Britain’s royal family: famed for its traditional ceremonies, dedicated service and lavish spending. For generations they’ve indulged their luxury tastes. And in an age of belt-tightening their costs keep rising. The taxpayer now gives the Queen more than £70 million every year. So where does all the cash go? Spending Secrets of the Royals, Channel 5 2019
Have the royals become an expensive burden or do they remain a priceless asset? ibid.
The grandest of her parties are the state dinners … To go with the best food only the finest wine. ibid.
They are also busy adding to their private property portfolio. ibid.
Each of them needs 24-hour protection. ibid.
How deep does that ruthless streak run? Conspiracy s1e2: The Nazi King, Channel 5 2015, re Royal Family
Edward passed on critical military intelligence to the Germans. ibid.
Mrs Simpson was a suspected Nazi sympathiser ... It was claimed she was having an affair with a key Nazi. ibid.
Just like his older brother Edward, the Duke of Kent saw Germany as a natural ally ... It’s believed he was in regular contact with the Nazis. ibid.
But all too often royal marriages aren’t what they might seem. The Royal Family: Affairs & Infidelities, Channel 5 2019
Captain James Hewitt served in the Life Guards … The pair met in 1985 five years after Diana had married Prince Charles. ibid.
In the 1950s the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, caused one of the earliest tabloid scandals when she tried to marry the divorcee Peter Townsend … In 1976 photographs of her in Mustique would send the press into a frenzy. ibid.
‘I don’t know that Anne had that much in common with her husband [Mark Phillips].’ ibid. royal watcher
The media were starting to take a close look at Fergie’s friendship with Wyatt. ibid.
Diana and Camilla were absolute love rivals. ibid.
When they fall from grace it’s front page news whether it’s what they are saying, how they are behaving, or who they fall in love with. The Royal Family: Scandals at the Palace, Channel 5 2019
No scandal caused as much damage to the House of Windsor as the day Princess Diana decided to reveal all about the state of her royal marriage. ibid.
Now that Charles’s affair with Camilla was public knowledge, Diana was determined to use the media to hit back again. ibid.
In his younger days Edward attracted his fair share of headlines; like Diana he courted the media with sometimes disastrous results. ibid.
The threat of scandal forced Princess Margaret to abandon her plans to marry. ibid.
Harry the Nazi: half a century later tales of a tearaway prince would create more shocking headlines in the tabloid press. ibid.
The Harry Rehab story caused a stir. ibid.
The press brought up old stories about the Nazi connection of Edward VIII, the Queen’s uncle. ibid.
Prince Philip has been known to offend his hosts. And that’s led to a string of scandals and a huge array of headlines. ibid.
A number of scandals involving their personal security. ibid.
What happens when their reputation is ripped apart by the press? Sometimes these stories emerge from behind palace walls, and sometimes they are played out in public. The Royal Family: Shame at the Palace, Channel 5 2019
The protagonist in one case was Paul Burrell … Over 300 items were removed from his home … ‘I live inside a royal residence’ … The story sent the media into a frenzy … ‘Her Majesty said, I knew all the time what Paul was doing.’ ibid.
Royal Travels costs £4.5 million in a single year. ibid.
Andrew the Airhead: Prince wastes £10k on private Scots flight. ibid. The Scottish Sun headline
The heir to the throne’s [Charles’] letters to government ministers ended up in a high court controversy … These letters have been dubbed the Spider Memos. ibid.
Prince Philip is one royal renowned for his outspoken nature … More recently his driving caused a major incident. ibid.
‘Charles is an irritable man and he doesn’t like the press very much.’ ibid. observer
Charles, Ann, Andrew, Edward were conceived and born in the same way as most of us. But let’s be frank, they’re different. Like them or loathe them, we know their triumphs and disasters almost as well as those of our own families. From glamorous youth to troubled middle age, no detail of their privileged lives it seems was too private to share. Paxman on the Queen’s Children, Channel 5 2019
Years and years of interviewing people making their way up the greasy pole of politics led me to the conclusion that representing their country should be kept out of the hands of those who want the job. The problem is that with a monarch, comes a family. ibid.
