Prince Charles and Princess Diana after their wedding ceremony at the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, 1981

(Source: misshonoriaglossop)

on holiday in Liechtenstein   

dianaspot:

Diana in menswear and still looking classy and fabulous. 

(via misshonoriaglossop)

Britain’s Royal Family is always in the public eye, but the legions of loyal helpers who toil in their palaces and castles are rarely seen or heard from. Now, a new film by Montreal documentary maker John Curtin tells some of their stories.  SERVING THE ROYALS: INSIDE THE FIRM, takes us behind the scenes, where 1200 men and women cater to royalty’s every whim. They iron the Queen’s bed sheets, polish Philip’s riding boots, squeeze Charles’s toothpaste onto his toothbrush and walk the royal corgis. Privy to the monarchy’s most intimate secrets, they are its biggest asset and greatest liability.

In SERVING THE ROYALS, Curtin, director of After Elizabeth II: Monarchy in Peril and Chasing the Royals, reveals a fascinating world behind the palace doors, where staff works long hours for low pay. From nannies and butlers to chefs, footmen, body guards and private secretaries, round the clock they labour, often thanklessly, to keep the monarchy humming.

‘Mums the word’ – in fact they are sworn to secrecy - but they see and hear almost everything. It’s all in a day’s work for royal employees who get face time with the Windsors in exchange for cramped living quarters and paltry wages.

“I wanted to tell the stories of some of the people who keep “The Firm” running behind the scenes,” says filmmaker John Curtin, “and take a look at the sometimes fascinating relationships they have with their masters.”

As we see in SERVING THE ROYALS, strong personal relationships often do develop between the royals and their servants. William Tallon, the Queen Mother’s most trusted servant for 50 years, was a wizard with a drink. The witty and flambouyant ‘Backstairs Billy’ plied his aging boss with gin and champagne “to keep her smiling”.

And Paul Burrell, personal footman to the Queen before becoming butler to Charles and Diana, witnessed the scandalous breakup of the Wales’ marriage at the closest of quarters. In SERVING THE ROYALS, he explains how he smuggled Diana’s lovers into Kensington Palace in the trunk of his car and buried the miscarried baby of a friend of the princess in the palace garden …

But are those close relationships ultimately illusory?  While palace staff is sworn to silence, some have not been above betraying their masters, “spilling the beans” for cash or notoriety. And when that happens, or there is a falling out for any other reason, the servant’s fall is sudden and dramatic. They are immediately booted from the palace, cast aside and shunned as persona non grata.

Princess Diana was critical and sometimes deeply jealous of the nannies who took care of her boys. One nanny’s crime: William and Harry had grown too close to her and the nanny once referred to them as “my babies.” Diana even suspected the nanny of having an affair with her husband.

In the immediate future, it will be especially interesting to see what happens now that Prince William and Kate Middleton have a royal baby on the way and are moving back to palace life after Will’s military posting in Wales. Til now, Will and Kate have prided themselves on their un-royal, D.I.Y. lifestyle, but with a baby prince or princess on the way, can the nannies, cooks, valets and chauffeurs be far behind? Will a full retinue of servants destroy the royal couple’s marital bliss, especially for a Prince already deeply suspicious of the hired help?

SERVING THE ROYALS: INSIDE THE FIRM is written, directed, edited and produced by John Curtin in association with CBC-TV.

I think it is a bit sensational but it is interesting, a must watch!!!

(Source: cbc.ca)

Since the birth of rock’n’roll the royal family has had a love/hate relationship with pop music. From John Lennon’s infamous Royal Variety Performance joke about rattling jewellery to the Sex Pistols preaching anarchy in the year of the Silver Jubilee and today’s pop stars lining up to be seen with the young princes, this is the story of the ‘rock and royal years’.

This hour-long documentary helps celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by looking back at the 60 year relationship between pop and the royals - at the times they came harmoniously together, and at the times when pop republicanism threatened to tear the monarchy apart.

Singer Tommy Steele talks about being one of the first rock’n’rollers to perform in front of the Queen, Sheila Ferguson from the Three Degrees reveals what Prince Charles really said to her at their concert in the run up to his 30th birthday, and Queen guitarist Brian May talks about what it was like to play on top of Buckingham Palace in front of millions of viewers worldwide.

Together these stories reveal why Queen Elizabeth really is ‘the rock’n’roll Queen’.

Its a bit cheeky, but it was entertaining, if you are a pop culture fanatic like myself, then you will like it. 

(Source: channel4.com)

regalmajesty:

Diana and Sophie

(via misshonoriaglossop)