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- For the press. - And they can see it.
(group laughs)
I don't mind. I don't matter.
- [Narrator] 70 Years.
Seven decades of service and duty to her people.
Our record breaking Platinum Queen.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has devoted herself
to her people since 1952 following the early death
of her father King George VI.
As her Platinum Jubilee year builds to a crescendo
of summer celebrations, Her Majesty will surely stop
for a moment to reflect on the extraordinary changes
the world has seen during her reign.
- Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones.
My own is no exception.
- [Narrator] She has seen 14 prime ministers.
- The Queen did me the great honor.
- The Queen has asked me to form a new administration.
- To form a government.
- And I have accepted.
- And I accepted.
- And I have accepted.
- [Narrator] Met 13 of the 14 U.S. presidents,
survived assassination attempts,
and calmly dealt with her own family crises.
She has made over 280 overseas state visits
to other countries and her Commonwealth of Nations.
She has unveiled countless plaques
and cut too many ribbons to remember.
- My goodness I've been busy.
(audience laughs)
- [Narrator] But all who come into her purview,
even fleetingly, will vividly remember
that regal presence, dignity, and charisma
she brings with her even into her 90s.
Living under the constant and intense scrutiny of the media,
but able to do so much to help and support those
who look to the monarchy for leadership and example.
Seven decades of a head of state,
in her position not because of a popular vote,
but because her people respect and revere
what she does for her nation.
(triumphant music)
(upbeat jazzy music)
- This afternoon, the Queen did me the great honor
to ask me to form a government.
I have accepted this duty.
(soft tense music)
- [Narrator] The 1950s was a difficult time for Britain
as post-war austerity still dominated the nation's economy,
but also for the Queen personally,
grieving for her recently-deceased father.
Man first went into space in the 1950s,
and the discovery of DNA heralded
fantastic scientific breakthroughs.
- To have a look round the next corner
has always been a characteristic of the human race,
and this characteristic is most unlikely to wither
just at this moment of history when the first steps
into another unknown have just been taken.
- [Narrator] The Queen's coronation was televised live,
much to the consternation of her first prime minister,
Winston Churchill, but television also offered
the opportunity to see the Queen
broadcasting her Christmas message.
The decade started for Her Majesty with the birth
of her second child, Anne, now the Princess Royal.
She became queen on the death of her father
on February the 6th, 1952, but her coronation
did not take place until June the 2nd, 1953.
- [Newsreel Narrator] It was in Kenya
at the royal hunting lodge
that the news of the King's death reached his daughter.
When she returned from a night in the forest,
it was to learn that she is now the queen,
acceding to her father's throne immediately.
There is no break in the continuity of the British monarchy.
It was her own decision to return at once to London.
- [Narrator] In fact, she had already started
her decades of service having stood in for her father
during the last few years of his life
and when he was unable to fulfill his duties
through ill health.
Following her coronation, Her Majesty's influence
was quickly established, inexperienced though she was,
but guided by the most experienced
of prime ministers, Winston Churchill.
When she embarked with Prince Philip
on a six-month world tour,
making her the first reigning monarch
to visit Australia and New Zealand,
dubbed by the media as her World Commonwealth Tour,
she may not have known it would remain
the longest overseas tour of her 70 years on the throne.
(dramatic regal music)
(whistle screeching)
(dramatic regal music continues)
- [Newsreel Narrator] Along the two-mile lane
formed by yachts, the Queen and Duke
headed towards Farm Cove,
the historic place where the first governor
of New South Wales landed more than 150 years ago.
Awaiting them were men whose names
are famous throughout the world.
The governor general, Sir William Slim,
welcomed Her Majesty on behalf
of the whole Commonwealth of Australia,
and after him came the governor of New South Wales,
then our good friend the prime minister, Mr. Menzies,
and other notables of the city itself.
Her Majesty replied to the address of welcome.
- Standing at last on Australian soil,
on this spot that is the birthplace of the nation,
I want to tell you all how happy I am to be amongst you
and how much I look forward to my journey through Australia.
(crowd applauding)
- [Narrator] Whilst the Queen was on her world tour,
Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President of the USA,
and his inauguration was quickly followed
by an end to racial segregation in public schools.
Churchill resigned halfway through the decade,
and Anthony Eden was invited by the Queen
to form a government on her behalf,
followed by Harold Macmillan in 1957.
- This afternoon, the Queen did me the great honor
to ask me to form a government.
I have accepted this duty.
The occasion is a sad one for me,
brought about as it is by the retirement
of my old and very dear friend, Anthony Eden.
(dramatic music)
- [Newsreel Narrator] Queen Elizabeth visited
her North American realm for the first time
since ascending the throne.
Canada summoned up a regal display of pomp and ceremony
to hail a beloved ruler.
- [Narrator] It was also in 1957 that the Queen
became the first monarch to open the Canadian Parliament,
and she went on to address
the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.
(gentle music)
(upbeat music)
- [Newsreel Narrator] The royal couple proceeded
up Broadway, the Canyon of Heroes,
bombarded by tons of ticker tape, millions of cheers,
in what was the most enthusiastic reception anywhere
in Elizabeth's 10-day North American tour.
(crowd cheering) (upbeat music)
A monarch of 10 commonwealth nations
was New York's queen for a day.
- [Narrator] In 1955, the government finally took action
and prohibited the burning of coal in London,
putting an end to the infamous London smog
which had taken so many lives.
The mid-'50s seemed to take the country
from one problem to the next,
with the Suez crisis dividing the UK government
when Britain and France invaded Egypt.
- [Newsreel Narrator] When President Abdul Nasser
announced its seizure by Egypt,
thrust Israeli troops struck down the Sinai Peninsula
to within a few miles of the canal itself.
Within days, Egyptian forces were completely routed.
The stage was set for the next move
in the complex Suez situation.
Britain and France, after a short ultimatum,
in a joint sea and air invasion attacked
following a preliminary air bombardment.
From a staging area on Cyprus,
airborne troops quickly followed
and established a beachhead at the entrance to the canal.
