The Future of the Monarchy (2024) Movie Script
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Succession
is a very important matter
in the royal family.
The line of succession delegates
who will inherit the throne
and become the next king
or queen of Great Britain.
I think he will
be very much a king
who knows his own mind.
A line
that has changed.
A line that is determined
by descent, gender,
legitimacy, and religion.
On the 2nd of June, 1953,
the world rejoiced on the
coronation of a new queen.
Seven decades on, it's
almost impossible to imagine
that there was a time when
she may have not even taken up
the mantle of monarch.
The coronation of
the queen was a huge
and very significant affair.
It was a three hour ceremony.
It was everybody recalls
the coldest June day
that had ever happened, and
it was pouring with rain.
The army was enormous.
Every sort of foot or two
feet along the pavement,
there was what they
called street liners,
which were soldiers.
And they were all really cold
and they were given sugar lumps
infused with brandy to sort
of keep them going.
And the ceremony itself
was very, very serious
and very religious
and very dramatic.
We won't ever have a ceremony
quite like that again.
She never
intended to become queen,
but everything changed
from the age of 10
when her uncle,
Edward VIII, abdicated
and created the greatest
British crisis in centuries.
I don't believe that Princess
Elizabeth was really aware
of what it meant when her uncle,
uncle David she
called him, abdicated.
She knew something happened
because everyone was
in a terrible state
and she knew eventually that
they would have to move house.
And she knew that her
father would be king
and her mother would be queen.
But I don't think the actual,
real sort of dimensions
of her situation, she was
too young to understand that.
The line of
succession to the throne
was then taken by King George
VI, Elizabeth's father.
Her father reigned for 15 years,
then died in 1952,
7 years after the
end of World War II.
They maintained an extremely
close relationship.
And this was a perfect
example of a happy childhood.
Princess Elizabeth
was very close
to her father, always was.
I mean, he absolutely adored
Margot, Princess Margaret.
And Margaret made him laugh,
but he was very
proud of Elizabeth.
And he saw that sense of duty.
He spotted it very early on,
and he knew that she would
be just the sort of queen
that the country needed.
And he tried to do as
much with her as he could
because of course there
was the war years,
took up a great chunk of
her so-called childhood.
He didn't actually spend
a huge amount of his life
with his daughters, but
whenever he could, he did.
And he taught her to shoot.
He took her duck flighting.
He did kind of boyish
things with her
because he only
had two daughters
and he was just so proud of her.
So I think they were,
especially for the time,
they were a very close family.
We may not think that now
viewing them from our era,
but then they were
a close family.
She was very
much an unlikely queen.
Neither father nor daughter were
prepared to become the monarch.
She went from an
aristocratic life
to suddenly being
put in the spotlight.
She was very, very shy.
She wasn't a great
conversationalist.
In fact, she didn't really
have the necessary attributes
to enter this, you
know, world of men.
But she had this extraordinary
dedication to duty.
She was determined that she
was going to do it right
and she had no training.
She just did what
her father did.
And that kind of, in a
way suited her character
because she could learn
as she went along,
but without doing
anything extraordinary.
So she just did dutifully really
what she was told
most of her life.
And I think it was really
only in her latter years
that we saw the essence
of the queen's character.
We saw her humor,
we saw her laughter,
we saw her acerbic wit,
it was always there.
But she belonged to an
era where public persona
had to be completely straight.
So we never saw
that side of her.
So we assumed that she
was very dull and boring,
but she wasn't.
But she was very shy.
And it had been drilled into her
that you mustn't show
emotion in public.
It is important
to note that at this time,
if Elizabeth had a brother,
he would've taken up the
throne before Elizabeth.
Before 2013, the
succession rules
followed male
preference primogenitor,
which meant that sons have
priority over daughters.
But from 2013, this was now made
to be absolute primogenitor,
which now simply
follows birth order.
Elizabeth was only 25
years of age when she came
to the throne upon the
death of her father in 1952.
When Princess Elizabeth
received the news of the death
of our father, she went
into shock, as you would.
I mean, she was
shocked by his death
because she thought
he was getting better.
Everybody within
the family thought
the king was getting better.
He was at Sandringham,
he'd been out shooting.
He'd had a wonderful
day. He was with friends.
And as Princess Margaret
said, much, much later
in an interview, "He died
just as he was getting well."
But of course, he wasn't
really getting well.
They thought he was.
So, it was a huge shock to her
and it meant the end of
her life as she knew it.
She had two little
children, a naval husband.
They just started out really
on their married life.
And they just moved
into Clarence House,
which was their first real home.
He was going to be
posted to Malta.
Their life looked really rosy
and suddenly basically it ended.
She
reigned over England
for a record breaking
70 years and 214 days.
Officially the longest reigning
monarch in British history
and saw massive
change to the world.
She married Philip
Mountbatten in 1947.
Together they had four
children, Charles, Anne,
Andrew, and Edward.
She became Queen regnant
of 32 sovereign states
during her lifetime and only
15 at the time of her death.
Elizabeth was served by more
than 170 prime ministers.
She has been on many
historic visits and meetings
that have included state visits
to China in 1986
to Russia in 1994
and to the Republic
of Ireland in 2011.
She also had meetings
with five popes.
Her coronation
took place in 1953.
She has lived on to celebrate
her silver, golden, diamond
and platinum jubilees
in 1977, 2002,
2012, and 2022.
Though Queen Elizabeth II was
the perfect example
of a role model.
Her husband, Philip,
shed a keen interest
in voluntary services
and in the Royal Navy.
This meant that as their
four children grew,
they had extremely
loving parents
throughout their childhood.
She very rarely
confided in anybody.
She was a very complete person.
So let me just now repeat
that statement from
the royal household,
which we have received
in the last few minutes.
It reads, "The Queen
died peacefully
at Balmoral this afternoon.
The king and the queen consort
will remain at Balmoral
this evening and will
return to London tomorrow.
And so the reign of
Elizabeth II comes to a close
after 70 years at the age of 96,
her son Charles, is now king.
I think that
probably the shock of
his mother's very sudden death
and him being becoming king.
When these things happen,
you go into slight shock.
So you act quite mechanically.
It sort of protects
you in a way.
So I think he wouldn't have
been overwhelmed at that moment.
He would've been very emotional,
but he would've kept
it all in check.
So I think he dealt with it
on a very professional level,
which would be really the only
way to deal with something
of that enormity
happening to you.
On behalf of all
my family, I can only offer
the most sincere
and heartfelt thanks
for your condolences
and support.
They mean more to me than I
can ever possibly express.
And to my darling, Mama,
as you begin your
last great journey
to join my dear late Papa,
I want simply to
say this, thank you.
When I first met
Prince Charles,
I remember thinking, "Wow".
He was wonderful, really
charming, really, really just
made you feel so
relaxed and comfortable
and so quick upon your ease.
I mean, even though you're
nervous and worried,
he suddenly makes
you feel not worried.
You feel that you can
have a conversation
with in reason, anything.
Prince Charles, obviously
he's got his humor,
but he's also got a
compassionate side.
He wants everyone to be happy.
He wants everyone to
enjoy what they're doing.
And the fact that he worries
about the little
things is amazing.
Well, I always thought
that Charles would make
a wonderful king because
he cares so much.
He cares about his country,
he cares about its heritage,
he cares about the planet and
he cares about the people.
And I think that's really
the attributes you need
for a king, he is perfect.
He has been called
a visionary in his creative
and forward thinking ideas.
He grew up becoming passionate
about the environment
for architecture
and for medicine.
The Monarch is head
of the armed forces,
and it has always been a
tradition of the royal family
that each and every member
should engage in active service
and lead by example, playing
more than just a symbolic role.
As a result, he is president
to over 400 charities
and organizations
and known as one
of the most hardworking royals,
alongside his sister
Anne, the Princess Royal.
