Churchill & The Queen (2023)

when you're tasked with taking down the greatest threat the world has ever seen there are very few people you can [Music] trust and when you're faced with the devastating news that your king and confident is dead and taking his place will be his daughter a woman in her early 20s can you truly believe that she has what it takes to lead the nation by your side glimpse into the relationship between a young princess thrust into the role as Queen of England and her prime minister battling the looming Nazi threat uncover the internal party conflicts struggles with mental illness and the shocking death of King George VII learn the truth about the relationship between Churchill and the Queen 1939 the Nazi party win the general election and Adolf Hitler is appointed chancellor of Germany at this point in time the rest of the world was barely paying any attention to what was going on within the borders of Germany however a few had begun to take notice of the potential dangers of giving power to a man like Hitler when Hitler came to Power Winston Churchill gave a number of speeches warning the government and the population at large about the dangers that Hitler posed Churchill argued against the Munich agreement which gave Germany part of Czechoslovakia and he believed that Germany would attempt to gain even more territory unfortunately few people agreed with him nevertheless he was right on the 1st of September 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and the beginning of World War II was officially declared due to his clear foresight and strategic capabilities Churchill was given a spot on the war cabinet and was renamed the first Lord of the admiralty when Hitler invaded Norway and defeated the Allied Forces the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned after Rapport showing in a no confidence vote as a result Winston Churchill was named the next prime minister in [Music] 1940 this was the start of the role of arguably one of the greatest leaders the UK has ever seen Germany wanted to invade Great Britain Britain and in the summer of 1940 the Battle of Britain commenced in the Skies over Southern England once Hitler had control of France he began to make plans for the invasion of England Hitler ordered bombing raids on the country these raids were initially focused on Coastal airfields and other military targets however the raid soon bombed further in land the German bombers were given clear orders not to bomb cities but after they mistakenly bombed the outskirts of London Churchill ordered bombing of German cities it was time to fight back Hitler followed with similar orders to bomb English cities including the British Capital London during this time King George VII was reigning monarch of Britain he lived with his wife and two daughters Elizabeth and Margaret with the physical threat of the German forces getting closer and closer to home the decision was made to move his family out of Buckingham Palace and out of the face of danger well the outbreak of of World War II affected the British royal family hugely because um they were right up there at Buckingham Palace which was a a big big Target for the German bombers but they decided that they would not leave the country they would stay there with their people and um but they obviously had to look after after their two daughters so they started the Elizabeth and Margaret started in Scotland then they were uh sent down south and they eventually stayed at Windsor Castle for 5 years while the king and queen went to London during the week Churchill gave a number of speeches during the Battle of Britain aimed at building up the morale of the population and the armed forces such are the atrocities against which we are in arms shortly after church became prime minister he gave one of his most famous speeches their finest hour let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its commonwealths last for a thousand years men will still say this was their fin hour Churchill's writing skills had gained him International not iety and his love for words and the richness of the English language Drew him into a career as a writer long before he delved into politics his ability to communicate clearly and passionately served church hillwell as a rator a popular author and a most persuasive Statesman of mysteries and surprises a formidable opponent in the debating chamber Churchill's wit and his skill with words could quickly silence those less aidite and articul at but where did this passion for literature begin long before becoming the leader of the conservative party Winston took up his career as a writer to achieve his political ambition he needed Fame and of course the necessary Financial wherewith his strategy request postings to as many dangerous places in the world as he could and to then write about them in newspapers and books presenting himself as a hero and communic later he traveled to South Africa reporting on the boa War for the morning post he was shot at in Cuba he fought on The Afghan border and he faced a cavalry charge in Sudan his most famous headlines were made when he escaped boa captivity from a military prison in South Africa finally Churchill was making the news rather than just reporting it churcher returned to Britain and once again stood for Parliament in the general election of 1900 winning a conservative seat in Oldman by a small margin and becoming a member of parliament for the first time he quickly became a distinctive character in the House of Commons seemingly devoid of inhibition and fearless in his quest to persuade others to his Viewpoint more than anything else he was exceptional in delivering pre-prepared written speeches rather than improvise