They were followed by seaborne contingents
which swiftly controlled the Mediterranean end
of the vital waterway.
(dramatic music)
- [Narrator] The 1950s witnessed the beginning
of what was to become a revolution in youth
and music culture on both sides of the Atlantic,
with Bill Haley and the Comets winning two top 10 hits,
taking the focus from the traditional crooners
such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin,
Nat King Cole, and Rosemary Clooney.
♪ I think of when I had none at all ♪
♪ And I fall asleep counting my blessings ♪
In 1957, during her uplifting address to the nation
in the Queen's Christmas Message, she said,
"Today, things are very different.
I cannot lead you into battle.
I do not give you laws or administer justice,
but I can do something else.
I can give you my heart and my devotion
to these old islands and to all the peoples
of our brotherhood of nations."
The world witnessed extraordinary change
during the first 10 years of the Queen's reign
with enormous strides forward in science and technology,
but with Britain in the doldrums
trying to establish a new post-war order.
Her first eight years of reign and the end of the 1950s
saw the start of the Vietnam War
and a world stage readying itself
for the conflicts of the 1960s.
- [Neil Armstrong] Houston, the Eagle has landed.
- I've today been appointed prime minister by the Queen.
(crowd cheering)
♪ Shake it up, baby, now ♪
♪ Shake it up, baby ♪
♪ Twist and shout ♪
♪ Come on, come on, come on, come on, baby ♪
- [Narrator] If the 1950s were difficult,
the speed of change in technology and culture
accelerated rapidly during the 1960s.
Following the birth of her second son, Prince Andrew,
her younger sister's troubled love life looked as though
it was taking a turn for the better
with Princess Margaret's marriage
to society photographer Anthony Armstrong Jones.
At the same time, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
made his famous Winds of Change speech
asking the white ruling government of South Africa
to start the process of true democratization
and to acknowledge the beginnings of the end of apartheid.
Perhaps one of the biggest and most important
of cultural changes took place in 1961 when,
with a woman on the throne,
birth control pills became commercially available,
placing the power of procreation, or not,
in the hands of women for the first time ever.
Women could now make their own decisions
if and when they wanted children.
The Queen has great conviction and belief
in the value of the Commonwealth of Nations.
During the reign of her grandmother,
Queen Victoria, Britain had been
one of the world's most prolific colonizers,
building an empire on which the sun famously never set.
The 1950s and '60s saw perhaps
the biggest breaking up of the empire,
following the gaining of independence of India in 1947.
Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica, and others
were quickly establishing their own constitutions
and ways of governing, and the Queen was determined
to find some good in history and to create
a thriving Commonwealth of Nations
based around the remnants of the British Empire.
She set about the task with great energy and enthusiasm,
determined to make a difference
and to maintain close social and cultural ties
with member countries of the Commonwealth.
- This gathering shows the diversity of people's creeds
and cultures within the Commonwealth,
each having an equal place in our organization of nations.
In the wide association which is the Commonwealth,
we must all try to cultivate the virtues
of tolerance and understanding,
to recognize each other's qualities,
and to respect each other's feelings.
In this modern age, the strength and unity
of the Commonwealth family does not lie in bonds
forged by formal instruments, nor in common ancestry,
nor in pursuing the same political line.
It springs from the knowledge that we all share
a lively concern for individual freedom
and all the machinery which makes this possible.
- [Newsreel Narrator] Majestic Orinduik Falls
in British Guiana seems to put on added sparkle
for the occasion, a visit from Queen Elizabeth
and Prince Philip.
The royal pair stop first
at this soon-to-be independent colony
before touring their dominions in the West Indies.
They receive an enthusiastic welcome
that covers the tensions that seethe in the background.
British Guiana has been the scene of race wars
between East Indians and Negroes and it's touch and go
as to which faction will gain control
with independence next May.
In face of bomb threats, security was tight
and authorities would not let the Queen
travel more than seven miles from Georgetown.
In the capital, however, nothing mars the festive mood.
(dramatic music)
In the legislative chambers, portraits are unveiled
which will link an independent Guiana with the Crown.
(dramatic music continues)
There's an informal reception at Promenade Gardens,
and even some of the opposition party members
are here to greet the Queen.
(dramatic music continues)
Elizabeth and Philip take a ride on the oldest railroad
in South America, a line running to the sugar plantation
of La Bonne Intention.
This railway was built only a few years
after the first one in England began operation.
Now the Queen will board the royal yacht
for a five-week cruise through the Caribbean.
- [Narrator] In the early '60s,
John F. Kennedy was elected president of the USA,
and he continued the process of trying to bring
a greater equality to his country and ending the racism
which had blighted the nation for so long.
- And when Americans are sent to Vietnam or West Berlin,
we do not ask for whites only.
It ought to be possible, therefore,
for American students of any color
to attend any public institution they select
without having to be backed up by troops.
- [Narrator] Famously, Kennedy was killed by an assassin
as his motorcade drove through Dallas
on November 22nd, 1963.
- [Newsreel Narrator] As he places a wreath marked
"From President Johnson and the nation."
- [Narrator] Of course, Her Majesty sent her own messages
of condolence to our cousins across the Atlantic,
and she was said to have greatly enjoyed her meeting
with Kennedy during his visit to the United Kingdom.
He said, "I shall always cherish the memory
of that delightful evening."
It was also in 1963 that The Beatles
released their first album,
quickly establishing themselves as the forerunners
to a new era of nonconformist pop culture.
The Queen must have been agog at the changes
happening on her own doorstep.
Mods fighting rockers on the seafront at Brighton
and a new breed of fashion designer
introducing the miniskirt onto an unsuspecting public.
The country was looking for something new,
a breath of new life into postwar Britain,
and the swinging London scene
became the backdrop for that shift.
The Queen, not to be left behind,
adopted her own sense of style,
keeping that sense of conservative dignity
yet adopting a more modern look,
which she took with her on her travels
championing the British fashion designers of the time.
The summer of 1966 was a defining moment of national pride
when England beat West Germany in the Football World Cup
in front of a packed Wembley Stadium
and an enormous TV audience.