As the longest serving heir
to the throne in British
history, Charles has had plenty
of time to build and develop
the role of Prince of Wales.
Throughout his life, he
has faced many challenges.
The reporting of the media
chose to focus on the ups
and downs of Charles's
personal and romantic life.
His marriage to Lady Diana
Spencer was just the fairytale
the world had been waiting for,
a dashing prince with
his blushing bride.
They kindled a
family unit together
with sons William and Harry.
However, the relationship
between Charles and Diana
was simply not built to last.
They divorced in 1996
and Diana died in a
car crash in 1997.
Charles had
always considered Camilla dear,
prior to meeting Diana.
He reignited a flame
with his long-term friend
after Diana's death
and the two went on
to marry in 2005.
By this time William and
Harry were 23 and 20.
Camilla is now beside
Charles as Queen consort.
As per the wishes of
Queen Elizabeth II.
Charles and Camilla's
relationship continues
to remain strong and this
translates into their boys
who grow up working towards
the role of Monarch.
Although this family
unit continues to build,
William and Harry
have made it clear
that Camilla will
never fill the spot
that their dear mother,
Diana left behind.
What he would want to do is be
complimentary to his mother.
So his reign will be
complimentary to hers.
In a way, he's the sandwich
between his mother and his son.
And William
represents the future,
and Charles represents
the present.
She'd never say, "Oh,
it should been different."
Because if it was, we wouldn't
have William and Harry.
And obviously William
is so important
to the future of the monarchy.
I think when William
becomes king, you know,
God willing that he
does become king,
he will be very much
more modern than
his grandmother
or or his father.
And I think he'll be much
more the people's king.
He will be very hands on.
He'll be very, very
much more informal,
which will be in
keeping with the age.
Because I don't suppose
William's gonna be king
for at least another 10 years.
And you know, life will have
changed a great deal by then.
William was set
to start his royal career
from a very early age,
being schooled in
that sense of duty.
He was educated at
Weatherbee School,
Ludgrove School
and Eaton College.
He had been a very
outgoing little boy.
At his first
school, he was known
as Basher Wills,
or Basher Wales,
'cause he was, you know,
quite stroppy and confident.
William's education
was at Eaton College.
Eaton College is probably
the leading public school
in England, and its
very traditional.
William's mother, Diana
Princess of Wales,
insisted that he went to
Eaton, as did her father
and her younger
brother, Charles.
Prince Charles exceeded to this.
He went to Gordons Stone where
he was thoroughly miserable
and cried almost every time he
had to go back to to school,
even as a teenager.
And he allowed his sons both
to go to a very elitist school.
It's very elite,
it's very expensive,
it's very posh, if you will.
But it also has a degree
of freedom for the pupils.
They are encouraged
to be self-confident
and to find themselves.
And when William came there
after being at Ludgrove,
the prep school, people realized
as he had to sign in every
pupil signs into the book
when they come, that
he was left-handed.
First time people realized
it, he was a south paw.
And he was there and
he did very well.
Neither he nor his
brother could say
that there were great
academic shapes, they weren't.
Eaton was right for William,
he enjoyed the sports.
He enjoyed swimming, water polo.
He loved playing
football, soccer.
He took
a gap year in which
he visited Belize and Chile
before earning a Scottish
Master of Arts degree
in geography at the
University of St. Andrews.
It is clear for William
that royalty is not
just a privilege,
but a duty one that he
would take very seriously.
I wanted to do something
constructive in my gap year
rather than, I mean, I could
do quite a lot of work,
but I thought this was
a bit more of a way of
trying to help people out
and meet a whole range
of other different people
from different countries,
and at the same
time, helping people
in remote areas of Chile.
I think we are very
much seeing a royal
for the new century.
Very relaxed, not stage
managed, happy to josh a bit
with his father in
an informal way,
but not scared to say
exactly what he's feeling
and certainly not prepared to
dodge the difficult issues.
There was no question in
any of the gap year actually,
that he was a prince
and treated differently.
He mucked in, he slept in
sleeping bags, you know,
he cooked food
around a campfire.
He did everything that
everyone else did.
Given the
example that Charles had
as an upbringing from an
early age, like his mother,
Queen Elizabeth II, joining
the ATS from the age of 18,
it was clear that Charles is
to lead an example for William
for when he becomes king.
For my father, I learned
how central charity
was to his life and
his sense of purpose.
The Prince's Trust is not
an arm's length organization
for my father.
He cares deeply about
the Prince's Trust
because it is a living
projection of his values.
As a young child, I recall
evening after evening,
my father's diligence
and compassion as he applied
himself to answering thousands
of letters and reading
endless reports in order
to stay on top of his
ambition to do all he could
to help the underprivileged.
Whit out my realizing it,
what my parents were
doing was instilling in me
and Harry a lifelong habits
to put charity at the
heart of our lives.
Taking from his
father's hardworking nature.
He trained at the Royal
Military Academy at Sandhurst
and graduated from Royal
Air Force College Cranwell,
joining RAF Search and
Rescue Force in early 2009.
He was a full-time pilot
with the East Anglin Air
Ambulance from July, 2015
for two years and
performs official duties
on behalf of his
father, King Charles.
William threw himself
enthusiastically into school life,
but he also felt that
sports would be an area
where he could
devote his energies.
He has been a fan of
sport all his life
and has attended numerous
big events over the years.
William, I think
that time, those years,
as a search and rescue
pilot, he really felt
that he did achieve something.
It was a real job.
There were no concessions
for who he was.
He wasn't wrapped
up in cotton wool.
But the time came where the
tour of duty came to an end,
and I think he left probably
with quite a heavy heart,
but he'd had a very,
very good time there.
And I think, you know,
he'd absolutely achieved
what he set out to achieve.
Well, when you're
flying along at night
and snow down, you're
in another mountains
and you've got 40 knot
winds, the cloud's down
to about 200 feet and
you're trying to get through
to find someone who's
either broken the leg
or is lost on the hill,
it gets quite interesting.
You have to use all four of you,
put your brain power
together and your skill
and basically hope
that, you know,
you can actually
get there and help.
He's friendly, he's
funny, he's, you know,
always sort of
joking and bantering,
particularly with other
men and with colleagues.
And I think that was how
he managed to be accepted
so readily by colleagues
both in the armed forces
and in the air ambulance.
And in all the charities
that he works for as well.
They really love him.
Like
his father's passion
for the environment and arts,
he holds patronages
with over 30 charitable
and military organizations.
He undertakes projects
through the Royal Foundation
with his work surrounding
mental health, conservation,
and emergency workers.
He built his life in the
honor of being an icon
that many can look up to,
just like his father Charles,
in the hope that his work
would always one day help
and inspire someone
to feel better.
He took the title
of Prince of Wales
after his father ascended
to the throne in 2022.
Prince William is involved
with quite a few charities.
One in particular. He's
been involved in AIDS work
and AIDS charities
since he was very young.
And of course that came
from a deep commitment
that his mother Diana
had to the cause.
Prince William is also
involved in several charities
related to Africa.
You know, Africa was very
much a part of his experience
between high school
and university.
And he went out there and had
a gap year, as they call it,
and really fell in
love with the country.
So he and Harry both
actually have been involved
in several charities
in Africa as well.
William is also
involved very much so
with a charity called
Centerpoint, which is an organization
that works to help the homeless.
You know, Princess Diana
originally kind of got
both William and Harry
interested in this subject
by introducing them and
taking them out to meet
and talk to homeless people.
She always wanted them to
see there was another side
to their very gilded
life in the palace.
And since her untimely
death, William has continued
to be active and
involved in Centerpoint.
He's even spent the
night out on the streets
with homeless people just
within the past few years.
That's something that
he's passionate about,
that he cares about.
I think it helps to give
him perspective in the midst
of his oftentimes
very glamorous life.
There was a key
moment in his life.
