Monarchy: The Royal Family At Work is a ground-breaking television production filmed in HD and is a must for any follower of the Royal Family. Monarchy: The Royal Family At Work offers a compelling and unique insight into the work of the Queen and the other members of her family through a year that includes over 4,000 official engagements, ranging from the State Opening of Parliament to a visit with schoolchildren on the outskirts of Brighton. The production also gains exceptional access to other members of the Royal Family, including Princes Charles, William and Harry, uncovering their lives away from the glare of the public eye. Following the Royal Familys work abroad, Monarchy: The Royal Family At Work goes behind-the-scenes of the Queens Royal Tour of the United States and includes an exclusive interview with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush who reveal personal anecdotes from the Queens visits, past and present. The 2-DVD Set also includes an additional exclusive 30 minutes of previously unseen footage.
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : Unrated (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.53 inches; 4 Ounces
- Director : Matt Reid
- Media Format : Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
- Run time : 5 hours and 30 minutes
- Release date : September 2, 2008
- Actors : Queen Elizabeth II, Tony Blair, Tim Pigott-Smith, Prince Charles, Prince Harry Windsor
- Studio : Koch Vision
- ASIN : B001AZIRVI
- Writers : Robert Hardman
- Number of discs : 2
Amazon Customer –
British television at its best
I love watching documentaries. Especially documentaries about Queen Elizabeth.
J. Lesley –
A film which shows one year of unprecedented access to Queen Elizabeth and her family.
This superb five part series was a true delight for me. I have to admit to a fascination with the British Royal Family. I understand that is not necessarily a popular opinion in Britian or in America but I have always admired Queen Elizabeth for her steadfast sense of purpose and her willingness to continue placing herself in the public light when it isn’t any longer necessary to do so. To watch an institution such as the royal family at work was entertaining and instructive and, at times, just plain fun. The film crew was allowed unprecedented access over a one year period to the daily life of this woman who at 81 (at the time of filming) had been on the throne for 55 years.
This BBC series is presented in five parts as follows, with each part being approximately one hour in length.
1. THE STATE VISIT – This episode shows the Queen both in front of and behind the cameras during a State Visit to the United States. Included are the State Dinner in Washington, a private luncheon in the White House, two functions at the British Embassy in Washington, a visit to Williamsburg, Virginia with a stay at the Williamsburg Inn in Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Colony, Richmond, Virginia and a side trip to the Kentucky Derby.
2. HEADQUARTERS – Here the focus is mainly on Buckingham Palace and the arrangements necessary for a State Visit from the Nigerian President and his wife. It was exceedingly interesting to watch how hands-on the Queen was in all matters even down to trying to help figure out why the lift wasn’t working.
3. HEAD OF STATE – Because the Queen is head of a constitutional monarchy she is still considered Head of Parliament (although in name only), the Armed Forces and the Church of England. This segment focused on the preperations for the Opening of Parliament, the speech given by the Queen, and her association with various branches of the military.
4. THE QUEEN AND US – The annual Garden Party hosted by Her Majesty was presented from the viewpoint of some of those invited to attend. This segment focused most often on the Queen and her changing connections with British subjects. At one very, very small day-care center she was so intimate with those parents and children that one child threw a ball which rolled right to the Queen. She resisted the temptation to play ball with the child!
5. INSIDE THE FIRM – This is the episode which features other members of the Royal Family. We see both Prince William and Prince Harry in very informal meetings with charities of which they are patrons and other Royals in slightly more formal settings. One of my favorites was when Prince Charles went to visit a small farm and had tea around the kitchen table from a tea set which was good enough for the family so why not use it to serve him? Lovely!
There is also a 30 minute bonus section showing footage not presented during the other five segments. Some were cute, some funny, but I found all of them extremely enlightening. As I would expect from any BBC production, this film is incredibly wonderful from a technical aspect.
If you are not a fan of the present Queen of England or a system of Monarchy in general, this series will not change your mind. I, on the other hand, was simply amazed to be allowed to watch the members of this family go about their daily lives while making their total of 4,000 appearances within a one year period. No matter what you may think about this Monarchy, they do much more than many people are aware of.
VickyNC –
The people assisting Elizabeth II in her official duties
This 2-disc set shows the official duties of Elizabeth II after 50 years on the throne.
The first DVD focuses on the 3rd state visit of Elizabeth II to the U.S. while President George W. Bush was in office.
The second DVD follows the queen as she carries out her official duties for one year. The documentary is actually about the scores and sometimes hundreds of people involved in preparing and accompanying the queen and making the events appear flawless.
The set doesn’t really cover her family or personal life. This is a BBC production that was distributed and shown in the U.S. on P.B.S. Elizabeth II is conscientious, engaging and takes her responsibilities as a constitutional monarch very seriously.
This set would be of interest to anglophiles and people interested in seeing how the queen functions in today’s world. It is not a historical chronical of her reign over the decades.
The photography is beautiful and is well worth the price. I enjoyed viewing both DVDs and plan to keep the set.
SC –
AWESOME show about the British Monarchy
I purchased this show after seeing it for the first time several years ago on the PBS television station. It is a superb documentation for anyone who wants to learn more about Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II & the British Monarchy in general.
It is comprised of 5 episodes & 1 episode that’s a special feature at 30 minutes long. Episode 1 is 90 minutes long, & all others are 60 minutes long. The narrator’s voice is easy to listen to and follow; the background music is very pretty & correlates with the subject matter of this series; etc.
Being an avid lover of anything to do with British history, I found this series to be very informational. I learned a lot from watching it.
Amazon Customer –
WONDERFUL PROGRAM
A unique family, doing a job that none of us would want to do because it never stops! Image, always on parade, always judged, having to be your best all the time. Exhausting. The royal family does it all, and with amazing control, dignity, and bravery. If you love the whole idea of royalty, if you love England, if you love heritage, history, you’ll love this.
Jeannette Perry –
A Winner
This is a treasure of a DVD set! Very interesting and full of information. Above all, it takes the time to follow the inner workings of much of what the Royals do and has lots of interviews with members of the Royal Family. In my opinion, the best of all the DVDs out there. Very highly recommended!
Katherine Leftwich –
Excllent
This is an excellent documentary and behind the scenes access on how the British Monarchy works in the 21st century! From the state visit to the U.S. to the graduation of Prince William from the military academy, all of it was excellent!
There is one thing that surprised me in this documentary, both the current President Bush and Prince Charles have this habit of telling bad jokes on certain occasions.
Melodie Raugust –
Queen’s aunterage
I think it was busy but i enjoyed it
Joe –
Monarchy: Royal Family at Work
Great video of PBS Special. Extra Feature not on PBS. Very quick delivery of item. I viewed a few segments on cable, but wanted the entire documentary to watch in order. The type of program you would enjoy watching again every few years.
ad hill –
Five Stars
Thank you a great gift