Candid home movie footage of Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip shows another side of the couple that the public never get to see, including shots of Prince Philip in swimming trunks.
One footage, taken on the Christmas of 1953, shows the young Queen and her husband off duty.
Queen Elizabeth sitting whild Prince Philip stands in his swimming trunks
It was shot by Patricia Norrie, the wife of the then Governor-General of New Zealand, Sir Willoughby Norrie, who was hosting the couple on the local leg of a seven-month Commonwealth tour.
The footage will feature in a fascinating documentary, The Queen Unseen, which will air tonight, April 8, on ITV1 at 9pm, marking the monarch’s 95th birthday later this month.
The video also sees the Duke of Edinburgh pulling the Norries’ daughter, ten-year-old Sarah Norris, along on the lilo.
Sarah, who now goes by Sarah Stephenson, narrates what happens in a trailer for the programme.
The trip had proved a gruelling one for the young monarch, who had been crowned earlier in the year, and she and Philip were said to have relished the chance for a little downtime.
According to Ms Stephenson, it was “terribly exciting” to have the royal party staying at their home with the rest of the family.
There’s also a clip of Prince Philip falling head-first into the water when he tries to get on the lilo.
In a 30-second preview clip released this morning, narrated by Mrs Stephenson, she said: “The Duke of Edinburgh is trying to get on this lilo, and he has to have several attempts.
“The royal couple knew that we were filming, and they didn’t seem to mind that we were. And the Queen also had an identical camera to my mother. She was also taking similar shots.
“That was the Queen’s smile, which my mum very cleverly caught. Great fun, we loved it.”
She said Father Christmas delivered presents from them to take home to their young children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
And Sir Willoughby and his wife even gave the Queen and Philip a stocking each – containing a dog’s lead for the Queen and a blue and white Wedgwood ashtray for Philip, which caused much amusement as it had his wife’s head on it.
According to Mrs Stephenson, Prince Philip tried several times to get on the lilo, but each time plunged into the pool roaring with laughter.
Always mindful of her public image, the Queen didn’t join in, but happily watched her husband from the patio, her own video camera in hand.
Mrs Stephenson said: “Well, it was terribly exciting to have the whole royal party staying in your home.
“There was one time actually, when my sister and I were taking our dogs for a walk and the Queen saw us and she said she wish she could come with us.
“Father Christmas was approaching with lots of presents for Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who were very young, they were 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.
“My parents gave the Queen and the Duke a Christmas stocking each, and in the Queen’s stocking there was a dog lead, and in the Duke’s stocking there was a blue and white ash tray.
“And my father said, the Duke will be pleased because it’s got his wife’s head on it. He thought that was terribly funny.
“This was a private pool we took the royal party to on Christmas Day. There’s my father with the Queen.”
ITV’s The Queen Unseen features a host of rare home movie footage, hoping to shed new light on the Queen’s life.
Watch the video below.