It was in 2011,
there had been a huge
devastating earthquake in New Zealand.
And William said to
his private secretary,
"Is anyone from the royal family
going down to New Zealand?
Because if they're not,
I would like to go."
And his private says, "You
can't possibly do this,
you know, you haven't got time.
How are you gonna work out?
You know, you've got
these number of shifts
you've got to do with
search and rescue."
He said, "It's all right,
I've sorted all of that.
Just find out whether
whether I can go,
whether anyone else is going."
So he did, and he went
and he stood side by side
with people who'd lost loved
ones, homes, businesses,
you know, the scenes there
were absolutely devastating.
And that was the point at
which I think William went
from being a young
man to a future king.
William
continues to become a man
that he hopes the public
would proudly hold as king.
As a result, it is important
that his future children
follow the role in which their
father would set for them.
William met his bride to-be
Kate Middleton in 2001
at St. Andrew's
University in Scotland.
After seven years of dating,
family life beckon
for William and Kate.
And it was expected that the
couple of eventually marry.
It was at St. Andrew's
where that friendship,
because it was initially
a friendship flourished.
William and Kate were at
the same halls of residence
at St. Salvador's.
They were on the same
course in the same year.
I mean, some people say,
"Wasn't that just too
much of a coincidence?"
But it was how
things worked out.
And they spent the first year
as undergraduates really
getting to know each other.
The people of St. Andrews
are a very close-knit
sort of society.
And they welcomed
William with open arms
and they were very
protective of him.
And as a result, you
know, he spent life,
he spent four years there
as a pretty normal student.
I think the wonderful thing
about St. Andrew's was it
was a bubble away from reality.
It was a life that
Prince William
had never been able to enjoy.
Whether it was going
to the local shops,
going to a local bar,
going for his morning swim,
he could get on with his life
and his relationship in private.
And I think the pair of them
absolutely loved those years.
They look upon those
St. Andrew's years with great fondness,
and they are patrons of
St. Andrew's University
because they feel such a strong
connection to that place.
In his own words,
it is time now for
the big wide world.
But today, William's
family, like any other,
well almost came to say a
proud farewell to a place
that has allowed him a
more normal life than
any royal in history.
That he is deeply
grateful, is not in doubt.
And partly of course, it's
been about this woman.
They've been allowed to
develop a relationship
without front page
scrutiny, and it's helped.
Catherine Middleton.
Jeremiah Pasdida.
If
she looked confident,
he appeared nervous.
William said he was thrilled
his granny came
despite being ill.
And whilst his grandfather
studied the form,
she didn't look too impressed.
But it was a different
story when her boy
stepped up to the plate.
William Wales.
God save the gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen
God save the Queen
I Catherine Elizabeth,
Take the William
Arthur Philip Louis,
Take the
William Arthur Philip Louis
to my wedded husband.
To
my wedded husband.
To have and to
hold from this day forward.
To have and to
hold from this day forward.
For
better, for worse.
For better for worse,
For
richer, for poorer.
For richer, for poorer.
In sickness
and in health.
In
sickness and in health.
To love
and to cherish.
To
love, and to cherish.
Till
death us part part.
Till
death do us part.
According
to God's holy law.
According to God's holy law.
And thereto,
I give thee my truth.
And thereto I
give thee my truth.
Not
only did Kate have
this amazing persona about her,
but like her husband William,
she was also actively
interested in campaigns
to help the people around her.
Together, they initiated
the mental health awareness
campaign Heads Together
to encourage people to open up
about their mental
health issues.
Mental health matters to
each and every one of us.
It matters just as much
as our physical health.
As William has said, we
have heard time and time again
in the course of our work,
how talking can help
heal hidden challenges
that we can't deal with alone.
We have seen that two heads are
better than one when dealing
with a mental health problem.
They are loved
by millions around the globe
and dedicate their lives
to the royal family,
all while raising their
own three young children,
George, Charlotte, and Louis,
who are all in
line to the throne.
Well, William and
Kate are determined
to build a very happy home
life for their children.
I think that is of paramount
importance to both of them.
Prince William is a very
loving, warm individual,
and he and Kate
have a very solid
and affectionate relationship.
They want that to translate
to their children.
His boy, his son, his daughter,
they may grow up to be
princes and kings and queens,
but he wants them to
have a great relationship
with their parents
and with each other.
That's first and
foremost going to be part
of their royal upbringing.
Their relationship
has grown out of being
just William and Kate.
And I think that
that's something
that throughout their married
life as much as they can,
they will try and retain.
The United Kingdom
follows a hereditary system
known as primogeniture,
which means that the
throne always passes
from firstborn to firstborn,
not from sibling to sibling.
This means that the next
person in line to the throne
after William would
be his son, George,
rather than William's
brother Harry.
I think he will
very much a king
who knows his own mind.
William is a very
determined man.
I think he's mindful of history
and won't do anything
extraordinary,
but I think he's also
very much, much more a man
of the modern age and
of the people than
any previous monarchs.
George
is the eldest son
and child of William and Kate.
Making him second in line to
the throne after his father.
Raising a future
king is a huge task,
and it is therefore expected
that he receives the best care
possible for this to happen.
I think it's very
much a sure thing
that whatever sons
William has will
almost certainly join the army.
That has been a royal
tradition going back centuries
as something that both
William and Harry loved
and seemed to get a lot out of.
One tradition that may
not continue though
however, is boarding school.
You know, William and Harry
were sent off at a very young
age to Eaton, although they
probably will send George
or their other
children away to Eaton,
I doubt very much it will be
at such a young tender age.
Bearing in mind that Kate
Middleton did not grow up
in a royal household
or in a family
where children were sent away
at six to boarding school.
I think Kate Middleton
is gonna find
that particular royal
tradition a very
difficult one to follow.
George was born
on the 22nd of July, 2013
at St. Mary's
Hospital in London.
His birth was widely celebrated
due to the expectation
that he will one
day become king.
21 gun salutes signal the birth
in Bermuda and New Zealand.
The bells of Westminster Abbey
and many other
churches were rung.
The landmarks were
illuminated in many colors,
especially blue, to
signify the birth of a boy.
Kate was forced
to announce prior
to being 12 weeks pregnant
that she was in fact expecting
because she was hospitalized
for very, very severe
morning sickness.
She suffers for something
called hyperemesis gravidarum,
which is a very
somewhat rare form
of extreme morning sickness.
This goes way beyond
the typical nausea
and discomfort that
most women feel.
This is very extreme, where
the mother to be is unable
to keep down any solids
or even sometimes liquids.
It can be quite serious,
both for mother and baby.
So women who have
this condition, if they're not able to eat
and drink, are
oftentimes hospitalized
and put on an IV to make sure
that their health is maintained.
Obviously there've been
an awful lot of anticipation
as when Kate was gonna
announce that she was pregnant.
I mean, in fact, I think the
announcement was suggested
for about six months beforehand.
Everyone was writing in the
papers that she was pregnant.
The palace had put out
the official announcement
as she was on route
to the hospital
because she'd had problems
with the pregnancy
and it was felt that
William and Kate didn't want
to even tell the Queen
or Prince Charles
that she was pregnant
until they were absolutely
certain everything was okay.
So that's what happened.
The actual announcement happened
because she was feeling unwell
and was taken to hospital.
William and Kate had
talked at length about
how they wanted to make this
announcement to the world,
and it certainly wasn't
going to be this way
and at that stage
in the pregnancy.
Most celebrities, particularly
Royals, wait until
that first trimester is finished
before they make any
happy announcements.
They were holding the
baby and they just looked
so beautiful and happy.
It was really stunning.
Yeah, I'll never forget it.
Well, the birth of Prince
George was really like
a national celebration.
It felt like a national holiday.
There was excitement in the
air all around the country.
It very much reminded
me of the feeling
of the royal wedding day when
William and Kate got married.
