Rare insight to mark Anne at 70

PRINCESS Anne has taken part in a year-long documentary to mark her 70th birthday next month.

Filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the Princess Royal’s public and private life.

ITV said the behind-the-scenes doc “tells the story of a royal mould-breaker, a princess who refused to follow the script”.

It will feature unseen family footage and conversations with the princess, her children, Peter Phillips, 42, and Zara Tindall, 39, and husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, 65.

The princess will discuss the attempted armed kidnap she endured in 1974, and those closest to her will speak about the highs and lows of her life.

Friends and colleagues of the Queen’s only daughter, who will turn 70 on August 15, will also share their thoughts and stories about Anne, with many speaking about her for the first time.

The hard-working princess, who has devoted herself to public duty, has been described in the past as aiming to serve, but not to please. School friends will recall her desire to be one of the girls before she came of age, while her ladies in waiting will admit that they struggle to keep up with her relentless pace.

The documentary will also look

at the princess’s lifelong juggling of family and duty.

Viewers will see how Anne relaxes with her children, her grandchildren and her animals at her Gloucestershire estate, Gatcombe Park, while husband Sir Tim will reflect on their shared

love of the sea and other aspects of their life.

ITV said Oxford Films, whose productions include Our Queen At 90, Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy, and Queen Of The World, was given unprecedented access. Anne, who is known for her no-fuss approach, turns 70 on August 15.

She has previously been less than enthusiastic about behindthe-scenes royal documentaries.

In 1969, the BBC’s groundbreaking Royal Family film followed the Windsors for a year, offering the first real look at the private life of the Queen and her children, including Anne.

Anne later said: “I never liked the idea of the Royal Family film.

“I always thought it was a rotten idea. The attention that had been brought on one ever since one was a child, you just didn’t want any more.

“The last thing you needed was greater access.”

Oxford Films’ Nicolas Kent, the executive producer of Princess Royal: Anne At 70, said: “It’s been fascinating, especially in such an eventful and significant year, to follow the Princess Royal and hear from her family, friends and colleagues, many of whom are speaking about her for the first time.”

The documentary will be aired ahead of Anne’s birthday, but a date is yet to be confirmed.