to be quite touched by Prince Charles's delight with his home movies?

[FiftyShadesOfBunting]

Its so lovely. And so relatively normal.

And bollox to the royal haterz.

[roundtable]

Maybe with a cherry on top? Boom boom!

[Megatron]

Oh I'm loving it. I do believe all these celebrations are turning this Scot into a Royalist! She was really very beautiful when she was young too. The videos are really lovely and Prince Charles' response to them is so touching.

[TalkinPeace2]

Sorry but I have No time at all for Chazza
he has wanted to be king since he's about 30
he's interfered in an utterly unacceptable way in politics for over 20 years
he loved his mum so much that he did not stand up to her and marry Camilla in the first place - instead he went through the hypocritical charade of the Diana marriage
anybody who has seen Poundbury knows that all his eco talk is just crap

if the monarchy is to survive it has to get to William ASAP

NB I've met various of the top royals in a past life - they are just normal people who are learning how to play the publicity game VERY well this week

(FAR better than the Olympic nutters it has to be said)

[petitepeach]

Agree I thoroughly enjoyed it! With a tear in my eye to boot....!
I think the Queen is bloody fantastic; we better make the most of her, we will never have another monarch like her in our lifetime.....

God save the Queen!

[mrdarceych]

Im loving it!
Thats all!

[cartblanche]

Did anyone else notice that Prince Edward (as a grown-up contributor) didn't feature in either documentary?? Why? Is he persona non grata? Not that I missed him or anything

[CrispyCod]

I loved the blingy frocks and tiaras. Such style.

[seeker]

Just remember the PR machine, evybody!

[PrincessFiorimonde]

[HerRoyalNotness]

What is the show called please? I'll have to ask DH to download it. Feeling a bit bummed that we're abroad and not seeing any of the celebrations. I couldn't even muster the energy to throw a garden party here in honor of HM.

[PorkyandBess]

I was enjoying the documentary tonight where the queen's letters were read out; so sweet and full of affection - I was v surprised.

Unfortunately, Alan titchmarsh was just too obsequious for me to stomach after a while!

[PrincessFiorimonde]

So lovely? And so relatively normal?

What planet do you live on that this kind of crap I-was-such-a-normal-child-I-wore-a-collar-and-tie-at-18-months-old was ok?

[HRNiceViperness]

I think "look-what-my-parents-dressed-me-in-60+-years-ago" and realising (stated it unstated) that it seems a bit odd in the following century might indeed be a common experience.

On dress, what I noted was that it was OK for Princess Anne to run around a beach topless when she looked about 7ish. (Stores up for next girls and bathing suits thread).

[SoupDragon]

"What planet do you live on that this kind of crap I-was-such-a-normal-child-I-wore-a-collar-and-tie-at-18-months-old was ok?"

Well, children in the 1950s were generally dressed as small adults.

I suspect that 60 years into the future we will be roundly laughed at for dressing our children in hats with bear ears on and t shirts with something cartoony on the front.

[SoupDragon]

I thought it was a great programme. The emotion in it was incredible.

WRT leaving the children behind for 5 months when they went to Australia, children were more "disposable" then insofar as they weren't glad to their parents side. It wold have been the Done Thing to leave them in the care of, I guess, a nanny. Of course by the next generation things had changed - William went to Australia with Charles and Diana didn't he?

[SilveryMoon]

I loved it. Dp wasn't the least bit interested, but was really nice to watch.

[trixie123]

I think the childhood he had was not a million miles away from other wealthy young boys in the 1950s s far as dress, activities and to some extent the nannys etc rather than mama all the time. Lots of kids got sent to boarding school at 7 then. Its the one of the most natural and personal things I have seen in relation to the royals

[Psammead]

I likemy childhood videos too! Can I be queen next? G'wan g'wan g'wan!

[PrincessFiorimonde]

But the 1950s was not an era when children were routinely seen as 'disposable'. Perhaps in the Victorian or Edwardian eras that might have been true. Both my exH and my DP are much the same age as Prince Charles. And both of them had mothers who cuddled them when they were small, and did not treat them as 'disposable' extras.

[HMQueenElizabeth]

I got no indication from watching the programmes that the queen did not love and kiss and cuddle her children. I also did not think they were treated in any way, shape or form as 'disposable extras'.

As a child my parents frequently went away (both army) a couple of times at the same time and we stayed with grandparents. It was their job, in the same way this is the queen's job. I wasn't loved any less because of it. Two of my cousins went to boarding school at 7. I myself went at 12. And this was the 80s.

Times change, children in the 50s were treated differently. Babies were put in prams in the garden for whole days without interaction except feeding and nappies. Older children were seen and not heard. Didn't stop any of them being loved.

[2blessed2bstressed]

PrincessFiorimonde Did you not watch it then? The thing that most people on this thread have noticed - whether they are royalist or not - is that there were lots of cuddles, and games, and time with both parents, grandparents, and Auntie Margaret!
As for the clothes, I think that was pretty standard garb for children from well off families in those days - there are photos of both my parents as tinies in very similar stuff.

[PrincessFiorimonde]

SoupDragon was the poster who described children in the 50s as 'more "disposable" then insofar as they weren't glad [glued?] to their parents side'.

I can vouch for the fact that not all small children in the 50s were dressed as small adults; I have photos of my exH and DP to prove it. Again - that might have been true in the 1900s, though.

I have seen pictures of the queen shaking hands with her 5 or 6 year old son after not seeing him for a while. How remarkably lovely, affectionate and role-modelish is that?

[PrincessFiorimonde]

2blessed, yes I did watch it.

[mateysmum]

Did you clock the blinding bling when they were all gathered for the coronation photos - Charles commented on it - a serious overdose of diamonds.

Charles has his flaws, but you can't doubt his sincerity for the things he believes in. Lovely to see him as a carefree baby.

I swallowed hard at 2 points in the 2 back to back progs - once when Alan T read out those very personal letters and then the pics of QE2 on the plane back from Kenya - the grief and yet the dignity of her new position so obvious and so touching. off to hang extra bunting whilst thinking wistfully about just one of those nice little diamonds

[SoupDragon]

Perhaps I should have clarified my statement with the phrase "particularly in the upper classes".