Everyone was universally happy.
Everyone was constantly
checking the news feeds
on their phone and on the
television in order to see,
waiting for William and Kate
to come out from the hospital
for the first time holding
the new baby prince.
There was huge celebration
over the birth of Prince George.
I remember broadcasting for
numerous international networks
outside Buckingham Palace.
Of course, it was
the great Kate wait,
I mean, we didn't know when this
little baby was coming along.
Well, actually, I've
covered the royal family
for 25 years,
and the excitement around
the birth of Prince George
is surpassed most of
the things I'd covered,
actually, even
the royal wedding.
It was a huge bum fight,
if you like, outside
the Lindo Wing of the St.
Mary's Hospital, Paddington.
There were hundreds
of journalists there,
as well as camera crews
and members of the public.
I have several
friends actually, with news organizations
who were standing outside
the hospital that day,
waiting hours after hour for
William and Kate to come out.
And actually, they came out
quite a bit later than expected
because typical William
and Kate strategy, fashion,
they were greeting and
thanking every single member
of staff at the
hospital personally
for the very smooth birth.
They wanted to make sure
they thanked everyone
from the cleaner to the midwife,
to the surgeon to say
thank you very much.
So they did actually take
a long time to emerge.
When they did, Kate was
roundly praised in the press
for her choice of dress.
You know, a lot of women when
they first have a baby are
very self-conscious
about the fact
that they oftentimes
still look pregnant.
They still have a
very swollen stomach.
Kate was not at all
ashamed of this.
In fact, wore a dress
which highlighted the fact
that she still had
a very rounded tummy
and a lot of women
praised her for this
said that it made a difference
because it kind of just
emphasized the fact
that women don't
need to be ashamed
of their bodies when
they've had a baby.
And it was really a
lovely thing that she did.
She came out, she was absolutely
beautiful and radiant.
I'm sure she had some
help with makeup and hair.
In fact, we saw
some of her stylists
coming into the hospital
before she emerged.
So we know that she
had a little help,
but she did look fantastic,
and they looked
absolutely in love.
As William and Kate were
leaving their press call
when they came out with a baby,
he was seen to be very
affectionate with her.
He had his hand on
the small of her back
and he called her Poppet.
So we now know one
of his sweet names
of endearment for
his lovely wife.
- Very emotional.
- Yeah, it's very emotional.
It's such a special time.
I think any parents, I
think probably sort of know
what this feeling feels like.
It's very special.
Well, he's got a good pair of
lungs on him, that's for sure.
He's a big boy,
he's quite heavy,
but we're still
working on a name.
So we'll have that
as soon as we can.
But it's the first time
we've seen him really.
So having a proper
chance to catch up on...
George's education
began in January, 2016.
At the age of two, he attended
the West Acre Montessori
School Nursery.
Given the nature of his parents'
very stable relationship,
it is important that George
be raised in the same
affectionate passion
of his father.
He attended his first
day of primary school
on the 7th of September, 2017
at the Thomas's
School in Battersea
and attended school under
the name George Cambridge.
Even
for a little boy
who's used to the cameras, this
was a step into the unknown.
With Mum Kate,
again, struggling with
morning sickness back home.
At least Prince William
was there to hold his hand
and carry his bag.
Looking rather nervous, Prince
George managed a handshake
with one of his teachers
who stepped in with
some polite, small talk,
probably to help reassure dad.
For a 4-year-old
who's already started
learning the royal ropes,
those who know their London
schools think Thomas'
is a good fit for him and
the rest of the family.
His son seemed less
sure, a little boy
who already has his
future mapped out
before he's even stepped
into the classroom.
Two years later,
a little sister was
born for George.
Charlotte is the second child
and only daughter
of William and Kate.
She's third in
line to the throne.
However, as under the
hereditary system,
should Prince George have
children off his own,
they will overtake his sister
in the line of succession.
Charlotte was born on
the 2nd of May, 2015
at St. Mary's
Hospital in London.
Her announcement
didn't go to plan
as Kate suffered from
severe morning sickness
and was forced to cancel a
number of public engagements.
Having said this, the
world stood as happiest
as ever over the monarchy
with the prospect
of a baby sister for their son.
Again, you know, it's not
what William and Kate wanted.
They very much wanted
the pregnancy to kind
of go a little bit farther along
before they confirmed
to the world.
But again, their hand was forced
because of Kate's
morning sickness.
Congratulations,
congratulations.
How's Catherine feeling?
She's feeling okay, thanks.
It's been a tricky few
days, a week or so,
but obviously we're
immensely thrilled.
It's great news early days,
but I'm hoping we just,
things settled down
and she feels a bit better.
But it's important we
all focus on the big news
and the big international
and domestic things
that are going on at the moment.
So that's what my sort
thoughts are at the moment.
I get back and
look after it now.
It's early days,
but you must be very excited.
Some women get morning
sickness, not until, you know,
six or seven weeks
in, but Kate seems
to get it almost immediately
and to a very great degree.
So the fact that she was forced
to start canceling
appearances meant
that the palace was forced
to confirm the second
baby was on the way.
The nation rejoiced.
Everybody's happy and delighted
to see this beautiful young
family grow and expand,
and they seem to be very loving
and caring and
beautiful parents.
Kate certainly looks as good
or better as she ever did
before she had her first baby.
So it doesn't seem to be
taking any kind of a toll
and everybody's really
just happy for them.
Well, I think when
it was announced
that they'd had a little girl,
it was a great cause of
national celebration.
Of course, a little
sister for Prince George,
the daughter that Prince
William had always wanted,
the granddaughter that
Charles had always wanted,
but actually historically, a
really important little girl
because she will hold her place
in the lineage of succession.
Her name has
been officially announced
as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana,
honoring her
grandfather, Charles,
great-grandmother,
Queen Elizabeth II,
and her grandmother, Diana.
She started her education
at the Wilcox Nursery School
and also joined her brother at
Thomas's school in Battersea,
where she was known as
Charlotte Cambridge.
Charlotte's birth certainly
does herald the dawn
of a new era for girl power in
that we have a girl in
a prominent position
at the senior end
of the royal family.
Obviously, we've been
used to the Queen,
the ultimate exponent of
girl power on the throne,
but we face the prospect
now of three kings in line,
so we're not gonna see
another woman on the throne
for many, many, many years.
So how lovely to have
Charlotte in this role
bringing up the rear.
She's rather unkindly
called the spare to the heir
as Prince Harry is.
But as he has proved himself,
it's a role that you
can make your own,
and I'm sure all eyes
will be on Charlotte.
In fact, there'll probably
be even more scrutiny
on her because she's female.
I mean, how great to
have the pitter-patter
of pink feet in the
royal line of succession.
William's got
the princess he always wanted,
Diana wanted a
princess in the family,
and she's got her wish.
He's got his, and Diana's been
remembered in the process,
so it really completes it.
They've ticked all the boxes.
And the other thing
about Charlotte
is it's the female of Charles,
so they've really
done everything.
Then
came a little brother
for the two royal
children, Louis.
William took his two children
to the hospital when
their brother was born.
Born on April the 23rd,
2018 at St. Mary's Hospital,
he is fourth in
line to the throne.
On the 27th of April, 2018,
it was announced that
his official name is
Louis Arthur Charles,
honoring his paternal
great-great-great uncle
and his paternal
grandfather, Charles III.
The line of succession is
a matter not taken lightly.
It is therefore expected
that those in line
to the throne stand
a good public eye.
Queen Elizabeth II has died
and with Charles
as our new king,
the future is looking bright
given the nature of our
future kings of Britain.
The monarchy has evolved
and has undergone a
huge deal of change
over the last thousand years.
The line of succession is
one that is looking sharp,
but is also one that
is bound to change.
The examples of the
previous monarchs continue
to build strong relationships
for the generations
of monarchs to come,
when the time comes.
