Various well-known faces appeared in the documentary including Gyles Brandreth and David Attenborough, and they were happy to weigh in on their thoughts of the late Queen and decisions made throughout her time on the throne. One of which, was the time she let cameras into her home to film a show about life as a royal, which David had said was her appearing to “try too hard”. Gyles noted it as the moment that would result in haunting the royals for years to come.
Gyles noted that the decision to film the series had turned the tide into making them appear like “celebrities”. He said: “That was the beginning of them being seen as celebrities and that sewed the seeds that in later years, would come back to haunt them.”
He had also said that he believes she had felt they had “shown too much”. David then appeared and said that she had “stepped away from the formal role” and was “trying too hard to show that they were just normal people”.
He added: “The Royal Family is the Royal Family, they’re not like other families.” There has been a blur over their royal and celebrity status ever since, with popularity and public interest in the family rising over the years.
The documentary then started to focus on how things shifted to gossip about the royals as they addressed the rise of tabloid journalism, particularly looking at Prince Charles and who he was planning to marry, before the introduction of Princess Diana.
Another moment that was recognised in the documentary was the advert that was created with Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear, celebrating her 70-year reign. Queen Camilla appeared in the documentary to share praise for her mother-in-law.
She said: “I think duty has overridden everything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody have a sense of duty like she had.” The focus then shifted to her death in 2022 as a montage appeared on screen and she was praised for her duty by celebrities and biographers alike.