Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines May 24
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Americans will see a new side to Queen Elizabeth as she celebrates 70 years on the throne.
For the Platinum Jubilee weekend, True Royalty TV will premiere the U.S. exclusive documentary "The Queen Unseen." The film features rare footage and home movies shot by members and friends of the royal family.
Never-before-seen clips of a young Elizabeth will also be showcased. The film sheds light on how a young princess became queen and ultimately beloved by the world.
"There’s so much fascination around the queen and her 70 years on the throne – she’s the longest-serving British monarch ever," True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen told Fox News Digital.
QUEEN ELIZABETH THROUGH THE YEARS
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visit a farm on the Balmoral estate in Scotland during their silver wedding anniversary year in September 1972. (Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
"We just felt that we had to deliver something different for our audience. It’s just the most wonderful insight into the queen while she’s off duty, so to speak. You get to see a side of her that you normally don’t expect to see."
Bullen is an award-winning documentarian who has been producing programs about the British royal family for 20 years and has worked closely with Prince Charles for about a decade. While he founded his production company Spun Gold in 2004, Bullen was producing royal content even before then.
He described how audiences will be surprised to witness how "normality has always been at the heart of who she is."
"The truth is the queen has always been a country woman who loves her dogs, loves her horses, loves her cattle, loves being surrounded by nature," Bullen explained. "When you put her in that element, she’s at her most relaxed. She can truly be herself.
"You know, as queen, the crown never comes off. So she relishes those moments where she can just be truly herself, a family woman in the countryside. She’s the head of state, but she’s also a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who enjoys laughing, having fun and looking after her family and animals."
Bullen shared that his favorite part from the documentary was watching the 96-year-old on holiday.
"It’s very rare to see her away from the crowds," he noted. "She truly treasures those private moments when she’s just with her family and enjoying them. So it’s very rare to find that kind of footage. But these home movies take you into her world. And you feel like you’re very much a part of it. There’s no iPhone, no paparazzi in the bushes. It’s just her. And that’s what’s truly exciting."
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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, walking on their Balmoral Estate in Scotland, where they found peace as a couple. (Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Elizabeth skipped the service of thanksgiving Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London due to difficulties getting around, which have limited the monarch’s public engagements in recent months.
The service took place on the second of four days of festivities celebrating the Platinum Jubilee. On Thursday, thousands of royal supporters cheered when the queen joined other senior royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch 70 British military aircraft fly past.
The queen decided not to attend Friday’s church service after experiencing "some discomfort" during Thursday’s events. Instead, she watched the ceremony on television at Windsor Castle.
The congregation at St. Paul’s included members of the royal family, senior politicians, diplomats and more than 400 essential workers, charity volunteers and members of the armed forces who were invited in recognition of their service to the community.
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Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by her Stud Groom Terry Pendry, is seen riding a horse on the grounds of Windsor Castle April 17, 2006, in Windsor, England. The reigning monarch has been suffering from mobility issues. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Elizabeth, who only recently recovered from COVID-19, has been using a walking stick. She has also given her eldest son Charles an increasingly important role as the public face of the monarchy. Earlier this month, he stood in for his mother when "episodic mobility problems" prevented her from presiding over the state opening of Parliament.
Still, in the days afterward, she turned up at a horse show, opened a subway line and toured the Chelsea Flower Show in a chauffeur-driven royal buggy — a sort of luxurious golf cart.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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