#####
Succession
is a very important matter
in the royal family.
The line of succession delegates
who will inherit the throne
and become the next king
or queen of Great Britain.
I think he will
be very much a king
who knows his own mind.
A line
that has changed.
A line that is determined
by descent, gender,
legitimacy, and religion.
On the 2nd of June, 1953,
the world rejoiced on the
coronation of a new queen.
Seven decades on, it's
almost impossible to imagine
that there was a time when
she may have not even taken up
the mantle of monarch.
The coronation of
the queen was a huge
and very significant affair.
It was a three hour ceremony.
It was everybody recalls
the coldest June day
that had ever happened, and
it was pouring with rain.
The army was enormous.
Every sort of foot or two
feet along the pavement,
there was what they
called street liners,
which were soldiers.
And they were all really cold
and they were given sugar lumps
infused with brandy to sort
of keep them going.
And the ceremony itself
was very, very serious
and very religious
and very dramatic.
We won't ever have a ceremony
quite like that again.
She never
intended to become queen,
but everything changed
from the age of 10
when her uncle,
Edward VIII, abdicated
and created the greatest
British crisis in centuries.
I don't believe that Princess
Elizabeth was really aware
of what it meant when her uncle,
uncle David she
called him, abdicated.
She knew something happened
because everyone was
in a terrible state
and she knew eventually that
they would have to move house.
And she knew that her
father would be king
and her mother would be queen.
But I don't think the actual,
real sort of dimensions
of her situation, she was
too young to understand that.
The line of
succession to the throne
was then taken by King George
VI, Elizabeth's father.
Her father reigned for 15 years,
then died in 1952,
7 years after the
end of World War II.
They maintained an extremely
close relationship.
And this was a perfect
example of a happy childhood.
Princess Elizabeth
was very close
to her father, always was.
I mean, he absolutely adored
Margot, Princess Margaret.
And Margaret made him laugh,
but he was very
proud of Elizabeth.
And he saw that sense of duty.
He spotted it very early on,
and he knew that she would
be just the sort of queen
that the country needed.
And he tried to do as
much with her as he could
because of course there
was the war years,
took up a great chunk of
her so-called childhood.
He didn't actually spend
a huge amount of his life
with his daughters, but
whenever he could, he did.
And he taught her to shoot.
He took her duck flighting.
He did kind of boyish
things with her
because he only
had two daughters
and he was just so proud of her.
So I think they were,
especially for the time,
they were a very close family.
We may not think that now
viewing them from our era,
but then they were
a close family.
She was very
much an unlikely queen.
Neither father nor daughter were
prepared to become the monarch.
She went from an
aristocratic life
to suddenly being
put in the spotlight.
She was very, very shy.
She wasn't a great
conversationalist.
In fact, she didn't really
have the necessary attributes
to enter this, you
know, world of men.
But she had this extraordinary
dedication to duty.
She was determined that she
was going to do it right
and she had no training.
She just did what
her father did.
And that kind of, in a
way suited her character
because she could learn
as she went along,
but without doing
anything extraordinary.
So she just did dutifully really
what she was told
most of her life.
And I think it was really
only in her latter years
that we saw the essence
of the queen's character.
We saw her humor,
we saw her laughter,
we saw her acerbic wit,
it was always there.
But she belonged to an
era where public persona
had to be completely straight.
So we never saw
that side of her.
So we assumed that she
was very dull and boring,
but she wasn't.
But she was very shy.
And it had been drilled into her
that you mustn't show
emotion in public.
It is important
to note that at this time,
if Elizabeth had a brother,
he would've taken up the
throne before Elizabeth.
Before 2013, the
succession rules
followed male
preference primogenitor,
which meant that sons have
priority over daughters.
But from 2013, this was now made
to be absolute primogenitor,
which now simply
follows birth order.
Elizabeth was only 25
years of age when she came
to the throne upon the
death of her father in 1952.
When Princess Elizabeth
received the news of the death
of our father, she went
into shock, as you would.
I mean, she was
shocked by his death
because she thought
he was getting better.
Everybody within
the family thought
the king was getting better.
He was at Sandringham,
he'd been out shooting.
He'd had a wonderful
day. He was with friends.
And as Princess Margaret
said, much, much later
in an interview, "He died
just as he was getting well."
But of course, he wasn't
really getting well.
They thought he was.
So, it was a huge shock to her
and it meant the end of
her life as she knew it.
She had two little
children, a naval husband.
They just started out really
on their married life.
And they just moved
into Clarence House,
which was their first real home.
He was going to be
posted to Malta.
Their life looked really rosy
and suddenly basically it ended.
She
reigned over England
for a record breaking
70 years and 214 days.
Officially the longest reigning
monarch in British history
and saw massive
change to the world.
She married Philip
Mountbatten in 1947.
Together they had four
children, Charles, Anne,
Andrew, and Edward.
She became Queen regnant
of 32 sovereign states
during her lifetime and only
15 at the time of her death.
Elizabeth was served by more
than 170 prime ministers.
She has been on many
historic visits and meetings
that have included state visits
to China in 1986
to Russia in 1994
and to the Republic
of Ireland in 2011.
She also had meetings
with five popes.
Her coronation
took place in 1953.
She has lived on to celebrate
her silver, golden, diamond
and platinum jubilees
in 1977, 2002,
2012, and 2022.
Though Queen Elizabeth II was
the perfect example
of a role model.
Her husband, Philip,
shed a keen interest
in voluntary services
and in the Royal Navy.
This meant that as their
four children grew,
they had extremely
loving parents
throughout their childhood.
She very rarely
confided in anybody.
She was a very complete person.
So let me just now repeat
that statement from
the royal household,
which we have received
in the last few minutes.
It reads, "The Queen
died peacefully
at Balmoral this afternoon.
The king and the queen consort
will remain at Balmoral
this evening and will
return to London tomorrow.
And so the reign of
Elizabeth II comes to a close
after 70 years at the age of 96,
her son Charles, is now king.
I think that
probably the shock of
his mother's very sudden death
and him being becoming king.
When these things happen,
you go into slight shock.
So you act quite mechanically.
It sort of protects
you in a way.
So I think he wouldn't have
been overwhelmed at that moment.
He would've been very emotional,
but he would've kept
it all in check.
So I think he dealt with it
on a very professional level,
which would be really the only
way to deal with something
of that enormity
happening to you.
On behalf of all
my family, I can only offer
the most sincere
and heartfelt thanks
for your condolences
and support.
They mean more to me than I
can ever possibly express.
And to my darling, Mama,
as you begin your
last great journey
to join my dear late Papa,
I want simply to
say this, thank you.
When I first met
Prince Charles,
I remember thinking, "Wow".
He was wonderful, really
charming, really, really just
made you feel so
relaxed and comfortable
and so quick upon your ease.
I mean, even though you're
nervous and worried,
he suddenly makes
you feel not worried.
You feel that you can
have a conversation
with in reason, anything.
Prince Charles, obviously
he's got his humor,
but he's also got a
compassionate side.
He wants everyone to be happy.
He wants everyone to
enjoy what they're doing.
And the fact that he worries
about the little
things is amazing.
Well, I always thought
that Charles would make
a wonderful king because
he cares so much.
He cares about his country,
he cares about its heritage,
he cares about the planet and
he cares about the people.
And I think that's really
the attributes you need
for a king, he is perfect.
He has been called
a visionary in his creative
and forward thinking ideas.
He grew up becoming passionate
about the environment
for architecture
and for medicine.
The Monarch is head
of the armed forces,
and it has always been a
tradition of the royal family
that each and every member
should engage in active service
and lead by example, playing
more than just a symbolic role.
As a result, he is president
to over 400 charities
and organizations
and known as one
of the most hardworking royals,
alongside his sister
Anne, the Princess Royal.