narrative and as a natural writer and public speaker his words carried great strength a vile race of quislings use a new word which will carry the scorn of mankind down the centuries he hired to th upon the Conqueror to collaborate in his designs and to enforce his rule upon their fellow countrymen while gring low themselves in 19 1904 he crossed the floor and joined the British Liberal Party he always claimed to be more of a liberal in his heart but he disagreed with the liberal stance on self-rule for Ireland during the first world war Churchill served as a first Lord of the admiralty which put him in charge of the royal Navy he was forced to resign after the Dell's campaign and the failed invasion of galipoli a deal for which he was apportioned a good deal of the blame for the campaign's failure and the massive loss of life he quickly tried to redeem himself and volunteered for the front lines serving again as an officer in the British Army on the Western Front after the first world war he then crossed the floor again rejoining the conservative party and served as Chancellor of the exer where he pushed for a policy of returning to the gold standard a sometimes controversial decision which was greeted with somewhat mixed reaction he lost that post when the conservatives were defeated in the general election of 1929 whilst not necessarily popular with his conservative colleagues at the time he became very popular and wellknown in Britain much of which was due to his journalism and writing the people had chosen Winston Churchill as their prime minister and he spoke the words in every British heart when he said we shall defend our Island whatever the cost may be we shall fight on beaches Landing grounds in fields in streets and on the Hills we shall Never Surrender 1940 the British Air Force was able to hold off the attacks and once Churchill realized that Hitler would not be able to invade England he was able to send troops to shore up battalions fighting elsewhere just a month later the Royal Air Force fought the German Luft weer with resounding success destroying a considerable formation of invading aircraft this unexpected defeat for Hitler caused him to make a fatal tactical error and delay his plans to invade the UK and it is widely acknowledged as one of church Hill's greatest successes during his career German war machine flooded its vast power in Maneuvers that coincided with a four power meeting in Munich the war dragged on but with Hitler still making a advances through the rest of Europe Winston Churchill had been trying for many months to involve the USA and to work with us President Roosevelt but sadly to no avail the US was most determined to remain neutral but they set about finding ways in which to offer the UK a helping hand Roosevelt and Churchill eventally met off the coast of New Foundland in 1941 and created the Atlantic Charter detailing the aims of the two democracies and their ideas and vision for the world after the war this journey was fraught with risk and Churchill's loyal detective responsible for keeping him alive no matter what recalls in his own biography the courage and fortitude displayed by Churchill facing German new boots and assassination attempts just to cross the North Atlantic and meet with President Roosevelt to seal their strategic Alliance and to take on Hitler together but this wasn't enough the UK was struggling troops were dying and the Nazis were getting closer and closer to Victory the Brits needed the US to officially join the war and the push to do so came from an unexpected Place well in in October 1940 um the king and queen paid a visit to the BBC and the chairman of the BBC asked them if there was any chance that perhaps his oldest daughter might contribute to the children uh the evacuees who were in Canada Australia um North America um there were a lot of them there and they had a program called Children's Hour which was embryonic then and they asked the king if he would consider allowing his daughter to do it well of course she was thrilled to do it and practiced very very hard and eventually age age uh only 14 gave this extremely professional speech to the children that were separated from their parents in wishing you all good evening I feel that I am speaking to friends and companions who have shared with my sister and myself many are Happy Children's are thousands of you in this country country have had to leave your homes and be separated from your fathers and mothers My Sister Margaret Rose and I feel so much for you as we know from experience what it means to be away from those we love most of all my sister is by my side and we are both going to say good night to you come on Margaret good night children good night and good luck to you all because uh princess Elizabeth always thinking about her younger sister she brought her younger sister in at the very end and said come on Margaret and come on Margaret became a catch phase in America that the the the speech went down an absolute storm in America and um it was like headline news in the New York Post you know that the that this princess had given this speech to the evacuees to everyone's surprise the princess's speech went down a storm and ended up aiding in convincing the US to join the British war effort and also politically it was a very good thing because of course Churchill was trying to get uh the President Roosevelt you know to enter into the war on you know to support us so anything that we could do uh was a good thing this was the start of what was to be a longlasting relationship between Elizabeth and Churchill though the two had not yet officially met [Music] londoners gave no thought to evacuating the city themselves but they moved most of the children