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Written and presented by Steve Hewlett, the series is told principally through the first-hand testimony of those who were there: ex-royal advisors, editors, photographers, journalists, royal correspondents - and an enormously rich archive.
This episode examines how, after the tragic death of Princess Diana, Prince Charles hired a new type of royal press advisor in the form of spin doctor Mark Bolland. Then director of the Press Complaints Commission, Bolland got to work rebuilding Prince Charles's public image.
His main challenge was to create a degree of public acceptance for the by now non-negotiable Camilla Parker Bowles, but his controversial methods were not popular amongst other royals and courtiers.
The British Royal Family is a global institution, admired and celebrated around the world and currently enjoying a revival in popular opinion.
From the pomp and pageantry of the Cambridges' fairytale wedding, through to the birth of Prince George, the announcement of another royal baby, and most recently, the success of Prince Harrys Invictus Games, there is a new generation of Royals on show. Unlike all their predecessors the young Royals appear comfortable with the cameras relaxed, informal and self-deprecating. The message is a new monarchy for a new age.
It is all a far cry from the nightmare of the 1990s where, throughout the so called war of the Waleses, the bitter divisions within the family played out in the full glare of the worlds media. Indeed so acrimonious were the rivalries, they threatened to undermine and destabilise the entire institution.
But it was the tragic and untimely death of Princess Diana in 1997 that would prove to be the nadir of the familys relationship with the press and public. Widely perceived to have played a part in her tragic death, it also marked a turning point for the press and media. Something had to change.
Through interviews with those directly involved on all sides, writer, broadcaster and Guardian journalist Steve Hewlett tells the inside story of how the Royal family set about rehabilitating its battered public image following that devastating decade in this two-part landmark series.
Welcome to Reel Truth History, the home of gripping and powerful documentaries. Here you can watch both full length documentaries and series that explore some of the most comprehensive pieces of world history.
21 май 2019