The Queen must surely have enjoyed a great moment of pride
as she presented the trophy
to Bobby Moore, England's captain.
(tense music)
The late '60s also saw the start of decades
of civil strife and troubles in Northern Ireland
and personal security was tightened,
not only for the Monarch and her family,
but also for politicians as terrorism
arrived on Britain's shores.
Her Majesty's forces were called in to quell rioting
in the streets of Belfast when local police
were unable to deal with the unrest.
There was a very deep sense of loss by the entire nation
when 166 children and 28 adults were killed
in Aberfan in Wales when the spoil tip of a coal mine
slid down a hill and buried the children's school.
The Queen visited Aberfan a week after the disaster,
trying to find some way to offer some words of comfort
in a small town stunned by the enormity of the tragedy
and their very own personal losses.
As the '60s drew to a close,
1969 saw Nixon elected to the White House,
Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales,
and the nation was treated to a groundbreaking documentary
showing the Royal Family at home,
relaxing and enjoying their leisure time.
The Duke of Edinburgh had initiated the film,
hoping the more open approach would bring the Queen closer
to her people and help the Royal Family
to retain their relevance and survive
in a fast changing world.
- [Neil Armstrong] Houston, Tranquility Base here.
The Eagle has landed.
- [Houston] Roger, Tranquility, we copy you on the ground.
You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.
We're breathin' again. Thanks a lot.
(gentle music)
- [Narrator] In June 1969, man walked on the moon.
The astronauts had with them on their mission
a tiny disc that contained a message from Queen Elizabeth
that stated, "On behalf of the British people,
I salute the skills and courage
which have brought man to the moon.
May this endeavor increase the knowledge
and wellbeing of mankind."
On October the 14th, 1969,
the three astronauts from the Apollo 11 mission,
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins,
visited Buckingham Palace at the invitation
of the Royal Family.
(gentle music continues)
(funky upbeat music)
If the 1960s had witnessed such an immense change
in so many different spheres of life,
it all just accelerated in the 1970s.
Tired of touring under the commercial pressures
of the music industry, the Fab Four,
Britain's greatest iconic pop group,
finally decided to end their musical collaboration
and The Beatles went their separate ways,
bringing to an end the most extraordinary
and prolific musical collaboration
and one whose music still endures to this day.
In the UK, Edward Heath became prime minister
and the Queen and Prince Philip set off on a long visit
to Australia and to the Pacific Rim
to celebrate 200 years since Cook's discovery of Australia.
It was also in 1970 that the Queen
went on her first ever walkabout,
leaving the safety of her entourage and getting close up
with the cheering crowds, shaking hands,
and chatting with eager royalists
during her Australian trip.
Keen to connect more with the people,
her walkabout proved enormously popular
and is, to this day, quite naturally
a part of many a royal visit.
Every coin and bank note in the United Kingdom
has a portrait of the Queen, and in 1971,
1,000 years of pounds, shillings, and pence came to an end
when on the 15th of February, 1971
decimalization was brought to Britain.
The portraits, of course, remain to this day,
but two shillings became 10 pence
and new coins were minted to replace the old.
After years of post-war wrangling
across the English Channel,
British Prime Minister of the day, Edward Heath,
took Britain into the European economic community,
enabling free trade between its member nations
whilst regulating some of the commercial activity
and product standards.
It wasn't long after this momentous change
that Heath was brought down by the miners strike
and Harold Wilson was once again
invited by the Queen to form her government.
Amidst much fanfare and a ceremony televised in color
to the nation, the Queen's only daughter, Princess Anne,
married fellow equestrian enthusiast,
Captain Mark Phillips on the 14th of November, 1973
at Westminster Abbey.
The first of her children to marry,
the day must have provided a great deal
of personal joy to the Queen.
(gentle music)
Following the long aftermath of the scandal
of the Watergate affair, Richard Nixon resigned
and Gerald Ford took office as U.S. president.
- I have never been a quitter.
To leave office before my term is completed
is abhorrent to every instinct in my body.
- [Narrator] At the same time,
Concorde began commercial flights
for British Airways and Air France,
and Her Majesty was invited to a state dinner
at the White House in Washington, D.C.,
hosted by President Ford and his wife Betty,
to celebrate the continued relationship
between the UK and the U.S.
The Queen and the President danced together
and wowed everybody who was there that evening.
A new era in our transatlantic special relationship was born
and the Queen had more than admirably
done her duty once again.
1976 saw the appointment of Britain's first ever
Minister for Drought during the long, hot summer,
when a water shortage was declared
following record high temperatures
and very little rainfall for many months.
The Queen must have looked out on the brown and dry stubble
of the lawns in the back garden of Buckingham Palace,
doing her bit to lead the nation in minimizing water usage
until rain finally arrived in September.
As the decade marched on, Her Majesty invited Jim Callaghan
to form a government, and another James,
Jimmy Carter, was limbering up
for his spell as U.S. president.
Both their terms of office can only have been overshadowed
by the appearance of Darth Vader on our screens in 1977.
And one can only wonder at what the Queen may have thought
of light sabers, R2D2 and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The "Star Wars" generation was being born
just as the Queen's Silver Jubilee was getting underway
and the nation was celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's
25 years as reigning monarch.
- [Newsreel Narrator] In Guildhall after lunch,
the Queen rose to make a speech live to the Commonwealth.
- At this moment of my Silver Jubilee
I want to thank all those in Britain and the Commonwealth
who through their loyalty and friendship
have given me strength and encouragement
during these last 25 years.
My thanks go also to the many thousands
who have sent me messages of congratulations
on my Silver Jubilee, that and their good wishes
for the future.
My Lord Mayor, when I was 21,
I pledged my life to the service of our people
and I asked for God's help to make good that vow.
Although that vow was made in my salad days
when I was green in judgment,
I do not regret nor retract one word of it.
(audience applauding)
- [Narrator] The Queen and Prince Philip
took on goodwill visits through the year,
visiting 36 counties in Britain
and embarking on a Commonwealth tour,
taking in Tonga and Fiji then onto New New Zealand
and Australia, rounded off by visits to Papua New Guinea,
the West Indies, and finally Canada,
where they were joined by Prince Charles.
