Prince Andrew trying to 'wedge in' as Queen's advisor says expert

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The controversial 1969 BBC behind-the-scenes documentary sharing an insight into the Firm, entitled “Royal Family”, provided an unprecedented look inside the royal household and the Firm behind closed doors, but hasn’t been seen on television since the 1970s, allegedly at the request of Buckingham Palace. However, in his new book Queen of our Times, Robert Hardman argues that it was seen much more positively in the royal household and the film disappeared because of copyright.

He told the Telegraph: “It meant that considerably more people in Britain watched the Queen helping Prince Charles with the salad dressing on the banks of Loch Muick than the event which occurred a month later – man landing on the moon.

“Half a century on, some commentators have suggested that the family quickly came to regard it all as a terrible mistake, never to be seen again – a view reinforced by The Crown.

“From the outset, the film was only ever supposed to have a limited timespan before being locked away.

“‘Royal Family’ was not news footage, like the coronation or a state visit. Rather, it was seen as a personal snapshot of its time.

“The Queen retained the copyright and did not want the material being quarried or adapted for years to come.”

When it was broadcast, the 110 minute film was watched by around 30 million people, with around 350 million watching it worldwide.

It is still amongst the BBC’s most watched television broadcasts and a decade after it was shown the BBC told Buckingham Palace it was the most watched documentary in history.

It was made at the insistence of Prince Philip in an era of profound social change when it was felt that the Royal Family was out of touch with British society.

Some critics felt that it trivialised the monarchy by including scenes of the royals enjoying a barbecue.

It was also rumoured that the Queen was unhappy with the final product and had insisted it was banned.

The Netflix series The Crown added to this myth by devoting an entire episode to the Monarch’s displeasure for the programme.

However, Princess Anne has spoken of her own dislike for the programme according to PA.

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She said: “I never liked the idea of the Royal Family film. I always thought it was a rotten idea.

“The attention that had been brought on one ever since one was a child, you just didn’t want anymore. The last thing you needed was greater access.”

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