Almost six months on from his death in April at the age of 99, the BBC is to shine a light on Prince Philip’s life and legacy in a new documentary, featuring candid personal insights from the late royal’s children and grandchildren. Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers is set to air on Wednesday 22 September at 9pm on BBC One, and will include interviews with Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, as well as a number of the Queen’s adult grandchildren and other family members.
An announcement from the BBC Media Centre explained: ‘For the first time on television, more than a dozen members of the Royal Family offer their personal thoughts and reflections as they pay an historic tribute to the extraordinary life of His Royal Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh.’ The interviews are said to include ‘poignant recollections, plenty of humour and numerous fresh insights into the character and legacy of this royal pioneer.’
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Billed as a ‘unique portrait of the longest-serving consort in royal history’, the hour-long documentary was originally intended to mark Prince Philip’s 100th birthday (a milestone he would have reached on 10 June this year), and therefore features interview footage filmed both prior to, and in the wake of, the royal’s death. The Queen, however, is not thought to have given an interview for the film.
The writer and co-producer of the new programme is Robert Hardman, a journalist and royal biographer known for books including 2018’s Queen of the world, about Elizabeth II. As well as Royal Family members, the film has been produced with the collaboration of those behind the scenes, going ‘inside Buckingham Palace to meet the duke’s long-serving staff and to capture his study, private office and library, exactly as they were during his seven decades at the heart of royal life.’ The Oxford Films team behind the documentary were also granted access to the Queen’s private cine-film collection, with the programme promising to offer ‘an unrivalled portrait of a man with a unique place in royal history – by those who knew him best.’
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The BBC previously attracted some criticism for its level of coverage of the late duke’s death. Both BBC One and BBC Two ceased their usual programming on the day of Philip’s passing, 9 April, to entirely dedicate themselves to the news. The broadcasting company subsequently received 109,741 complaints, prompting Director-General Tim Davie to comment that the BBC would aim for ‘lessons to be learnt’ from the decision.
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