Following the celebrations of 1977,
the next few years were a roller coaster
of highs and lows for Britain and for the Queen.
Margaret Thatcher was elected
Britain's first female prime minister,
and the nation had two women in the most powerful
and influential offices in the land.
- Her Majesty the Queen has asked me
to form a new administration and I have accepted.
- [Narrator] Sadly, the Queen's cousin,
Lord Louis Mountbatten, was killed by an IRA bomb.
Mountbatten had been a mentor and friend to Prince Charles,
and he was a trusted friend and advisor to the Royal Family.
It must have been a bitter blow to the Queen
when he was assassinated.
To add to the woes of the decade,
the Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures,
art historian Anthony Blunt, was exposed as a Soviet spy.
- [Interviewer] What kind of work were you doing
for the Russians then inside the MI5?
- Well the information that I passed them
was almost exclusively about German intelligence services,
and that was largely information, which again,
as I said in my statement, a lot of people in MI5
thought ought to have been given officially.
- [Narrator] For Her Majesty to have had
a communist infiltrator freely walking the halls
of Buckingham Palace must have been
a distressing embarrassment with which to end the decade.
- [Interviewer] When you made your confession,
did the Queen know?
- Well, this is a question, again,
I would rather not discuss because my information
is certainly if not secondhand, is rather vague,
and I can only say that as far as I was told at the time,
and later, she was not.
(upbeat synthesizer music)
- [Narrator] The '80s would offer
extraordinary ups and downs and world-changing events
which would test the Queen's resilience,
yet also bring immense reward.
The start to the decade witnessed
record low temperatures across the UK,
John Lennon's shocking and brutal murder
outside his apartment in New York,
and at the end of the year,
Ronald Reagan's election as President of the United States,
She holds many offices and titles,
but one of the most important and significant for her,
as well as her people,
is that of Head of the Church of England,
a position held by the sovereign since Henry VIII.
So, it was a real landmark in the annals of history
when Queen Elizabeth II visited Vatican City
at the invitation of the Pope
and the heads of two of the world's foremost churches
greeted each other warmly.
It was followed in 1982 by the first-ever visit
of a Pope to the UK when Pope John Paul II
visited nine UK cities in five days.
Computer technology was still in its infancy,
but in 1981, Pac-Man was released and the world
of computer games was given its first game
designed to capture a female audience as well as male.
It is still considered one of the most iconic
and influential games ever,
and a turning point away from shoot-'em-up video games.
There must have been many moments in her 70-year reign
when the Queen has had to keep a cool head,
and none more so than when six shots were fired
from a handgun pointed straight at her
by a man in the crowd during
the Trooping the Colour ceremony in June 1981.
The shots turned out to be blanks,
but the Queen won widespread admiration and praise
for her horsemanship in calming her startled ride
and carrying on to finish the important ceremony
as if nothing had happened.
(gentle music) (crowd applauding)
- When the Queen came by, you know on the corner,
he just stepped backwards, you know,
took about a half step backwards,
and raised it up in his right hand
and then, you know, held it police marksman style
and fired about four or five shots.
- [Interviewer] Then what happened?
- Then there was, you know, like I said,
about three of us that came in from his right and behind,
you know, and got him over the railing
into the street itself, and then the constables
came and took him.
- [Interviewer] Had you noticed him earlier?
- I had seen him before, you know, all morning long.
He'd been there longer than I had.
- [Interviewer] Was there anything unusual about him?
- Just that he was alone, you know,
by himself and didn't speak to anybody.
- [Narrator] The Queen had also kept a very cool head
when she was awoken by a burglar
sitting on the end of her bed.
He had scaled the walls of Buckingham Palace
and somehow found his way into her private apartments,
sitting, chatting casually
until the police arrived to arrest him.
- [Reporter] So Michael Fagan
visited Buckingham Palace twice, but committed no offense.
The idea came to him, he says, when visiting the palace
with his children and studying the security.
Each time he followed a similar route.
On the occasion he found the Queen in her bedroom,
he began by climbing the railings
outside the ambassador's entrance
and got into the stamp room through an unlocked window.
But the internal door was locked,
so he shinned up a drainpipe outside onto a flat roof,
a roof now guarded by police.
- [Narrator] 1981 had its difficult moments,
but all that will have been put aside
for a day of personal pride and joy for Her Majesty
when on July the 29th, 1981, Prince Charles,
the Queen's eldest son and heir apparent to the throne,
married Lady Diana Spencer in a ceremony
which captured the hearts and minds of the nation
and which was watched by a record TV audience
across the globe.
Just a year later,
the Queen enjoyed another personal family moment
when she held her first grandchild, Prince William,
at his christening, and she proudly posed for family photos.
The early '80s were tough times at home
for Britain with unemployment reaching record levels
of over three million, but more drama was to come
when the Falkland Islands, a British dependent territory
in the South Atlantic, were invaded by Argentina.
From April the 2nd to June the 14th, 1982,
the Falklands were occupied by Argentinian forces.
Her Majesty's Armed Services went to an undeclared war
and 255 British servicemen lost their lives
along with three local civilians
before the islands were retaken.
- The commander of the operation
has sent the following message:
"Be pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Ensign
flies alongside the Union Jack in South Georgia.
God save the Queen."
- [Reporter] What happens next?
- Thank you very much.
- What's your reaction? - Just rejoice at that news
and congratulate our forces and the Marines.
Goodnight, gentlemen. - Are we going to declare war
on Argentina, Mrs. Thatcher?
- Rejoice!
- [Narrator] The Queen and Prince Philip headed east,
making Elizabeth the first British sovereign
to make a state visit to China.
It was both a state visit and a diplomatic one,
coming a short time after negotiations
between the UK and the People's Republic of China
about returning Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty.
- [Reporter] So it came about that only
a few favored party officials and a lot of press
were permitted to witness this piece of history.
The 77-year-old president Li Xiannian
moved carefully to perform the ceremonial greeting.