As the longest serving heir
to the throne in British
history, Charles has had plenty
of time to build and develop
the role of Prince of Wales.
Throughout his life, he
has faced many challenges.
The reporting of the media
chose to focus on the ups
and downs of Charles's
personal and romantic life.
His marriage to Lady Diana
Spencer was just the fairytale
the world had been waiting for,
a dashing prince with
his blushing bride.
They kindled a
family unit together
with sons William and Harry.
However, the relationship
between Charles and Diana
was simply not built to last.
They divorced in 1996
and Diana died in a
car crash in 1997.
Charles had
always considered Camilla dear,
prior to meeting Diana.
He reignited a flame
with his long-term friend
after Diana's death
and the two went on
to marry in 2005.
By this time William and
Harry were 23 and 20.
Camilla is now beside
Charles as Queen consort.
As per the wishes of
Queen Elizabeth II.
Charles and Camilla's
relationship continues
to remain strong and this
translates into their boys
who grow up working towards
the role of Monarch.
Although this family
unit continues to build,
William and Harry
have made it clear
that Camilla will
never fill the spot
that their dear mother,
Diana left behind.
What he would want to do is be
complimentary to his mother.
So his reign will be
complimentary to hers.
In a way, he's the sandwich
between his mother and his son.
And William
represents the future,
and Charles represents
the present.
She'd never say, "Oh,
it should been different."
Because if it was, we wouldn't
have William and Harry.
And obviously William
is so important
to the future of the monarchy.
I think when William
becomes king, you know,
God willing that he
does become king,
he will be very much
more modern than
his grandmother
or or his father.
And I think he'll be much
more the people's king.
He will be very hands on.
He'll be very, very
much more informal,
which will be in
keeping with the age.
Because I don't suppose
William's gonna be king
for at least another 10 years.
And you know, life will have
changed a great deal by then.
William was set
to start his royal career
from a very early age,
being schooled in
that sense of duty.
He was educated at
Weatherbee School,
Ludgrove School
and Eaton College.
He had been a very
outgoing little boy.
At his first
school, he was known
as Basher Wills,
or Basher Wales,
'cause he was, you know,
quite stroppy and confident.
William's education
was at Eaton College.
Eaton College is probably
the leading public school
in England, and its
very traditional.
William's mother, Diana
Princess of Wales,
insisted that he went to
Eaton, as did her father
and her younger
brother, Charles.
Prince Charles exceeded to this.
He went to Gordons Stone where
he was thoroughly miserable
and cried almost every time he
had to go back to to school,
even as a teenager.
And he allowed his sons both
to go to a very elitist school.
It's very elite,
it's very expensive,
it's very posh, if you will.
But it also has a degree
of freedom for the pupils.
They are encouraged
to be self-confident
and to find themselves.
And when William came there
after being at Ludgrove,
the prep school, people realized
as he had to sign in every
pupil signs into the book
when they come, that
he was left-handed.
First time people realized
it, he was a south paw.
And he was there and
he did very well.
Neither he nor his
brother could say
that there were great
academic shapes, they weren't.
Eaton was right for William,
he enjoyed the sports.
He enjoyed swimming, water polo.
He loved playing
football, soccer.
He took
a gap year in which
he visited Belize and Chile
before earning a Scottish
Master of Arts degree
in geography at the
University of St. Andrews.
It is clear for William
that royalty is not
just a privilege,
but a duty one that he
would take very seriously.
I wanted to do something
constructive in my gap year
rather than, I mean, I could
do quite a lot of work,
but I thought this was
a bit more of a way of
trying to help people out
and meet a whole range
of other different people
from different countries,
and at the same
time, helping people
in remote areas of Chile.
I think we are very
much seeing a royal
for the new century.
Very relaxed, not stage
managed, happy to josh a bit
with his father in
an informal way,
but not scared to say
exactly what he's feeling
and certainly not prepared to
dodge the difficult issues.
There was no question in
any of the gap year actually,
that he was a prince
and treated differently.
He mucked in, he slept in
sleeping bags, you know,
he cooked food
around a campfire.
He did everything that
everyone else did.
Given the
example that Charles had
as an upbringing from an
early age, like his mother,
Queen Elizabeth II, joining
the ATS from the age of 18,
it was clear that Charles is
to lead an example for William
for when he becomes king.
For my father, I learned
how central charity
was to his life and
his sense of purpose.
The Prince's Trust is not
an arm's length organization
for my father.
He cares deeply about
the Prince's Trust
because it is a living
projection of his values.
As a young child, I recall
evening after evening,
my father's diligence
and compassion as he applied
himself to answering thousands
of letters and reading
endless reports in order
to stay on top of his
ambition to do all he could
to help the underprivileged.
Whit out my realizing it,
what my parents were
doing was instilling in me
and Harry a lifelong habits
to put charity at the
heart of our lives.
Taking from his
father's hardworking nature.
He trained at the Royal
Military Academy at Sandhurst
and graduated from Royal
Air Force College Cranwell,
joining RAF Search and
Rescue Force in early 2009.
He was a full-time pilot
with the East Anglin Air
Ambulance from July, 2015
for two years and
performs official duties
on behalf of his
father, King Charles.
William threw himself
enthusiastically into school life,
but he also felt that
sports would be an area
where he could
devote his energies.
He has been a fan of
sport all his life
and has attended numerous
big events over the years.
William, I think
that time, those years,
as a search and rescue
pilot, he really felt
that he did achieve something.
It was a real job.
There were no concessions
for who he was.
He wasn't wrapped
up in cotton wool.
But the time came where the
tour of duty came to an end,
and I think he left probably
with quite a heavy heart,
but he'd had a very,
very good time there.
And I think, you know,
he'd absolutely achieved
what he set out to achieve.
Well, when you're
flying along at night
and snow down, you're
in another mountains
and you've got 40 knot
winds, the cloud's down
to about 200 feet and
you're trying to get through
to find someone who's
either broken the leg
or is lost on the hill,
it gets quite interesting.
You have to use all four of you,
put your brain power
together and your skill
and basically hope
that, you know,
you can actually
get there and help.
He's friendly, he's
funny, he's, you know,
always sort of
joking and bantering,
particularly with other
men and with colleagues.
And I think that was how
he managed to be accepted
so readily by colleagues
both in the armed forces
and in the air ambulance.
And in all the charities
that he works for as well.
They really love him.
Like
his father's passion
for the environment and arts,
he holds patronages
with over 30 charitable
and military organizations.
He undertakes projects
through the Royal Foundation
with his work surrounding
mental health, conservation,
and emergency workers.
He built his life in the
honor of being an icon
that many can look up to,
just like his father Charles,
in the hope that his work
would always one day help
and inspire someone
to feel better.
He took the title
of Prince of Wales
after his father ascended
to the throne in 2022.
Prince William is involved
with quite a few charities.
One in particular. He's
been involved in AIDS work
and AIDS charities
since he was very young.
And of course that came
from a deep commitment
that his mother Diana
had to the cause.
Prince William is also
involved in several charities
related to Africa.
You know, Africa was very
much a part of his experience
between high school
and university.
And he went out there and had
a gap year, as they call it,
and really fell in
love with the country.
So he and Harry both
actually have been involved
in several charities
in Africa as well.
William is also
involved very much so
with a charity called
Centerpoint, which is an organization
that works to help the homeless.
You know, Princess Diana
originally kind of got
both William and Harry
interested in this subject
by introducing them and
taking them out to meet
and talk to homeless people.
She always wanted them to
see there was another side
to their very gilded
life in the palace.
And since her untimely
death, William has continued
to be active and
involved in Centerpoint.
He's even spent the
night out on the streets
with homeless people just
within the past few years.
That's something that
he's passionate about,
that he cares about.
I think it helps to give
him perspective in the midst
of his oftentimes
very glamorous life.
There was a key
moment in his life.