to safer areas in the country and thousands of others were sent to the United States and Canada in December 1941 the Japanese attacked the Americans at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the next day war was declared on Japan their allies Germany and Italy then declared war on the US it was time for Britain and the us to fight together the Allied war strategy was closely developed and agreed upon between Churchill Roosevelt and the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin after many ardous years the combined war effort was a success Britain and its allies stopped Hitler and the war in Europe ended when Germany surrendered VE day was a time for great celebration and parties ran late into the night it is said that the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret disguised themselves to join the street parties and celebrations only returning to the safety of Buckingham Palace in the early hours of the next day Her Majesty openly admitted to sneaking out the back door of Buckingham Palace to join the celebrations and hiding her face under her army hat to avoid recognition Sir Winston Churchill achieved International respect and a reputation as a wartime hero after victory in World War II but the time quickly came when Party politics returned Britain's first general election in 10 years all over England in cyi and Hamlet the polls are open to elect a new Parliament and determine who will be Britain's next prime minister sir archal Sinclair of the Liberals the labor party's Clement Atley or Winston Churchill nominal leader of the conservative Churchill's campaigns whilst met with much excitement and cheering reflected the war hero not the political leader Britain was a world par when Statesmen like Winston Churchill talked Nations listened after so many years of hardship throughout the war War the British public decided they wanted a brighter looking future and the promises made by Clement Atley leader of the labor party held much promise in 1945 after an enormous swing to labor and much to Churchill surprise King George V 6 asked Mr Atley to form a [Music] government Churchill submitted his resignation to King George V 6 and became leader of the opposition by these and only by these can we discharge our duty to the future of the world and to the destiny of man he spent a great deal of time in the south of France turning to his creativity for Solace and focusing on painting writing and brick laying the polls hoping his conservative party will be voted back to Power 1951 after 5 years in the wilderness of opposition politics Church Hill became prime minister once again in 1951 but it was only 3 months into his second term as Premier when the news broke that would devastate the hearts of the entire nation King George VII was dead it is said that although Churchill and King George VII was something of Polar Opposites King George a gentle shy soul and church chill a lively formidable character over time had become very close much of which was likely due to the camaraderie and mutual support during the wartime effort they became confidence and close friends over a decade before churchil had been a supporter of the king's brother arguing a strong case that the abdication was not necessary and that he should be allowed to marry Wallace Simpson however with a shy and less than confident King George V 6 on the throne Churchill had supported and served his Monarch and fulfilled his duty assiduously Gravely ill and even as we watched and waited the nation [Music] prayed operation on the king we read and knew how ill he was but success seemed to Crown the skill of the surgeon but now the king is dead King George V 6 had been been struggling for some time with his health and had undergone lung surgery sadly a few months later the king died it was in Kenia at the Royal hunting lodge that the news of the King's death reached his daughter when she returned from a night in the forest it was to learn that she is now the queen exceeding to her father's Throne immediately there is no break in the continuity of the British Monarchy what happened was the princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were standing in for the king and queen and they started a big Commonwealth tour in Kenia as it was called in those days and the people of Kenya wanted them to be there and they'd given them uh a lodge for their wedding present and the the sort of joy for them was that they were going to visit this game reserve and there was a a little place called Treetops which was overlooking a Salt Lake so you could really see the animals you know this is this is uh 1952 so the whole of of Kenia was teaming with game and they spent the night up there and actually it was during the night unbeknownst to the princess that she became Queen so they went they they left their their game viewing went back to sagana Lodge and had had a little sleep because they'd been up all night when the news came across to Prince Phillip's uh private secretary Mike Parker that the king had died and he thought that he he he eventually had he had one of those little radios and he fiddled with it and eventually he heard the sounds of Big Ben and he knew that the news was true and it was his duty to tell Prince Phillip which was probably he says later the most difficult thing he'd ever had to do in his life so he went to Prince Phillip and told him the news that his wife Prince Phillip's wife was Queen so Prince philli was in such shock he just put a newspaper over his face and let the news just absorb and then he got up and he went and got the princess out of her bedroom where she was resting and took her down to the lake at the bottom of the garden and the lady in waiting tells a wonderful