But the Queen had scored one point.
She was in an ordinary limousine
instead of the dark windows, closed curtains model
the Chinese had offered.
And the color of her mohair coat was a complement
to her host's political persuasions.
The meeting with President Li produced a handshake
of record-breaking duration.
- [Narrator] 1986 called for yet more diplomacy
by Her Majesty when sanctions were proposed
against South Africa by all but one member
of the Commonwealth, of which the Queen is head.
Margaret Thatcher did not believe sanctions
would have the desired result,
and she felt British interests would be damaged,
but she would not go against her Queen
and limited sanctions were finally agreed upon,
reputedly sounding the death knell for the apartheid regime
which had ruled South Africa for so long,
and paving the way for the release of Nelson Mandela.
(gentle music)
- [Reporter] At Buckingham Palace tonight,
the Commonwealth leaders are dining with the Queen,
an informal occasion, no speeches,
but no one underestimates the Queen's ability
to have the right word in the right ear,
especially when it comes to the Commonwealth.
- [Narrator] The '80s was a time in which great strides
were taken in bringing about a peaceful solution
to the decades of tension between East and West,
the Soviet Union and the superpowers of the Western World,
of which the Queen is head of one.
Diplomatic ties and state visits
between the UK and the USA with President Ronald Reagan
and Margaret Thatcher in regular communication,
led to a state visit by Reagan,
and the first occasion on which a U.S. President
stayed overnight at Windsor Castle.
In the same decade, diplomatic efforts
brought about the end of the Cold War
when Reagan and Gorbachev signed a peace treaty.
(gentle music)
It was a time of great change in the world,
but one in which Her Majesty played a significant role
in bringing about peaceful and diplomatic answers
to seemingly unsolvable issues.
It would previously have been unthinkable
that a Soviet leader would lunch with the Queen
at Windsor Castle, but in 1989,
Mikhail Gorbachev made a historic visit to Britain,
and during that lunch, he invited the Queen to visit Moscow.
The relationship between Gorbachev and Thatcher thawed
and a diplomatic solution was found
to a longstanding tension between two great nations.
♪ Yo, I'll tell ya what I want ♪
♪ What I really, really want ♪
♪ So tell me what you want ♪
♪ What you really, really want ♪
♪ I'll tell ya what I want ♪
♪ What I really, really want ♪
♪ So tell me what you want ♪
♪ What you really, really want ♪
♪ I wanna, I wanna, I wanna ♪
The '90s saw extraordinary advances in technology
with the start of the internet
and the launch of Amazon and Google,
as well as the first ever successful clone, Dolly the sheep.
Following the end of the Cold War,
the Soviet Union was dismantled, but the '90s would prove
to be Her Majesty's most challenging decade,
facing her 1992 annus horribilis and the untimely death
of her once daughter-in-law Diana Princess of Wales.
1990 saw a shift in British politics
when Margaret Thatcher resigned
and she handed the reigns to John Major.
The 1990s also saw the end of apartheid in South Africa.
In February 1990, Nelson Mandela was freed,
having been imprisoned for 27 years.
Mandela's first visit
to a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting
was to the Harare summit in October 1991,
where he arrived unexpectedly and without a prior invitation
to the banquet hosted by the Queen
as head of the Commonwealth.
Rapid reshuffling of the table settings averted
a potential public relations disaster
after the Queen insisted he be allowed to stay.
By 1994, Mandela became president of South Africa
and swiftly the country rejoined the Commonwealth.
The Queen and Mandela were known to have a close friendship
and a strong mutual admiration,
and he was one of the few people
who would simply call her Elizabeth.
On the 16th of May, 1991,
Queen Elizabeth became the first British monarch
to address the U.S. Congress.
Her speech lasted 15 minutes
and received three standing ovations.
She summed it up by saying,
"You will find us worthy partners,
and we are proud to have of you as our friends.
May God bless America."
On that particular trip, George H.W. Bush invited the Queen
and Prince Philip to Memorial Stadium in Baltimore,
which was the first time the Queen visited a baseball game.
The following year would mark one
of the most notably difficult years for the Queen,
dubbed her annus horribilis.
It was a year that saw the separation of Charles and Diana
and the media storm that preceded it,
the year of Anne and Mark Phillips' divorce,
as well as the destruction
caused by a fire at Windsor Castle.
- 1992 is not a year on which I shall look back
with undiluted pleasure.
In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents,
it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.
I sometimes wonder how future generations
will judge the events of this tumultuous year.
I daresay that history would take
a slightly more moderate view
than that of some contemporary commentators.
He who has never failed to reach perfection
has a right to be the harshest critic.
(somber music)
- [Narrator] After much debate on the suggestion
that the taxpayer pay for the damage,
in 1993 Buckingham Palace opened its doors
to the paying public for the first time
to recoup some of the cost to rebuild Windsor Castle.
For the first time in history,
the Queen and the Royal Family also began to pay taxes.
It was in that same year that Bill Clinton was inaugurated
as the 42nd President of the USA.
The following year, Clinton and his wife stayed
on the Royal Yacht Britannia before heading to Normandy
for the D-Day anniversary.
Clinton later wrote of the Queen in his memoir:
"Her Majesty impressed me as someone who,
but for the circumstance of her birth,
might have become a successful politician or diplomat.
As it was, she had to be both
without quite seeming to be either."
In 1994, the Queen made a historic trip.
She and Prince Philip traveled to Russia on a state visit,
staying at the Kremlin for three days.
It was the first ever state visit to Russia
by a British monarch.
(gentle music)
The Russian presidential spokesperson said of the visit,
"We realize that the British Queen would never have visited
a communist country, and it was deemed
a highly significant and symbolic moment."
In 1995, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
were invited to Capetown by President Mandela.
- My memories of South Africa are part of me,
and I have wanted to return to this magnificent country.
That wish has never deserted me
through a half century during which
you have seen turmoil and tragedy.
Now though, you have become one nation
whose spirit of reconciliation
is a shining example to the world.