It was in 2011,
there had been a huge
devastating earthquake in New Zealand.
And William said to
his private secretary,
"Is anyone from the royal family
going down to New Zealand?
Because if they're not,
I would like to go."
And his private says, "You
can't possibly do this,
you know, you haven't got time.
How are you gonna work out?
You know, you've got
these number of shifts
you've got to do with
search and rescue."
He said, "It's all right,
I've sorted all of that.
Just find out whether
whether I can go,
whether anyone else is going."
So he did, and he went
and he stood side by side
with people who'd lost loved
ones, homes, businesses,
you know, the scenes there
were absolutely devastating.
And that was the point at
which I think William went
from being a young
man to a future king.
William
continues to become a man
that he hopes the public
would proudly hold as king.
As a result, it is important
that his future children
follow the role in which their
father would set for them.
William met his bride to-be
Kate Middleton in 2001
at St. Andrew's
University in Scotland.
After seven years of dating,
family life beckon
for William and Kate.
And it was expected that the
couple of eventually marry.
It was at St. Andrew's
where that friendship,
because it was initially
a friendship flourished.
William and Kate were at
the same halls of residence
at St. Salvador's.
They were on the same
course in the same year.
I mean, some people say,
"Wasn't that just too
much of a coincidence?"
But it was how
things worked out.
And they spent the first year
as undergraduates really
getting to know each other.
The people of St. Andrews
are a very close-knit
sort of society.
And they welcomed
William with open arms
and they were very
protective of him.
And as a result, you
know, he spent life,
he spent four years there
as a pretty normal student.
I think the wonderful thing
about St. Andrew's was it
was a bubble away from reality.
It was a life that
Prince William
had never been able to enjoy.
Whether it was going
to the local shops,
going to a local bar,
going for his morning swim,
he could get on with his life
and his relationship in private.
And I think the pair of them
absolutely loved those years.
They look upon those
St. Andrew's years with great fondness,
and they are patrons of
St. Andrew's University
because they feel such a strong
connection to that place.
In his own words,
it is time now for
the big wide world.
But today, William's
family, like any other,
well almost came to say a
proud farewell to a place
that has allowed him a
more normal life than
any royal in history.
That he is deeply
grateful, is not in doubt.
And partly of course, it's
been about this woman.
They've been allowed to
develop a relationship
without front page
scrutiny, and it's helped.
Catherine Middleton.
Jeremiah Pasdida.
If
she looked confident,
he appeared nervous.
William said he was thrilled
his granny came
despite being ill.
And whilst his grandfather
studied the form,
she didn't look too impressed.
But it was a different
story when her boy
stepped up to the plate.
William Wales.
God save the gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen
God save the Queen
I Catherine Elizabeth,
Take the William
Arthur Philip Louis,
Take the
William Arthur Philip Louis
to my wedded husband.
To
my wedded husband.
To have and to
hold from this day forward.
To have and to
hold from this day forward.
For
better, for worse.
For better for worse,
For
richer, for poorer.
For richer, for poorer.
In sickness
and in health.
In
sickness and in health.
To love
and to cherish.
To
love, and to cherish.
Till
death us part part.
Till
death do us part.
According
to God's holy law.
According to God's holy law.
And thereto,
I give thee my truth.
And thereto I
give thee my truth.
Not
only did Kate have
this amazing persona about her,
but like her husband William,
she was also actively
interested in campaigns
to help the people around her.
Together, they initiated
the mental health awareness
campaign Heads Together
to encourage people to open up
about their mental
health issues.
Mental health matters to
each and every one of us.
It matters just as much
as our physical health.
As William has said, we
have heard time and time again
in the course of our work,
how talking can help
heal hidden challenges
that we can't deal with alone.
We have seen that two heads are
better than one when dealing
with a mental health problem.
They are loved
by millions around the globe
and dedicate their lives
to the royal family,
all while raising their
own three young children,
George, Charlotte, and Louis,
who are all in
line to the throne.
Well, William and
Kate are determined
to build a very happy home
life for their children.
I think that is of paramount
importance to both of them.
Prince William is a very
loving, warm individual,
and he and Kate
have a very solid
and affectionate relationship.
They want that to translate
to their children.
His boy, his son, his daughter,
they may grow up to be
princes and kings and queens,
but he wants them to
have a great relationship
with their parents
and with each other.
That's first and
foremost going to be part
of their royal upbringing.
Their relationship
has grown out of being
just William and Kate.
And I think that
that's something
that throughout their married
life as much as they can,
they will try and retain.
The United Kingdom
follows a hereditary system
known as primogeniture,
which means that the
throne always passes
from firstborn to firstborn,
not from sibling to sibling.
This means that the next
person in line to the throne
after William would
be his son, George,
rather than William's
brother Harry.
I think he will
very much a king
who knows his own mind.
William is a very
determined man.
I think he's mindful of history
and won't do anything
extraordinary,
but I think he's also
very much, much more a man
of the modern age and
of the people than
any previous monarchs.
George
is the eldest son
and child of William and Kate.
Making him second in line to
the throne after his father.
Raising a future
king is a huge task,
and it is therefore expected
that he receives the best care
possible for this to happen.
I think it's very
much a sure thing
that whatever sons
William has will
almost certainly join the army.
That has been a royal
tradition going back centuries
as something that both
William and Harry loved
and seemed to get a lot out of.
One tradition that may
not continue though
however, is boarding school.
You know, William and Harry
were sent off at a very young
age to Eaton, although they
probably will send George
or their other
children away to Eaton,
I doubt very much it will be
at such a young tender age.
Bearing in mind that Kate
Middleton did not grow up
in a royal household
or in a family
where children were sent away
at six to boarding school.
I think Kate Middleton
is gonna find
that particular royal
tradition a very
difficult one to follow.
George was born
on the 22nd of July, 2013
at St. Mary's
Hospital in London.
His birth was widely celebrated
due to the expectation
that he will one
day become king.
21 gun salutes signal the birth
in Bermuda and New Zealand.
The bells of Westminster Abbey
and many other
churches were rung.
The landmarks were
illuminated in many colors,
especially blue, to
signify the birth of a boy.
Kate was forced
to announce prior
to being 12 weeks pregnant
that she was in fact expecting
because she was hospitalized
for very, very severe
morning sickness.
She suffers for something
called hyperemesis gravidarum,
which is a very
somewhat rare form
of extreme morning sickness.
This goes way beyond
the typical nausea
and discomfort that
most women feel.
This is very extreme, where
the mother to be is unable
to keep down any solids
or even sometimes liquids.
It can be quite serious,
both for mother and baby.
So women who have
this condition, if they're not able to eat
and drink, are
oftentimes hospitalized
and put on an IV to make sure
that their health is maintained.
Obviously there've been
an awful lot of anticipation
as when Kate was gonna
announce that she was pregnant.
I mean, in fact, I think the
announcement was suggested
for about six months beforehand.
Everyone was writing in the
papers that she was pregnant.
The palace had put out
the official announcement
as she was on route
to the hospital
because she'd had problems
with the pregnancy
and it was felt that
William and Kate didn't want
to even tell the Queen
or Prince Charles
that she was pregnant
until they were absolutely
certain everything was okay.
So that's what happened.
The actual announcement happened
because she was feeling unwell
and was taken to hospital.
William and Kate had
talked at length about
how they wanted to make this
announcement to the world,
and it certainly wasn't
going to be this way
and at that stage
in the pregnancy.
Most celebrities, particularly
Royals, wait until
that first trimester is finished
before they make any
happy announcements.
They were holding the
baby and they just looked
so beautiful and happy.
It was really stunning.
Yeah, I'll never forget it.
Well, the birth of Prince
George was really like
a national celebration.
It felt like a national holiday.
There was excitement in the
air all around the country.
It very much reminded
me of the feeling
of the royal wedding day when
William and Kate got married.
