04 May 2023 , 20:17
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When it comes to the Royal Family, we should always be wary of reading too much into things.
So I’m almost certain there was nothing to see here, guv, in the archive quotes in last Sunday’s BBC1 documentary Charles R: The Making of a Monarch.
Over grainy home movie footage of the toddler Princes William and Harry, their dad could be heard sharing his thoughts.
“William is a splendid little character. Very good-natured... Harry sleeps marvellously, eats very well.”
So, the heir was a top drawer chap, while the spare was a lazy, greedy, little git. Talk about the agenda being clear.
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I’m joking, of course. I’m sure neither the King nor the BBC would use a prime time TV show to throw some petty shade at Harry.
Harry Enfield as King Charles (Channel 4)Team Wills did seem to get a lot more airtime, mind – although, to be fair, that might have been because someone appeared to have carelessly misplaced all the Prince Andrew footage.
With the main event still to come, the BBC has clearly decided that its role must be to fall in behind Auld Banger Fingers as he finally gets to put the big hat on.
On the back of its much-lauded coverage of his mum’s death, the BBC can’t really be blamed for thinking that’s what the public wants.
It would be nice to see slightly more balance over the next day or three though. I’m not suggesting the BBC needs to go all Channel 4 with snippy and spiteful hitjobs from the likes of Frankie Boyle.
However, it could learn from another Channel 4 programme, The Windsors.
Last Sunday’s Coronation special of this comedy – think Spitting Image meets The Crown – got the tone just about right.
Yes, they may be an anachronistic bunch of privileged, dysfunctional inbreds – but they are OUR anachronistic bunch of privileged, dysfunctional inbreds.
That said, I think the writers pushed it a bit too far with Charles (Harry Enfield) and Camilla (Haydn Gwynne) announcing that they were going on the balcony “to wave at the idiots”.
There’s no way the real Charles and Camilla would ever say such a thing.
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Not out loud anyway.