Elizabeth II has had to abide by vigorous royal protocol whenever she was spotted in public with her kids but rare footage shows that she acted very differently behind closed doors.
Unposed video footage shows the Queen as a loving parent when the eyes of the public were not upon her at official events. Traditionally seen as a private mother, the never-before-seen home videos have been digitised for an ITV documentary ‘The Queen Unseen.
The movies are said to show the real mother behind the crown when enjoying her down time. The film, which was shown in 2021, is said to show the Queen’s relationship with her older children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, as laid back and relaxed.
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The scenes are considered to be an eye-opener for the public as one video showed a candid moment where the Queen welcomed five-year-old Charles home after a period of over a month abroad, the Mirror reports.
Charles in the home movie is barely able to control his joy as he waits with his grandmother at Euston station before running over to greet his parents when their train pulls in.
The now King got a kiss on the top of his head as the Queen Mother is given a hug as well as several kisses from her daughter.
"The whole thing is extremely hedged around by royal requirements. It's rather chilly and cold, it's extremely distant," said body language expert Peter Collett.
Royal biographer Hugo Vickers adds: "I think it must have been difficult for her to take on all the responsibilities of being Queen and have as much time as she might have wished for Prince Charles and Princess Anne."
The former monarch had to walk a tightrope with balancing the responsibilities of being a mother and the head of state but is understood to always have wanted more.
When she gave birth to Prince Andrew she was understood to have made changes so that she could spend more time with her children.
She started to put her foot down in ensuring that her role as Queen would work around her commitments to her family after Edward was born - altering her schedule considerably.
Royal Biographer Jane Ridley says: "When Edward is born The Queen does things like altering the time of her regular weekly Tuesday meeting with the Prime Minister, so that she will have time to go and play with the babies and put them to bed.
"This was something she wouldn't have dreamt of doing at the time she became Queen but her confidence in her role allows her to give more priority to her children.”
As her lads became older, both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh gave their blessing to more photocalls as a family and allowed TV cameras into their home.
Amateur footage from the tour in New Zealand, of The Queen on the royal train, hadn't been shown for almost 70 years and much of it has never been seen in the UK.
In 1953, The Queen left on a tour of the Commonwealth with the Duke of Edinburgh, which took her away from home and her young children for six months and she asked for her travels to be filmed so she could show them to Prince Charles and Princess Anne on her return
Taking a short break from the gruelling tour, the royal couple stayed with New Zealand’s Governor General, Sir Willougby Norrie, whose wife filmed the visit which took place over Christmas.
His daughter Sarah Stephenson, was 10 at the time and recalls the excitement of The Queen’s stay.
"There were lots of presents for Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who were very young and were at home in England, so it must have been very difficult for The Queen and the Duke to leave their children behind for such a long trip," she says.
"There was one time when my sister and I were taking our dogs for a walk, and The Queen said she wished she could come with us."
Sarah shares private footage of The Queen joining the family at the outdoor swimming pool, as the Duke of Edinburgh struggles to climb onto a lilo in the water.
Further unseen archive gives an insight into her early attempts to perfect her public persona, having to smile even when feeling exhausted.
The film also addresses how The Queen has successfully balanced the public and the private, maintaining the dignity of monarchy whilst revealing more of her private self at key moments such as the death of Diana.
Now she is scaling back her duties at the age of 95, her private life is finally allowed more time; time spent enjoying the company of her family.
Charles Anson describes just how important family is to The Queen, saying: "It's been a pleasure for the Queen and Prince Philip to be able to enjoy their grandchildren, to have time to enjoy their grandchildren, in these later years; it's been a great plus."
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