and tabloid journalism were just beginning, her status as younger sister to the Queen of the Commonwealth and her natural beauty, made her the first choice for the press to write stories about, particularly when they were so scandalous. Princess Margaret had a large part in modernising the Royal Family, more so than her sister, The Queen. Although she may have been a darling of the gossip columns, she will always be remembered as glamorous individual who stood out amongst Royal stereotypes.
Apple TVPrincess Margaret: From Armstrong to the End
After her shocking public announcement that she would not be marrying Peter Townsend, Margaret appeared at more Royal engagements and events, with several different suitors. Eventually, Margaret began secretly seeing photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. Although the press were obsessed with following her and identifying her likely suitors, Antony was completely overlooked. She would visit him in secret at his studios and he would accompany her to events, but Antony was often in the background. Antony Armstrong-Jones was considered a ‘commoner’, not considered a real prospect for Margaret, which is why their romance went undetected for so long. The announcement of their engagement in February 1960 caught many by surprise. Despite appearing to be happily married, both of the Snowdons engaged in public love affairs. But Margaret was also keeping secrets. In 2002, Margaret’s passing came just three days after the 50th anniversary of her father King George VI's death. Princess Margaret was in many ways the quintessential modern royal, caught between tradition, duty, desire and public opinion. She maintained a love for life, not worried about how the tabloids perceived her, as once told French poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau, “Disobedience is my joy”.
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Princess Margaret: A Fine Romance
The tale of Princess Margaret's search for true love is one filled with heartbreak, tough decisions and scandal. An idyllic childhood, surrounded by her sister, mother and father, swiftly changed into an upbringing full of loneliness caused by fate, the death of her father, heartbreak, adultery, and her sister's new role as the Queen of England.
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Princess Elizabeth: Destined for Greatness
1926 Britain was a very different place, almost unrecognisable in fact. King George The Fifth was on the throne, and Britain was still recovering from the horrors of the Great War, World War 1. On April 21st 1926, the future Queen was born. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. Her father, the Duke of York, later King George VI, was the second son of the King. Her mother, the Duchess of York, later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon. Elizabeth's only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930. The two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature, and music. During her grandfather's reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her uncle Edward and her father. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, as Edward was still young and likely to marry and have children of his own, who would precede Elizabeth in the line of succession. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second in line to the throne, after her father.
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Elizabeth & Margaret: Pride and Joy
Two princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, sharing their lives as equals. Blissfully unaware of the decision their uncle would make that would set a new course for them both, and change the entire shape of British history. Despite the enormously close bond they had in their formative years, the heir to the throne and her younger sister would face very difficult challenges which would come to define their relationship. The eldest sister would grow up to become the most powerful woman in the world, and the titled leader of the British Empire. Her sister, Princess Margaret would struggle to find meaning and purpose to her role, sometimes driving a wedge between the two sisters. Margaret had a magical charisma, lighting up the room and captivating those in her path. Yet, Elizabeth’s exceptional dedication and attitude to the duties she inherited, as she followed in her father’s footsteps, would have the nation’s unwavering respect and love. A love which Margaret would come to envy. They were both Princesses, but only one could be Queen.
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Elizabeth og Margaret – to søstrer og éi trone
Som barn vart dei behandla som tvillingar. Ingen kunne vite at ei av dei skulle bli dronning. Då Edvard VIII abdiserte, vart alt snudd på hovudet.
The Late Queen's Sister
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. During her reign, she saw World Wars, presidential assassinations, moon landings, disasters and many other memorable events. The Queen outlived all those dearest to her, watching the world change with their passing. Her reign represented an enormous change for the country - in seventy years, Her Majesty remained the only constant. Throughout Her Majesty’s life, she was surrounded by influential people who left their mark in time, including her infamous younger sister, Princess Margaret. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was very different from the Queen as she was commonly known as a rebellious royal. But despite their natural differences, Princess Margaret always had a close-knit relationship with the Queen throughout her reign. Follow the story of Princess Margaret, The Late Queen’s Sister.
Apple TVApple iTunesQueen Elizabeth II: Before the Crown
George VI was said to have called Elizabeth his “pride” and Margaret his “joy.” Much of Princess Elizabeth’s lessons in life have been well taught by her father, who prepared Elizabeth to be queen as soon as he was coronated. It’s likely that this boost helped to inspire Elizabeth’s well-known loyalty and devotion to the United Kingdom.
Apple TVApple iTunesHeartbreak At the Palace
The British Royal Family, an institution where stability, consistency and duty come above all else, and where tragedy and turmoil pose a great risk. Over the last half century, the reputation and stability of this great institution has faced great challenges, through death and divorce, the palace has been rocked to its core, and recovering has not always been easy. The great tragedy of King George VI’s death in 1952 saw his daughter ascend to the throne and become Queen Elizabeth II.
Apple TVApple iTunes