story she watched them walk up and down up and down and she knew that he was telling her and when they walked back into the lodge she wanted she was putting her arms around the princess when she thought my goodness but she's Queen and dropped into a curtsy and then of course they had to make their way back to England as quickly as possible and there were all kinds of problems planes you know planes broke down the queen queen now she's Queen didn't have her morning clothes with her so she had to go all the way back in a sort of Summer frock um and they had several small flights before they got on the big flight but she but by the time they arrived back at London Airport uh she came down the steps beautifully dressed in her black clothes and Prince philli waited on the steps until she was at the bottom and she greeted her prime minister and that's how it was going to be from then on and meet to welcome the new Queen there to the Duke of glester her uncle and the Lord Chancellor the premier and Mr Atley leader of the opposition are agreed in this great moment of our history her tour of the Commonwealth canel the princess we knew as a girl and watched in the even growth of her stature comes back to meet her ministers as Queen over the great lands that for 15 years acknowledged her father as head now the princess Elizabeth we knew and loved returns amongst us as our Queen before her plane her government and leaders of the other parties receive her greet no Queen had ever such counselors so predetermined to give of their best no Queen had ever such a people so devoted through the long years she had grown amongst us one of us the little girl we knew has become Queen Elizabeth the love we gave her has become Allegiance behind the Gates of Sandringham from the Parish Church the coffin was put onto the gun carriage and the impressively simple cage began the slow procession to the station Ben reverently transferred the coffin into the funeral coach of the [Music] train through the London streets where so often the eager crowds had cheered the procession wns its silent way this is London's day of morning it is said that Churchill took this death very badly and that the those around him did not realize the extent to which he felt great sadness for the loss of the Monarch and now the Palace of St James the center of the Commonwealth London the Heralds come out the court officials of Great Britain watching is the man who has shaped so much of our destiny here with the Earl Marshall of England the Duke of Norfolk watching the ancient formula is carried out the Sovereign to be is proclaimed by g king at Arms Churchill fell into a bout of depression it is often said that great creative minds are the incubator of mental illness glorious memory by whose dece the crown is Solly and rightfully come to the high and mighty princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary we therefore the Lord's spiritual and temporal of this realm being here assisted with these of his late Majesty's privy council with representatives of other members of the Commonwealth with other principal gentlemen of quality with the with the King now dead someone had to fill his role and rule over the UK that person was to be his eldest daughter Elizabeth hers by WR of succession the princess Elizabeth has agreed to accept the crown and Rule as Queen well I think the the reason that that the queen is referred to by some historians as the unlikely Queen is that you know she wasn't prepared to be Queen she was married in 1947 um and she expected to have a proper longish married life before her father died but he died quite suddenly so she was an unlikely Queen and also she wasn't designated to be Queen because her uncle uh who became Edward VII very briefly abdicated and put Elizabeth directly in the line of succession when their Uncle David as he was known to the family otherwise King Edward VII abdicated it was Princess Elizabeth who told Princess Margaret and she said Uncle David's going away and papa is to be king and Princess Margaret said to her does that mean you're going to be Queen and Elizabeth said yes one day because they weren't first in line for the throne the family were able to live quite a reserved life privileged but reserved she did have a happy childhood you know that um King George V 6 her father or the Duke of York as he then was he always referred to his himself his wife and two daughters as us for and they were a royal family within the broader royal family um but because they they never anticipated their ranks and their position and and their responsibilities changing they were very much they anticipated carrying on as being this very close-knit very loving us for you know so they Princess Margaret and her sister did have hugely enjoyable and very loving childhood with George now King eldest daughter Elizabeth was Air presumptive at only 10 years old she was prepped for the role from a young Agee with the expectation of one day taking her father's place however no one saw that day coming so soon upon hearing the news of the King's death Elizabeth was expected to return to London immediately Ely and begin preparing for her new duties as head of state and the Queen of England princess Elizabeth became Queen in February 1952 and the coronation was in June 1953 in his grief Churchill initially showed little enthusiasm to work with the young Queen Elizabeth and doubted her capabilities referring to her as only a child whom he barely knew well when when the queen came to the throne she was only 26 and and Churchill made the remark to his private secretary but she's a child but she wasn't a child she was very sophisticated and mature mentally and it was a man's world and you know women were