Everyone was universally happy.
Everyone was constantly
checking the news feeds
on their phone and on the
television in order to see,
waiting for William and Kate
to come out from the hospital
for the first time holding
the new baby prince.
There was huge celebration
over the birth of Prince George.
I remember broadcasting for
numerous international networks
outside Buckingham Palace.
Of course, it was
the great Kate wait,
I mean, we didn't know when this
little baby was coming along.
Well, actually, I've
covered the royal family
for 25 years,
and the excitement around
the birth of Prince George
is surpassed most of
the things I'd covered,
actually, even
the royal wedding.
It was a huge bum fight,
if you like, outside
the Lindo Wing of the St.
Mary's Hospital, Paddington.
There were hundreds
of journalists there,
as well as camera crews
and members of the public.
I have several
friends actually, with news organizations
who were standing outside
the hospital that day,
waiting hours after hour for
William and Kate to come out.
And actually, they came out
quite a bit later than expected
because typical William
and Kate strategy, fashion,
they were greeting and
thanking every single member
of staff at the
hospital personally
for the very smooth birth.
They wanted to make sure
they thanked everyone
from the cleaner to the midwife,
to the surgeon to say
thank you very much.
So they did actually take
a long time to emerge.
When they did, Kate was
roundly praised in the press
for her choice of dress.
You know, a lot of women when
they first have a baby are
very self-conscious
about the fact
that they oftentimes
still look pregnant.
They still have a
very swollen stomach.
Kate was not at all
ashamed of this.
In fact, wore a dress
which highlighted the fact
that she still had
a very rounded tummy
and a lot of women
praised her for this
said that it made a difference
because it kind of just
emphasized the fact
that women don't
need to be ashamed
of their bodies when
they've had a baby.
And it was really a
lovely thing that she did.
She came out, she was absolutely
beautiful and radiant.
I'm sure she had some
help with makeup and hair.
In fact, we saw
some of her stylists
coming into the hospital
before she emerged.
So we know that she
had a little help,
but she did look fantastic,
and they looked
absolutely in love.
As William and Kate were
leaving their press call
when they came out with a baby,
he was seen to be very
affectionate with her.
He had his hand on
the small of her back
and he called her Poppet.
So we now know one
of his sweet names
of endearment for
his lovely wife.
- Very emotional.
- Yeah, it's very emotional.
It's such a special time.
I think any parents, I
think probably sort of know
what this feeling feels like.
It's very special.
Well, he's got a good pair of
lungs on him, that's for sure.
He's a big boy,
he's quite heavy,
but we're still
working on a name.
So we'll have that
as soon as we can.
But it's the first time
we've seen him really.
So having a proper
chance to catch up on...
George's education
began in January, 2016.
At the age of two, he attended
the West Acre Montessori
School Nursery.
Given the nature of his parents'
very stable relationship,
it is important that George
be raised in the same
affectionate passion
of his father.
He attended his first
day of primary school
on the 7th of September, 2017
at the Thomas's
School in Battersea
and attended school under
the name George Cambridge.
Even
for a little boy
who's used to the cameras, this
was a step into the unknown.
With Mum Kate,
again, struggling with
morning sickness back home.
At least Prince William
was there to hold his hand
and carry his bag.
Looking rather nervous, Prince
George managed a handshake
with one of his teachers
who stepped in with
some polite, small talk,
probably to help reassure dad.
For a 4-year-old
who's already started
learning the royal ropes,
those who know their London
schools think Thomas'
is a good fit for him and
the rest of the family.
His son seemed less
sure, a little boy
who already has his
future mapped out
before he's even stepped
into the classroom.
Two years later,
a little sister was
born for George.
Charlotte is the second child
and only daughter
of William and Kate.
She's third in
line to the throne.
However, as under the
hereditary system,
should Prince George have
children off his own,
they will overtake his sister
in the line of succession.
Charlotte was born on
the 2nd of May, 2015
at St. Mary's
Hospital in London.
Her announcement
didn't go to plan
as Kate suffered from
severe morning sickness
and was forced to cancel a
number of public engagements.
Having said this, the
world stood as happiest
as ever over the monarchy
with the prospect
of a baby sister for their son.
Again, you know, it's not
what William and Kate wanted.
They very much wanted
the pregnancy to kind
of go a little bit farther along
before they confirmed
to the world.
But again, their hand was forced
because of Kate's
morning sickness.
Congratulations,
congratulations.
How's Catherine feeling?
She's feeling okay, thanks.
It's been a tricky few
days, a week or so,
but obviously we're
immensely thrilled.
It's great news early days,
but I'm hoping we just,
things settled down
and she feels a bit better.
But it's important we
all focus on the big news
and the big international
and domestic things
that are going on at the moment.
So that's what my sort
thoughts are at the moment.
I get back and
look after it now.
It's early days,
but you must be very excited.
Some women get morning
sickness, not until, you know,
six or seven weeks
in, but Kate seems
to get it almost immediately
and to a very great degree.
So the fact that she was forced
to start canceling
appearances meant
that the palace was forced
to confirm the second
baby was on the way.
The nation rejoiced.
Everybody's happy and delighted
to see this beautiful young
family grow and expand,
and they seem to be very loving
and caring and
beautiful parents.
Kate certainly looks as good
or better as she ever did
before she had her first baby.
So it doesn't seem to be
taking any kind of a toll
and everybody's really
just happy for them.
Well, I think when
it was announced
that they'd had a little girl,
it was a great cause of
national celebration.
Of course, a little
sister for Prince George,
the daughter that Prince
William had always wanted,
the granddaughter that
Charles had always wanted,
but actually historically, a
really important little girl
because she will hold her place
in the lineage of succession.
Her name has
been officially announced
as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana,
honoring her
grandfather, Charles,
great-grandmother,
Queen Elizabeth II,
and her grandmother, Diana.
She started her education
at the Wilcox Nursery School
and also joined her brother at
Thomas's school in Battersea,
where she was known as
Charlotte Cambridge.
Charlotte's birth certainly
does herald the dawn
of a new era for girl power in
that we have a girl in
a prominent position
at the senior end
of the royal family.
Obviously, we've been
used to the Queen,
the ultimate exponent of
girl power on the throne,
but we face the prospect
now of three kings in line,
so we're not gonna see
another woman on the throne
for many, many, many years.
So how lovely to have
Charlotte in this role
bringing up the rear.
She's rather unkindly
called the spare to the heir
as Prince Harry is.
But as he has proved himself,
it's a role that you
can make your own,
and I'm sure all eyes
will be on Charlotte.
In fact, there'll probably
be even more scrutiny
on her because she's female.
I mean, how great to
have the pitter-patter
of pink feet in the
royal line of succession.
William's got
the princess he always wanted,
Diana wanted a
princess in the family,
and she's got her wish.
He's got his, and Diana's been
remembered in the process,
so it really completes it.
They've ticked all the boxes.
And the other thing
about Charlotte
is it's the female of Charles,
so they've really
done everything.
Then
came a little brother
for the two royal
children, Louis.
William took his two children
to the hospital when
their brother was born.
Born on April the 23rd,
2018 at St. Mary's Hospital,
he is fourth in
line to the throne.
On the 27th of April, 2018,
it was announced that
his official name is
Louis Arthur Charles,
honoring his paternal
great-great-great uncle
and his paternal
grandfather, Charles III.
The line of succession is
a matter not taken lightly.
It is therefore expected
that those in line
to the throne stand
a good public eye.
Queen Elizabeth II has died
and with Charles
as our new king,
the future is looking bright
given the nature of our
future kings of Britain.
The monarchy has evolved
and has undergone a
huge deal of change
over the last thousand years.
The line of succession is
one that is looking sharp,
but is also one that
is bound to change.
The examples of the
previous monarchs continue
to build strong relationships
for the generations
of monarchs to come,
when the time comes.