- [Narrator] On the Queen's first official visit
to post-apartheid South Africa, against security advice,
she and her husband visited Black townships
where they were greeted with tears of joy
by Black and white supporters alike.
Their trip saw the greatest rain season for over 10 years,
and she was given the nickname Motlalepula,
meaning Rain Queen, after her tour.
President Mandela was invited to Buckingham Palace in 1996,
and he spoke in adoration for this gracious lady.
- You have yourself provided the leadership,
and by your willingness to embrace your former captors,
have set the course towards national reconciliation
and freedom for all the people of South Africa.
- As we approach the 21st century,
our relationship is one of friendship
fortified on South Africa's side
by a warmth and respect for yourself,
for Britain, and for the Commonwealth.
- [Narrator] The face of British politics
saw a drastic change in 1997
as Tony Blair became prime minister,
ending 18 years of conservative government.
In a ceremony attended by the new prime minister,
Hong Kong was returned to China after 155 years
as a British colony.
(crowd cheering)
(dramatic fanfare music)
("God Save the Queen")
(upbeat music)
- China will tonight take responsibility
for a place and a people which matter greatly to us all.
The triumphant success of Hong Kong demands
and deserves to be maintained.
(audience applauding)
- [Narrator] In August 1997,
Diana Princess of Wales died an untimely and tragic death,
leaving the Queen's grandchildren,
William and Harry, without a mother.
At the time, the Queen, Philip, and Charles
felt it wise to keep the two young boys at Balmoral Castle
and give them time to process what had happened
and protect them from the world's media.
However, fueled by the tabloid press,
there was a degree of unrest in the nation
as the Royal Family remained seemingly silent.
On her return to London with Princes William and Harry,
the Queen addressed the nation on live TV.
It was a personal but very public tribute to Diana
and lifted the spirits of a grieving public.
- What I say to you now, as your Queen and as a grandmother,
I say from my heart.
First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself.
She was an exceptional and gifted human being.
In good times and bad,
she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh
nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.
I admired and respected her for her energy
and commitment to others,
and especially for her devotion to her two boys.
(somber music)
- [Narrator] As the millennium was drawing to a close,
1998 saw the impeachment of Bill Clinton
for high crimes and misdemeanors.
The Good Friday Agreement was reached in 1998,
a significant moment that ended most
of the violence of the troubles.
- And today's historic agreement marks a new beginning
for all of us in Northern Ireland,
on the island of Ireland, and in these islands.
- [Narrator] And finally, in 1999,
the Queen's youngest child, Edward,
married Sophie Rhys-Jones.
- [Reporter] At the centerpiece of the celebrations,
the Millennium Dome, the Prime Minister hugged his wife
while the Queen kissed the Duke of Edinburgh,
and the audience broke into a chorus of "Auld Lang Syne,"
(crowd singing)
Cherie Blair in full voice before the Royal party
had even linked arms.
♪ For auld lang ♪
- [Narrator] With a slightly less than amused look
on her otherwise inscrutable face,
the Queen and Prince Philip welcomed in the New Year
and the new millennium with Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The 2000s, as well as bringing the growth of the internet
into the digital age with the launch
of Facebook and YouTube, also brought its own challenges,
the beginning of the War on Terror
and more widespread concern over climate change.
British citizens can apply to receive a birthday letter
from the Queen when they reach their 100th birthday,
and the Queen Mother was no different.
In early 2000, Queen Elizabeth sent the Queen Mother
a standard congratulatory letter,
though this one was handwritten and she signed it Lilibet.
In January 2001, George W. Bush
became President of the United States,
but his agenda and priorities were quickly altered
following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
on the 11th of September, 2001.
The attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,977 people,
and it remains the worst single terror attack
in human history.
The U.S. and UK remain strong allies,
and the Queen, offering words of support
to a nation in mourning, sent a message
read by the British Ambassador to Washington
during a prayer service.
- These are dark and harrowing times
for families and friends of those who are missing
or who suffered in the attack.
Many of you are here today.
My thoughts and my prayers are with you all now
and in the difficult days ahead.
But nothing that can be said can begin
to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments.
Grief is the price we pay for love.
- [Narrator] That sentiment lived on
as the Queen faced the loss of two very important people
in her life, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret
died within a month of each other in 2002.
Very rarely for the Queen, she gave a televised address
to the nation after the death of her mother,
thanking the public for the outpouring of love and prayers.
- Ever since my beloved mother died over a week ago,
I have been deeply moved by the outpouring of affection
which has accompanied her death.
My family and I always knew what she meant
for the people of this country and the special place
she occupied in the hearts of so many
here in the Commonwealth and in other parts of the world.
But the extent of the tribute
that huge numbers of you have paid my mother
in the last few days has been overwhelming.
I have drawn great comfort from so many individual acts
of kindness and respect.
- [Narrator] Although 2002 was a year
of great personal loss,
it was also the Queen's Golden Jubilee year.
In celebration, she traveled to 70 cities and towns
across the UK from May to August.
As part of the huge national celebrations
following a public party at the palace,
Brian May played a unique rendition of the national anthem
on the roof of Buckingham Palace.
("God Save the Queen")
An iconic moment that marked the celebration
of the Queen's reign and the sense of patriotism
among British people.
(dramatic music) (crowd cheering)
2003 saw the first occasion that the UK Parliament
held a vote to show its position in response
to the declaration of war.
The sovereign has the power to declare war
without parliamentary approval,
but this was the first time Parliament
could indicate where they stood.
Prime Minister Tony Blair led the UK to join with the U.S.
in the Iraq War to take down Saddam Hussein.
The Queen's eldest son, Prince Charles, remarried in 2005.
In a small civil ceremony,
Charles and Camilla married at Windsor Guildhall.
Buckingham Palace announced the Queen
would not attend the ceremony,
but would attend the church blessing and host a reception.
In 2005, London faced its own terrorist tragedy
with four separate suicide attacks
on London's public transport.
- The Queen has just issued her reaction
to today's events in London.
It says, "The dreadful events in London this morning
have deeply shocked us all.
I know I speak for the whole nation
in expressing my sympathy to all those affected
and the relatives of the killed and injured.