really subservient in those days and the queen was walking into this world of men who were all much much older than her but and also she hadn't really you know being taught she said there was no way to be taught all she did was she watched what her father did and followed him this sentiment was shared by many who feared that she just wasn't sufficiently prepared however this quickly changed and it is thought that he then took it upon himself to honor his dear old friend and to make sure Elizabeth knew her role her responsibilities and her Duty as Sovereign and to make certain he offered her every possible support on June the 2nd 1953 Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England over a year after her father's passing aged only 25 the Queen's coronation was perhaps one of the greatest and most memorable events of the century there was however a bone of contention between Churchill and the queen these being the early days of television and mass communication her majesty and Prince Philip felt it important to televise the event live for all to see but Churchill felt this would be most unfitting and it would allow the Ordinary People to get too close to the Mystique of their Monarch the queen prevailed and the momentous event was broadcast live on television to the nation and relay to other parts of the Empire and Commonwealth the world shared in the Pomp and grandiosity of the ceremony and celebrated the coronation of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II Churchill's entrance to the occasion cemented Winston's position as a beloved National Treasure as he waited to be almost the last to arrive waving royally to the cheering crowds Churchill's daughter Mary is reported to have said that the queen had quickly captivated him and he had acknowledged her immense sense of Duty Churchill was of course born during the reign of Queen Victoria so when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned it is said he was thrilled to once again sing the national anthem as God Save the [Music] Queen the late King's Daughter became England's second Queen Elizabeth carefully rear to her responsibilities she has already captured the affections of Britain during her short reign he had seen Elizabeth's Devotion to the crown and her country firsthand and slowly he warmed to the young Queen for both of them the Queen's weekly meetings with her prime minister became a pleasure rather than a chore and it is widely reported that a healthy mutual respect grew between them underpinned by Mutual admiration for the ways in which they both discharged their duties to the country as ever the prime minister's audience with the Monarch is kept absolutely confidental IAL they meet once a week every week and there is no record kept of anything said during these meetings it is just the queen and the prime minister with no Witnesses no recordings or minutes taken however those waiting outside whilst unable to hear the exact details of their conversations have told of times when they would hear roaring laughter coming from the room Churchill would often emerge from Their audience wiping his ey eyes from tears of laughter and chuckling to himself as he made his way back to the cut and thrust of the political world as a young and inexperienced Queen and with Churchill being her first prime minister it is said that he coached her thoroughly in the complexities and intricacies of British Politics the Constitution and the government with his many years of wisdom and diplomacy it is thought that the queen was enormously grateful for his knowledge and guidance particular particularly during those early years as she found her feet determined to keep her promise of devoting her life to her duties to her [Music] people over time Churchill and his Queen grew closer and developed an enduring friendship his respect and appreciation for the monarchy only grew and it is believed that the queen held great affection and fondness for Winston but it wasn't a perfect relationship between between the queen and her prime minister years before in 1947 the queen had married Prince Phillip then known by his newly adopted surname Philip mountbatten that of his uncle Lord mountbatten needless to say it is common for a woman to take the surname of her husband and for their descendants also to share that surname Lord mount Batton then declared it was the house of Mount baton that reigned however when Queen Mary Queen Elizabeth grandmother heard of the plan she spoke with Churchill and they agreed that it must remain the house of Windsor Queen Elizabeth agreed and issued a Royal Proclamation declaring such famously Prince philli was grieved by this and said I am nothing but a bloody amoeba I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children the grandiosity of the royal wedding was also a topic of debate within the Royal walls well when uh Elizabeth and philli got engaged they decided that because London was ravaged by War and you know a lot of the buildings were absolutely rubble and and there was you know there was unemployment there was rationing it was in a really bad place the government or the king thought well let's have a very quiet wedding at St George's Chapel Windsor no point no ceremony will just you know be very private but then the government surprisingly said no no no we need to lift the people's Spirits let's have a beautiful royal wedding that everybody can see so that is what ended up happening um and and it was televised and eventually um the the television got to America so it was it became a global Affair and it did live people Spirits in London hugely to see this beautiful young couple um married you know no one had seen anything like that for for the years of the war another