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Everyone\u2019s talking about Queen Elizabeth II. As the centenary of
\nher birth approaches, there has been a sudden shift towards telling
\nher story. The King has announced who will write the authorised
\nbiography of the late Queen. And just hours after Anna Keay was
\nconfirmed as the person charged with telling one of the greatest
\nroyal stories of all, another appraisal of an historic life and
\nreign was revealed with the BBC\u2019s Queen Elizabeth II: Her Story,
\nOur Century.<\/p>\n
It perhaps showed what a tough job it is to tell a tale that
\nspans the longest reign in British history and has another 25 years
\non top of that to get through. This one hour special, broadcast by
\nthe BBC with days to go until the centenary, was a fast forward
\nthrough the most famous moments of this most famous of royals. But
\nbetween the expected stops came a few moments of something new and
\nQueen Camilla delivered one of the most interesting.<\/p>\n
The current Queen was the main royal representative in this
\nprogramme with best supporting Windsor in a TV documentary once
\nagain going to Peter Phillips. And while Elizabeth II\u2019s eldest
\ngrandson, who has contributed more to the TV history of the Royal
\nFamily than any other member, revealed he wanted to hug his granny
\nat the funeral of Prince Philip, it was Queen Camilla who gave us a
\ntheme and a moment to ponder.<\/p>\n
As footage of Elizabeth II stepping off the plane at Heathrow as
\nshe returned from Kenya as Queen was played, it was her daughter in
\nlaw who hit the royal nail on the head. Summing up the life and
\nreign of the truly historic Elizabeth II is a near impossible job
\nbut Queen Camilla got close, noting \u201dit must have been so
\ndifficult, being surrounded by such older men. There weren\u2019t women
\nPrime Ministers or women Presidents, she was the only one so I
\nthink she carved her own role.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that was where this story came together. Amidst the fabulous
\nfootage from all eras of Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s life and reign and
\nthe soundtrack of her times, this one thread bound together her
\nstory. Born to duty, always willing to carry out those
\nresponsibilities, she had to do it her way and she did. It was a
\ntheme that many returned to over the course of the hour long
\ndocumentary.<\/p>\n
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For royal fans, there was plenty to enjoy with images of
\nElizabeth II across her 96 years. Bright, colour footage of the
\nCoronation played alongside clips from the documentary on the Royal
\nFamily that changed everything in 1968. We saw glimpses of jubilees
\nand royal weddings as well as more serious historic moments like
\nthe 1992 Annus Horribilis speech and the national broadcast during
\nthe pandemic. Paddington, James Bond, balcony appearances \u2013 this
\npacked in all the royal favourites.<\/p>\n
Getting all the history in is another matter. Historian David
\nOlusoga took us through the groundbreaking trip to Ghana while
\nNorthern Ireland\u2019s sweetheart, Linda Bryans, was a strong guide to
\nthe historic State Visit to the Republic of Ireland. But this is
\n2026 and no TV documentary is complete without celebrity
\ninvolvement. We also found out that Tom Jones had TB during the
\nCoronation of 1953 and his mum bought him a TV as a result so he
\ncould watch the show. Lulu had been entranced by the BBC
\ndocumentary on the Royal Family made in 1968. And then it was back
\nto Tom who thought Elizabeth II would live forever. In a way, he
\nspoke for many.<\/p>\n
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But it was the women who told this royal story so well. Dame
\nHelen Mirren, who famously won an Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth
\nII, had a real understanding of the sense of duty that pervaded
\neverything while Sheila Hancock\u2019s sweet reminiscences about her mum
\ntrying to make her dresses that looked like those worn by a young
\nElizabeth neatly summed up how the late Queen had entered public
\nperception at a young age and always understood her place there.
\nFormer US President, Barack Obama, spoke of his relationship with
\nher and summed her up neatly again, saying \u201dShe did understand the
\nsweep of history, that gave her respect on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, it was a reminder that an hour isn\u2019t nearly long enough
\nto tell such a story or even scratch its surface. We still don\u2019t
\nreally understand the sweep of Elizabeth II\u2019s history or the place
\nshe had on the world stage or, indeed, at home. This programme was
\na seamless piece of storytelling that moved effortlessly through
\nthe ten decades of the life of Queen Elizabeth II. There are no
\ngreat revelations but there is a calm understanding of what made
\nElizabeth II such an exceptional Monarch. But there is also the
\nrealisation that this is a story that will need to be told many
\ntime before it is truly understood.<\/p>\n
In the end, it returned to a summary that we all know and feel
\ndeep down about Elizabeth II, a century after her birth. Her tale
\nwas and is that of duty, and duty well done.<\/p>\n