I have nothing but admiration," she goes on,
"for the emergency services as they go about their work."
- [Narrator] After a significant reduction
in Labour's majority, low approval ratings and the Iraq War,
Tony Blair resigned, leaving Gordon Brown
to become prime minister in 2007.
- I've just accepted the invitation
of Her Majesty the Queen to form a government.
This will be a new government with new priorities,
and I've been privileged to have been granted
the great opportunity to serve my country.
- [Narrator] But for the Queen, it was a year
she and Philip celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary,
and when the Queen became the oldest ever reigning monarch.
Approaching the end of the decade,
the world faced the Great Recession,
the most serious financial crisis
since the Great Depression.
Barack Obama took over the White House
when he was elected president in 2009,
the first African American to hold that office.
The Queen and Philip met
with President and Michelle Obama in Buckingham Palace,
forging what would become a strong relationship.
Michelle notably broke Royal protocol
when she put an arm around the Queen.
She later wrote about the incident in her memoir
and they shared a funny moment
about how uncomfortable their shoes were.
(soft somber music)
The 2010s started amidst a global financial crisis.
Technological progression brought us widespread use
of smart phones along with huge advancements
in data processing, with the exponential growth
of social media leading to the Me Too movement
and cancel culture.
China's one-child policy was ended in 2015,
the people of Britain voted to leave the EU,
and U.S. TV celebrity Donald Trump was inaugurated
as president of the USA.
The decade saw the Queen's own family grow
as both her grandsons started families of their own.
British politics was facing another critical change.
In the 2010 general election,
the conservatives, led by David Cameron, won 306 seats,
but it was 20 seats short of an overall majority,
resulting in a hung Parliament,
and Cameron announced his intention to form
a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats,
which would be the first since the Second World War.
- Her Majesty the Queen has asked me
to form a new government, and I have accepted.
Before I talk about that new government,
let me say something about the one that has just passed.
Compared with a decade ago,
this country is more open at home
and more compassionate abroad,
and that is something we should all be grateful for.
- [Narrator] In 2011, Queen Elizabeth became
the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland,
and during her visit, she spoke publicly
about the troubles in the North.
- Madam President, speaking here in Dublin Castle,
it is impossible to ignore the weight of history,
as it was yesterday when you and I laid wreathes
at the Garden of Remembrance.
Indeed, so much of this visit reminds us
of the complexity of our history,
its many layers and traditions,
but also the importance of forbearance and conciliation,
of being able to bow to the past, but not be bound by it.
These events have touched us all, many of us personally,
and are a painful legacy.
We can never forget those who have died
or been injured and their families.
- [Narrator] The following year, the Queen shook hands
with former IRA leader, Martin McGuinness,
a symbolic moment of forgiveness and reconciliation,
which for many welcomed a new era of peace.
- [Reporter] Their body language for the public handshake
seemed to bear that out.
There was clearly a friendly atmosphere.
- Good. It went really well.
- [Reporter] Mr. McGuinness was delighted,
but not a convert.
- I'm still a Republican.
- [Reporter] Martin, how was it to meet the Queen?
- Very nice.
(gentle music)
- [Narrator] For the next few years,
Britain was bustling with excitement and anticipation.
First, for the wedding of William and Kate,
which would see the marriage of the future king.
Royal reporters have said in preparation for the wedding,
William confided in the Queen,
after having looked at the extensive guest list
explaining he didn't know those invited.
The Queen told William to forget the guest list,
to invite the people he and Kate wanted,
and if there were any leftover spaces,
the list could be revisited.
(gentle music continues)
The Olympic Games due to be held in London
in the summer of 2012,
were also a cause for much excitement.
- This will be the third Olympiad, third London Olympiad.
My great-grandfather opened the 1908 Games at White City,
my father opened the 1948 Games at Wembley Stadium,
and later this evening I will take pleasure
in declaring open the 2012 London Olympic Games
at Stratford in the East of London.
- [Narrator] The Queen showed a humorous side
of her character that the public love,
where she agreed to a film a video
where James Bond takes her to the stadium.
She agreed on the condition that she could utter
those immortal words, "Good evening, Mr. Bond."
(bells ringing)
(Bond clears throat)
- Good evening, Mr. Bond.
- Good evening, Your Majesty.
(regal music)
(suspenseful music)
(dramatic music)
- [Narrator] 2012 marked the Queen's Diamond Jubilee,
a rare occasion for a monarch,
and the 60th anniversary since her accession to the throne.
Celebrations were widespread,
including the Thames' Diamond Jubilee Pageant
and the concert at Buckingham Palace.
(gentle music)
- Your Majesty, Mummy.
(crowd cheering)
As a nation, this is our opportunity to thank you
and my father for always being there for us,
for inspiring us with your selfless duty and service
and for making us proud to be British.
(gentle music)
- [Narrator] The Queen was also invited
by Prime Minister David Cameron to sit in
on a cabinet meeting, which is believed to be
the first time a monarch has done so since King George III.
- It's a huge treat for a prime minister
to speak to Her Majesty every week for an hour
knowing I'm the 12th prime minister.
She started with Winston Churchill.
Her knowledge, her experience of world events
and world leaders and world issues is unparalleled.
She's an amazing listener,
but she also asks some really pertinent questions.
But I think above all, what we're celebrating today
is the 60 years she's given of service to our country,
but also this extraordinary institution
that stands above politics,
that brings the country together,
that something we're all celebrating today,
that I think is such a valuable thing in our country
and so admired across the world.
- [Narrator] With the marriage
of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
and their desire to have their own family,
the Queen amended the Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement
in the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
The changes saw the end of the system of male primogeniture,
meaning whether the Cambridges had a boy or a girl,
their first child would take their place
as third in line to the throne.
And should it be a girl,
she would not lose her place if they later had a boy.
2015 saw our record-breaking Queen
hit another landmark in her reign.
On the 9th of September, Queen Elizabeth surpassed
her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria,
and became the UK's longest serving monarch.
In the typical selfless style of Queen Elizabeth,
she wanted the public to treat this day as any other.
