The Crown

At John Brown's yard on Clydeside,

the 4,000-ton royal yacht is ready for launching by Her Majesty.

Thousands of dockworkers, many of whom helped to build the royal craft,

give the Queen a warm reception

as she walks past them to inspect the yacht.

For many months, there has been speculation

about the name of the new yacht,

and there's an air of expectancy as Her Majesty steps forward

to perform the actual launching ceremony.

I am delighted to join you in Clydebank today

for the launch of this, the latest royal yacht.

I hope that this brand-new vessel,

like your brand-new queen,

will prove to be dependable and constant.

Capable of weathering any storm.

I now take great pride in naming this ship "Britannia."

I wish success to her.

And to all who sail in her.

Her Majesty releases the traditional bottle,

not of champagne this time, but of Empire Wine.

Soon, the Britannia will become a home

for the Queen, the duke, and their children.

Aah, please, Your Majesty.

Aah…

And again.

Aah…

- - Lovely. Thank you.

- Deep breath in. -

- And out. -

And again.

122 over 80.

If we could pop the stockings off, Your Majesty.

Still getting the aches on the balls of the feet?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record,

the less time you spend on your feet, the better.

Occupational hazard, I'm afraid.

Now, if I can invite you to come this way?

Nine and a half stone.

As opposed to last year's?

Not sure I want to know.

- Nine stone. - And the year before's?

Eight and three quarters.

It makes no sense.

In terms of diet and behavior, I've not changed a thing.

As we get older, weight stays on and is harder to shift.

For men, they say a stone a decade.

And for women?

Maybe, um… half a stone?

All right. Half a stone. By the end of summer.

Scotland as always?

Oh yes, heavenly Scotland.

Though slightly less heavenly without the cream teas.

Is Balmoral your favorite home, would you say?

Oh, probably my second.

That's a rather personal question.

I do apologize, ma'am, I…

I don't know what… what I was thinking.

There is another

that's even more special to me.

Give us a wave, Your Majesty!

- -

Thank you.

I had a call from The Sunday Times today, sir,

regarding a poll they've conducted about the monarchy, and it's interesting.

When talking about the Queen, again and again, the same words came up.

"Irrelevant." "Old." "Expensive."

"Out of touch."

Quite distinct from the way people talked about you, sir.

Really?

Should I cover my ears?

No, on the contrary. They described you as "young,"

"energetic," "modern," "empathetic."

And when asked, almost half believe you would make an excellent king

and would support an early abdication by the Queen in your favor.

- -

This story is running when?

Sunday week, sir.

When I'll be in Italy with the family.

Well, actually, we think the timing of the holiday is ideal.

As you know, a big part of your appeal as future king

is the prospect of the Princess of Wales as queen.

Yes.

So we've taken the liberty of briefing one or two friendly newspapers that it's a…

Second honeymoon.

Right.

- -

That's what they said?

Those were the words they used. Second honeymoon.

Good. Five minutes until boarding.

Thank you.

They're here! They're here!

- Five minutes until boarding. - Okay. Let's go.

- Hello. - Alexandra!

- Leonora. - Hello!

This is classic Charles.

On the one hand, he says he wants this holiday to be a second honeymoon,

then he invites Cousin Norton and wife Penny to join us.

Those two are so much part of the Highgrove furniture,

Camilla might as well be here herself.

If one were to be charitable for a moment,

they've been through a lot recently with their youngest.

Oh, I know. My goddaughter, Leonora.

What's the latest?

She's in remission. You know how it is. One can never be sure.

Yes!

- Hello, darling. - Yeah!

- Hi. - Hello.

Hi.

How are you?

- Good. - Can I have a squash?

I just wanted to say how happy I am that we're doing this.

- -

- -

Diana!

- Diana! - Diana!

What do you think? Shall we… give them some of the old magic?

Well, come on, then.

- Let's blow them away. - Come on.

- -

So the route I propose that we take

is from Naples to Ischia,

where Garibaldi spent some time recuperating

after being injured in the Italian Wars of Independence.

- Am I right? - Yes, sir.

Then on to Capri, to see the ruins of the magnificent Villa Jovis.

Then down the Amalfi Coast,

on to Sicily, with a final stop in Olbia,

on Sardinia, for a private view of the Museo Archeologico there.

Were there any other requests?

Some beaches, perhaps?

There will, of course, be beaches along the way.

And water sports?

And noisy water sports.

And shopping?

- Shopping? - Some people might like to go shopping.

Who?

A show of hands. Would anyone, apart from Diana, like to go shopping?

When the entire point of being on a beautiful yacht like this

is that we can escape from hordes of people

indulging in retail as recreation.

Me!

- I want to go shopping. - Me too.

Then we'll go shopping.

Thanks for sticking up for me.

That was brave.

Special treat. You get to choose between a bedtime story or…

Super Mario!

Don't tell your father.

- - Are you going back upstairs now?

God no.

Off to read the classics.

- Get an early night. - Love you!

- I love you, Mummy. - I love you too, my darlings.

These Italian friars… What year was it set?

1327, actually.

1327.

Not bad.

Charles and Diana seem to be the happy couple again.

What a blessing that would be.

For everyone.

What was that?

What was what?

That noise.

There was a mechanical noise.

There it is again.

Right. I'm off.

One last day cutting ribbons in Morecambe, then feet up for the summer.

As patron of the Church Urban Fund,

I am aware of the vast challenges faced by this community

and many others across the diocese.

The Milk Marketing Board is among the most enduring

and resilient of Britain's commercial enterprises.