Elizabeth at 90: A Family Portrait

Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute
Genre	Documentary film
Directed by	John Bridcut
Narrated by	Charles, Prince of Wales
Composer(s)	Edmund Jolliffe
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
Production
Executive producer(s)	BBC
Producer(s)	John Bridcut
Running time	90 minutes
Release
Picture format	Colour
Original release	21 April 2016
Chronology
Preceded by	The Diamond Queen (2012)
Followed by	The Coronation (2018)

Last updated September 07, 2020

Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute is a 2016 television documentary film made to commemorate the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. It was produced by the BBC and directed by John Bridcut, and narrated by Charles, Prince of Wales. Aside from archive footage, the programme featured extensive footage shot by the Queen, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Margaret, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The footage had never been publicly shown and came from the Queen's private archive of homemade films. The footage shown was interspersed with members of the British royal family commenting on the films.^[1] The film featured contributions from the Queen, the Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Lady Sarah Chatto, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy.^[2]

Reception

Elizabeth at 90 was positively received by critics.

Sam Wollaston, writing in The Guardian likened the film to a royal version of Gogglebox. Wollaston wrote that "While the Duke of Kent points out himself and other dukes, William and Harry admire the dresses and the jewels, Charles says wonderful a lot, the Queen says very little and Anne scowls. ...And fascinating because, whatever you think of them, this particular family does have a place in the history of this country. In some ways, as her eldest son says, the birthday girl's life has defined our age. Plus, it is a rare glimpse behind high walls, at the private life of a private family that really is nothing like anyone else's. And yes, some of it is touching, such as the young Elizabeth, as yet unburdened by her destiny, singing happily with her younger sister".^[2]

Writing in The Daily Telegraph , Gerard O'Donovan felt that it was "a triumph from start to finish. I cannot recall ever seeing a more charming, warm and – dare I say – human portrait of the Queen than this one...". O'Donovan wrote that the film "succeeded in blurring the boundary between public formality and private emotion...The result was a documentary that brilliantly sampled a full 90 years of a life both intensely public and guardedly private. A film that felt less like a tribute and more like a private view, and one you really didn't need to be a bonkers-mad Royalist to enjoy".^[3]

Related Research Articles

The British royal family comprises Queen Elizabeth II and her close relations. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the British royal family.

George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952.

Mary of Teck was Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from the accession of her husband, King George V, in 1910 until his death in 1936. She was concurrently Empress of India.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.

Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, was a member of the British royal family. She was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, and aunt of the current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. In the First World War, she performed charity work in support of servicemen and their families. She married Viscount Lascelles in 1922, and they had two sons, George, 7th Earl of Harewood and The Honourable Gerald Lascelles. The couple regularly rode with the Bramham Moor Hunt, among many other involvements in Yorkshire life. She was awarded the title Princess Royal in 1932, and in World War II, she was controller commandant of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS).

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, was the wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the mother of Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

Prince Michael of Kent, is a member of the British royal family, younger brother of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. He is a paternal first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, being a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary. Through his mother, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, he is also a first cousin once removed of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Michael is currently 48th in the line of succession to the British throne, but at the time of his birth was seventh in the line of succession.

Princess Marina, Duchess of KentbornPrincess Marina of Greece and Denmark,, later known as The Duchess of Kent, was a princess of the Greek royal house, who married Prince George, Duke of Kent, fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary in 1934. They had three children: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Michael.

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century, and is currently the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, later Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, was a German princess and the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. As the widow of Charles, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814), from 1814 she served as regent of the Principality during the minority of her son from her first marriage, Carl, until her second wedding in 1818 to Prince Edward, son of King George III of the United Kingdom.

Colonel-in-Chief is a ceremonial position in a military regiment. It is in common use in several Commonwealth armies, where it is held by the regiment's patron, usually a member of the royal family. The position was formerly used in the armies of several European monarchies. A Colonel-in-Chief has a purely ceremonial role in their regiment.

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, sometimes known as Helen, Helena,Helene,Ellen,Yelena,Hélène, or Eleni, was a Russian grand duchess as the only daughter and youngest child of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her husband was Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and they were both first cousins of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia. She was also first cousin Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen Consort of Denmark.

The Vigil of the Princes refers to two occasions when male members of the British Royal Family "stood guard" during the lying in state of one of their relatives during or as part of a British state funeral or ceremonial funeral.

The Queen is a 2006 British biographical drama film that depicts the death of Diana, Princess of Wales on 31 August 1997. Initially, the Royal Family regard Diana's death as a private affair and thus not to be treated as an official royal death. This is in contrast with the views of Tony Blair and Diana's ex-husband, Prince Charles, who favour the general public's desire for an official expression of grief. Matters are further complicated by the media, royal protocol regarding Diana's official status, and wider issues about republicanism.

Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms.

The monarch of the Commonwealth realms, Queen Elizabeth II, owns a historic collection of jewels – some as monarch and others as a private individual. They are separate from the Gems and Jewels and the coronation and state regalia that make up the Crown Jewels.

The wedding of Princess Elizabeth, elder daughter of King George VI and heir presumptive to the British throne, and Philip Mountbatten, a former Greek and Danish prince, took place on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey in London. Philip had been made Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich on the morning of the wedding.

The public funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother occurred on Tuesday, 9 April 2002 in Westminster Abbey in London, following her death on 30 March 2002 at the age of 101.

The Windsors is a British sitcom and parody of the British royal family, the House of Windsor. It was first broadcast on Channel 4 in April 2016 and stars Harry Enfield, Haydn Gwynne, Hugh Skinner, Louise Ford, Richard Goulding, Morgana Robinson, Katy Wix, Ellie White, and Celeste Dring.

References

↑ "Elizabeth At 90 – A Family Tribute". BBC. April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
1 2 Sam Wollaston (22 April 2016). "Elizabeth at 90 – A Family Tribute review – so much for one to learn about one's monarch". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
↑ Gerard O'Donovan (21 April 2016). "Elizabeth at 90: a Family Tribute review: a brilliantly sampled insight into the private life of the Royal family". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 June 2016.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[BBCPress-1] "Elizabeth At 90 – A Family Tribute". BBC. April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.

[GuardApr16-2] 1 2 Sam Wollaston (22 April 2016). "Elizabeth at 90 – A Family Tribute review – so much for one to learn about one's monarch". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2016.

[TelegApr16-3] Gerard O'Donovan (21 April 2016). "Elizabeth at 90: a Family Tribute review: a brilliantly sampled insight into the private life of the Royal family". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 June 2016.