Your life is a object of fascination for millions around the world, and photographers jostle to capture every tiny triumph and tantrum. ibid.
‘The Duke of Edinburgh thought that Charles must be made a man and that he must be sent away to school like other people. Gordonstoun, Charles described, as Colditz in kilts. It was a kind of north country borstal really. ibid. Piers Brendon, historian & republican
Aged 18 and armed with two A-levels, Prince Charles arrived in Cambridge. The ’60s were in full swing, though you’d have never guessed it from Charles’s outfit. ibid.
The master of the college was deciding who could be his friends. ibid.
He became the first heir to the throne to complete a university degree. ibid.
The film was shown 11 times … Royal Family … the most watched documentary ever seen by three-quarters of Britain … The palace ordered the film be locked away. ibid.
This pouting glamour puss wasn’t the real Anne. She knew she was public property, but she tried to carve out a life apart from cutting ribbons … Sports Personality of the Year. ibid.
Action man Andy skipped university and went straight to naval college. ibid.
Andrew married feisty Fergie. These were weddings the whole world wanted; everyone loved them. Diana Spencer and Sarah Ferguson were box office. But gosh did they upset family dynamics. ibid.
Edward’s heart was set on something that really broke the royal mould: showbizz … A special charity edition of the bonkers TV show It’s a Knockout. ibid.
From the earliest days of flight the royal family have taken to the sky. Their favourite way to travel for over one hundred years the royals have loved to fly in the sky. And behind every journey, whether by private jet, chartered plane, commercial aircraft or helicopter, there’s been an extraordinary team tasked with looking after our monarchs on the move. We lift the curtain on five-star regal luxury in the clouds. We buckle up for some turbulent times and tell the story of a royal love affair that shows no sign of abating. The Secrets of Royal Flights, Channel 5 2019
The British royal family are the most well-travelled monarchy in history. ibid.
The royal wheels have touched the tarmac in over 100 different countries. ibid.
Edward VIII was the first member of the family to have his own private royal plane. ibid.
De Haviland’s success was remarkably short-lived. ibid.
Alongside their thirty bags of luggage, the Queen and Prince Charles always fly with their own personal bags of blood. ibid.
In 1994 it was when Charles took over the controls that disaster struck. ibid.
They would now find themselves under scrutiny as never before … A government investigation into the costs of maintaining an elite private air force. ibid.
Just over two months ago a close friend of Prince Andrew hanged himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correction Centre in New York. Jeffrey Epstein was accused of being one of the most prolific child abusers of modern times. Now Epstein’s victims are speaking out fearlessly … ‘He abused over 1,000 women’ … ‘Epstein enjoyed a 12-year friendship with Prince Andrew. The Queen’s favourite son stands accused of having sex 3 times with a teenage girl trafficked by Epstein, once as part of an orgy. We built up the most complete picture yet of the relationship and the Prince, forensically examining Epstein’s address book and flight log, and comparing them against Prince Andrew’s schedule. Dispatches: The Prince & the Paedophile, Channel 4 2019
Why are the British police doing nothing? ibid.
He was also known as Randy Andy. The playboy prince. He had a succession of high-profile girlfriends, and was mocked on the satirical programme Spitting Image. ibid.
Virginia Roberts claimed she had her third encounter with him [Andrew]; it allegedly occurred on the Caribbean island that Epstein had acquired in 1998 called Little St James. ibid.
For nearly a decade a member of the royal family has been dogged by questions about his friendship with a convicted paedophile. Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal, BBC 2019
‘I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady.’ ibid. Prince
‘I let the side down. Simple as that.’ ibid.
She says Epstein first forced her to have sex with the Prince in 2001 in London. ibid.