The moment Charles and Anne were buried up to their necks in sand by Prince Philip as Queen filmed it
- Holiday shot from 1957 comes from hours of family footage released by the Prince of Wales for television show to mark the Diamond Jubilee
- Never-before-seen images include footage from the Coronation of 1953 and the Queen attending Charles's school sports day
- Jubilee 'gives us the chance to celebrate with pride all that The Queen means to us – whether as a nation or as one of her children,’ Charles says.
- Charles: Sheer number of Heads of State coming to the Jubilee celebrations shows the 'respect and affection with which my mama is held'
|
Laughing and giggling as they hold their heads above the sand, it’s the kind of happy holiday snapshot that graces family photograph albums in homes across the country.
Only the corgi sitting between the two children suggests that they might not be any old family after all.
Pictured on glorious Holkham Beach in Norfolk in the summer of 1957, Prince Charles and his sister, Princess Anne, smile for the camera after being buried up to their necks by their father, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The charming picture is a still taken from home video footage shot by the Queen herself.
Happy holiday: Prince Charles (left) and Princess Anne (right) were buried up to their necks by Prince Philip on Holkham Beach for a video shot by the Queen herself
Charles would have been about eight at the time and Anne – who looks identical to her daughter, Zara, as a child – around six.
It has been personally chosen by the prince for a television tribute to his mother to mark her Diamond Jubilee which will be broadcast on BBC1 tomorrow night.
Sources close to Charles said the carefree home movie has huge personal resonance for both the prince and his mother and is part of hundreds of hours of footage shot by the Queen of her young family.
Drawing on these never-seen-before shots as well as archive news reels, the Prince reflects back on her 60-year reign – both as the nation’s Queen and as his own mother.
‘The Diamond Jubilee gives us the chance to celebrate with pride all that The Queen means to us – whether as a nation or as one of her children,’ he says.
Throughout the film, the Prince shares memories and recalls events from both her public and private life, adding his own commentary and insights.
Among the great public moments of the reign for which he provides additional insight is the Coronation in 1953.
In one sequence, he recalls how The Queen practised wearing the Coronation crown around Buckingham Palace – even at bathtime.
‘I remember my Mama coming, you know, up, when we were being bathed as children, wearing the crown. It was quite funny – practising,’ he says.
At his mother's side : A young Prince Charles (left) joins the Queen (centre) as she walks through the Principal Corridor at Buckingham Palace on Coronation Day in 1953
'Natural grace': The Queen smiles as Prince Charles introduces her to his teachers and fellow pupils at his school sports day in 1957
Family occasion: (Left to right) The Queen, Princess Anne, Prince Charles and the Duke of Edinburgh watch Trooping the Colour in 1953. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother sits behind them
Childhood recollections: Prince Charles attends the Royal Windsor Show with his sister and mother (left) and watches as the Duke of Edinburgh's corgi 'Candy' plays with his master at Balmoral (right). Both pictures were taken in 1955
Home life: Exercising the ponies at Balmoral in 1955 are (left to right) the Queen, Charles, the Duke of Edinburgh and Anne
In more private cine camera footage, taken on Coronation Day, June 2 1953, behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace, we see Her Majesty juggling the dual role of mother and Queen as she walks along the corridor of Buckingham Palace and poses for official photographs.
'Amazing poise': The Queen, pictured on her Coronation tour in October 1953, is held in 'respect and affection' by leaders across the globe, Charles says
Watching the footage some sixty years later, the Prince comments on his mother’s ‘amazing poise’ and, later, her ‘natural grace’.
Although the prince and his mother have found themselves at odds over the years, with Charles accusing her of being a somewhat aloof figure, he adds: ‘My Mama takes great pride in her family, from being a young mother at the start of her reign, to now being a great grandmother twice over.’
He demonstrates this by showing pictures to illustrate the more personal aspect of very public moments, such as his mother and father visiting him on sports day Hill House School, West London, in the summer of 1957.
In his tribute, the prince also draws extensively from news archive to remind us of key public moments such the spectacle of the Coronation, and The Queen’s many overseas tours and visits.
‘I think just the sheer number of Heads of State who are coming to the Jubilee celebrations shows the respect and affection with which my mama is held all around the world,’ he says.
‘I so admire the way she’s managed to hold that unique association – the Commonwealth – together.’
The Prince also points out that The Queen has opened Parliament in Britain 59 times, adding: ‘I’ve always thought my Mama looks absolutely wonderful in that tiara’ before noting that two of her twelve Prime Ministers were not even born when she came to the throne.
‘The fact that my Mama has been a constant feature on the scene has provided that sense, I think, of continuity in a time of immense change over 60 years,’ he says.
‘The Queen has provided an amazing record of devotion, dedication and commitment.’
A Jubilee Tribute to The Queen by The Prince of Wales will be broadcast on BBC One at 8pm on Friday 1st June 2012.
Historic moment: The Queen at the Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 1953. Footage shows her juggling the dual role of monarch and mother
Memories: Prince Charles pictured in 1956, said his mother practised wearing her Coronation crown before the historic ceremony - even at bathtime
Mother's pride: The Queen with Princess Anne as the family prepare to take a break at Balmoral in October 1952
'Wonderful': The Queen, pictured on her way from Buckingham Palace to a Mansion House luncheon (left) and to the State opening of Parliament (right) in 1954
Early years: The Queen meets the white goat mascot of the Welsh Regiment in Cardiff (left) and accepts flowers from Gillian Alexander at Pontypridd during her Coronation tour of Wales in 1953
Dedication: The Queen meets the Governor of Bermuda, Lt. Gen. Sir Alexander Hood, during a visit to the territory in 1953
'Continuity in a time of immense change': The Queen, Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, at the State Opening of Parliament in 1982, a ritual the monarch has performed on 59 occasions