- Many, including you First Minister,
have also kindly noted another significance
attaching to today, although it is not one
to which I have ever aspired.
Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones.
My own is no exception.
But I thank you all and the many others at home and overseas
for your touching messages of great kindness.
- [Narrator] After years of royal landmark celebrations,
changes were afoot in the world of politics.
In 2016, a momentous referendum was held
and the people of the United Kingdom
voted to leave the European Union,
resulting in David Cameron resigning as prime minister,
being succeeded by Theresa May.
- In David Cameron I follow in the footsteps
of a great modern prime minister.
Under David's leadership,
the government stabilized the economy,
reduced the budget deficit, and helped more people
into work than ever before.
But David's true legacy is not about the economy,
but about social justice.
- [Narrator] 2017 Saw Donald Trump inaugurated
as president of the USA, amidst widespread protests.
The UK found itself divided on Brexit,
with negotiations of the exit proving to be challenging.
But around the corner, to the delight of the nation,
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were to marry.
In some ways, their marriage demonstrated the progress
and modernization of the monarchy.
Meghan, a biracial American divorcee,
would not have been welcomed in the past.
The Queen's uncle, King Edward VIII,
had to abdicate the throne to marry his American divorcee,
but during Elizabeth's reign much has changed
and Meghan was warmly welcomed into the family.
By the end of the decade, Theresa May failed to pass
her Brexit withdrawal agreement
through Parliament three times,
and subsequently she announced her resignation.
- I will shortly leave the job that it has been
the honor of my life life to hold.
The second female prime minister,
but certainly not the last.
I do so with no ill will,
but with enormous and enduring gratitude
to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love.
- [Narrator] Boris Johnson won the race for leadership
of the Conservative Party
and became Britain's prime minister.
Boris went on to win the general election later that year.
(crowd applauding)
- Good afternoon.
I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen
who has invited me to form a government and I have accepted.
I pay tribute to the fortitude and patience
of my predecessor and her deep sense of public service.
- No justice! - No peace!
- [Narrator] The uniquely difficult start to the 2020s
saw a global pandemic sweep across the world
and protests and demonstrations worldwide
against racism and police brutality
after the death of George Floyd.
The fall of Kabul marked the end
of the 20-year war in Afghanistan,
and the need to address climate change
became a growing concern and has dubbed the 2020s
as the decisive decade after worsening extreme weather.
January 2020 saw Harry and Meghan make a sudden,
and for many, unexpected move.
They announced they would relinquish their roles
as senior members of the Royal Family
and their wish to lead more independent lives.
Her Majesty released a statement promptly saying,
"Although we would have preferred them
to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family,
we respect and understand their wish
to live a more independent life as a family
while remaining a valued part of my family."
In the months that followed,
coronavirus started to make its way across the globe.
Few thought coronavirus would cause the world
to stop for so long.
It has caused a global economic recession
and a supply chain crisis, but more close to home,
it caused people to stop their lives, lock their doors,
and stay away from the people they love
for fear of transmitting a virus which may prove fatal.
(somber music)
In times of crisis, the Queen has come through
to offer the nation a sense of hope.
After the start of the coronavirus,
that is exactly what she did.
She broadcast to the nation,
referencing the war-time spirit
that would be needed to get through this challenging time,
but with the certainty that we would get through it.
- And those who come after us,
will say the Britons of this generation
were as strong as any,
that the attributes of self-discipline,
of quiet good-humored resolve
and a fellow feeling still characterize this country.
We will be with our friends again.
We will be with our families again.
We will meet again.
- [Narrator] Following the defeat of Donald Trump,
Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States,
the 14th U.S. president
since Her Majesty came to the throne.
It is an extraordinary statistic that nearly a third
of U.S. presidents have come and gone
whilst the Queen has remained sovereign.
In April 2021, following a short illness, Prince Philip,
the Queen's husband and her strength and stay,
died peacefully surrounded by his family.
The Queen has dedicated her life to her duty,
but so did Philip, always at her side
and her greatest supporter.
His funeral, amid COVID restrictions,
saw a most poignant image of the Queen sat alone
in mourning for her utterly loyal and beloved husband.
The words she used in her message after the 9/11 attacks
were picked up again by reporters, so moving and apt.
"Grief is the price we pay for love."
(somber music)
2022 sees our Queen's 70th year on the throne,
her Platinum Jubilee, a wonderful opportunity for the nation
to celebrate the achievements and longevity
of this extraordinary woman.
- I did remark that it was upside down
and you wouldn't be able to see what was on it.
I was told it had to be upside down for the press.
- And they can see it.
(group laughs)
I don't mind, I don't matter.
Well, I think I can probably read it upside down, too.
- I think you probably can.
"The Queen's Platinum Jubilee."
- Yes.
That's very nice.
- There is a knife.
I don't know whether you'd like to just do a little bit.
- I think I might just put a knife in it.
- I think that's a really good idea.
- See if it works.
- Oh it does! - Oh yes,
it goes in beautifully.
- Beautifully.
- Somebody else can finish it off, do the rest of it.
(group applauds)
(gentle music)
- [Narrator] With little real power
but with more influence than perhaps any other leader
on the world stage, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
has conducted herself with grace,
with dignity, and with determination.
She has been a constant cornerstone of stability
in a seemingly ever-changing world,
earning unparalleled admiration and respect
across the globe.
She has traveled more than any monarch in history
and is estimated to have met more people
than any other human being.
She has exemplified tolerance and forgiveness
whilst inspiring the armed services
in their own sense of duty.
As a young princess, only 21 years old,
Elizabeth, with truly inspiring words,
dedicated her life to the service of her people
and to the Commonwealth.
- I declare before you all that my whole life,
whether it be long or short,
shall be devoted to your service,
and to the service of our great imperial family
to which we all belong.
But I shall not have strength
to carry out this resolution alone
unless you join in it with me as I now invite you to do.
I know that your support will be unfailingly given.
God help me to make good my vow
and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.
(gentle music continues)
- [Narrator] She is our Queen, our Platinum Queen.
(gentle music)