alleged small Rift grew between Churchill the queen and Prince Phillip Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of The Sovereign and Churchill insisted that the queen and Prince philli move in immediately this caused some considerable dismay to the royal couple as they had put a great deal of time and effort into creating a home for themselves at clarence's house there was reportedly significant push back and upset but they eventually agreed and moved into Buckingham Palace reputed at the time to be cold drafty and damp well I think Prince philli never envisaged that his young princess would become Queen so quickly and they thought they had years ahead of them so I think it was very difficult when suddenly his wife became Queen and you know he was demoted if you like to Forever walked two steps behind and he was treated very badly by the stuffy old courters at the palace and you know they they thought he was an interloper you know he was far too German and um although he was a Greek Prince you know he had a lot of German blood so they just called him and they just thought he was German and so it was very very difficult for him 3 weeks after the coronation Churchill's Health went into rapid decline he had a sudden and significant stroke causing partial paralysis he was taken back to his home Chartwell and given time to recover however this was Kept Secret from the House of Commons and from the queen they were told he was suffering from exhaustion but the truth was revealed a year later much to the surprise of them all King George V 6 had been trying to persuade Winston to retire as he and his wife were concerned over Winston's Health ironically the King's death and and the introduction of the new monarch gave Churchill reason to carry on and to maintain some degree of continuity the ill health of Churchill's successor Anthony Eden was another reason for Winston to carry on Eden had had an abdominal operation that didn't go quite to plan so churcher remained in place as prime minister churcher resigned as prime minister in 1955 at 80 years of age though he remained A Member of Parliament for several years thereafter with advancing years and in poor health he was past his Prime and during those last few years much of his work had been conducted from his bedside during his illness Queen Elizabeth wrote a letter to Churchill stating that no prime minister would be able to hold the place of my first prime minister to whom both my husband and I owe so much and for whose wise guidance during the early years of my reign I shall always be so profoundly grateful Churchill describe the queen as understanding her duties as a sovereign by Instinct and of fulfilling her duties in exemplary fashion both publicly and privately he heaped praise for the work she was doing Churchill continued as an MP until the general election in 1964 1965 when Churchill died on the 24th of January 1965 aged 90 following another stroke plans for church Hill's funeral known as Operation HOPE not were put into action Royal protocol dictates the queen should be the last person to arrive at any function but for Church Hill rules were [Music] broken the queen chose to break with tradition on this occasion as she arrived before his family they were then asked to join the queen this was an extraordinarily sad occasion for so many the loss of a true Statesman a veritable and courageous war hero and the most admired and revered leader of the time tens of thousands gathered and waited in line to pay their respects Churchill was undoubtedly one of the most renowned political figures and leaders of all time with such a reputation it was clear that there was a great sense of mourning around the nation upon his death it had been decided that he would have a state funeral a very rare occurrence usually reserved for royalty and people of very great significance in a 2002 BBC poll Winston Churchill was voted the greatest Britain ever mainly for his efforts during the second world war though he was an undoubtedly skilled strategist and War her hero Churchill's power lay in his eloquence in his speech and writing when weaponry and resources were limited it was his high impact speeches that rallied Britain to believe they could win the war he would come to epitomize the very essence of Britain's wartime Spirit as a passionate Patriot and with complete Devotion to the British Empire and to the Queen's father King George V 6 Churchill thrived on what remains as one of Britain's greatest challenges in history World War II the very basis on which a prime minister has chosen is that they can command confidence in their Administration and there is little doubt of Churchill's ability to lead and to unite the nation in recognition of his devoted Service King George VII had offered Churchill the order of the garta but Churchill had refused it as he had just been defeated in the election however shortly before the coronation Queen Elizabeth offered it to him again in April 1953 and as he was at that time the Prime Minister accept it the order of the gataa is the most senior order of Knighthood in the British honor System outranked only by the Victoria Cross and the George cross and only awarded to the most distinguished and genuinely deserving Sir Winston Churchill will always be her first prime minister this great parliamentary institution the Palace of Westminster is going to miss Winston Churchill perhaps more than it's missed any other previous parliamentarian he has been a great Parliament man he loved the place and the place loved him [Music]

Channel: Royalty TV

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Id: 9LswHMX9XIE

Length: 43min 11sec (2591 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 10 2023