The New Documentary The Queen at War Explores the "Most Exciting Night" of Queen Elizabeth's Life
Later this week, Queen Elizabeth will mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe day by addressing the public. But ahead of the British monarch's milestone speech, PBS is airing a new documentary called The Queen at War about the royal family's experience during WWII, and how it went on to shape Queen Elizabeth's relationship with her people.
The movie explores the entirety of the war, from the relocation of children—including Elizabeth and Margaret—to the countryside during the Blitz, to the bombing of Buckingham Palace, and finally to King George VI's historic speech on VE Day.
An exclusive clip from the new film (above) shares rare footage from the celebration outside Buckingham Palace following George VI's announcement that Germany had surrendered. The royals stood up on balcony alongside Prime Minister Winston Churchill, while enormous crowds cheered on below.
Eventually, Margaret and Elizabeth persuaded their father, King George VI to let them join in the revelry on the streets, an experience the Queen would go on to describe as "the most exciting night of her life."
No video of the princesses dancing down the Mall is known to exist, but the filmmakers did include rare archival footage, giving a sense of the day's celebration.
"There is no existing footage of the Queen in the crowd that we know of. She was in uniform; she was with a small group, but we certainly didn't find any. It was an unprecedented thing," Chris Granlund the executive producer of the film told T&C.
"It was probably the first time she'd been in a crowd of people of that size without it being a ceremonial occasion—[It was] probably the first time in her life, and probably the last time that she was, in a sense, free to wander, relatively free to wander and roam among a crowd of people in London. It is quite extraordinary."
The Queen at War premieres Tuesday, May 5, at 8 p.m. ET on PBS. (Check local listings for more information.)
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