The modern day Royal Family often shares a glimpse into their lives on social media or share insight into the daily activities in interviews. But an expert says it was once very different. According to royal photographer Arthur Edwards, The Firm used to be “very, very secretive”.
This appeared to have started to change in 1969 when Richard Cawston’s Royal Family, a 90-minute long documentary featuring the royals, aired on the BBC. Watched by 38 million people, the film gave an insight into the daily lives of the royals.
It was however subsequently banned by Queen Elizabeth II – although leaked online half a century after its original release. In stark contrast, Meghan Markle has recently launched her own Netflix series, providing an intimate look at her personal life.
Edwards, who spoke on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive podcast, described The Royal Family as “very revealing”. He recalled how the royals were so private back then that Prince Charles, when preparing for a visit to the British Shoe Corporation, famously gave a terse two-word reply to a question about his shoe size, reports Cambridgeshire Live.
Edwards reflected: “I remember watching it at the time and we never saw anything like that with the royals. It was all very exclusive, even the press office at Buckingham Palace, you couldn’t get a proper answer.
“I remember once [the-then] Prince Charles was going to the British Shoe Corporation and they wanted to know what size shoes he took, because they wanted to make a pair of shoes for him and they said ‘that’s personal’. They wouldn’t tell them, it was very, very secretive.”
“That film was very revealing. It was tremendous to see them privately, it was very good. It was a little bit staged but it was excellent at the time.”
Royal commentator Bronte Coy discussed the delicate balance of Royal privacy, commenting that it is a “very fine line” as to how much the public should see into the lives of the Royal Family. Coy noted that the monarchy’s appeal partly lies in its enigma, stating: “Their power is in their mystique.”
She further commented on the impact of candid Royal depictions: “As soon as you see things like the documentary it takes away that regal aspect and it’s what we want but it’s not what we need if the monarchy is to survive, and yes, thankfully, they did survive.”
Reflecting on one such intimate portrayal, she lamented: “This documentary had Prince Philip barbecuing, the Queen taking out Prince Edward for an ice-cream, I would love to see it. But it removes them from that pedestal that they need to stay on.”
