Nobody knows quite what to expect from this two-part documentary about Prince Philip because preview DVDs have been unavailable. However, considering all the hoo-ha following last year's Crowngate affair, it's a reasonable bet that the programme is unlikely to ruffle royal feathers.
The following preview is courtesy of ITV:
A major two-part documentary series offers a unique and personal insight into the life and work of The Duke of Edinburgh.
Over the past six decades as consort to the Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh has been a constant figure in the lives of the British people, a fixed point in a changing landscape. But he still remains something of an enigma.
Bombastic and autocratic say his critics. Colourful and stimulating say his admirers. Famous for his so-called gaffes, while some of his initiatives have shown him to be a man ahead of his time, such as The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which has been an outstanding success and imitated around the world.
Granted unparalleled access over recent months, ITV has followed the Duke, producing a fascinating chronicle of the solo portfolio HRH has carved out for himself. The films include an exclusive conversation between the Duke and Sir Trevor McDonald at the Duke's Sandringham private estate (pictured) and never-before-seen cine footage of his travels around the world, taken from private film archive which he shot himself.
For the past 50 years the Duke has been a keen conservationist, with International President of the World Wide Fund for Nature amongst his roles. Soon after being released from hospital having been treated for a chest infection, the Duke invited Sir Trevor McDonald for a tour of the Sandringham private estate and the conservation projects he has initiated there, plus to talk on camera about his life's work.
At 86-years-old, the Duke shows no signs of slowing his commitment to public life. Cameras follow HRH on a range of royal visits and appointments including one for the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Uganda last November, where the Duke squeezed a flying visit by light aircraft to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, which he first visited with the Queen back in 1954. Cameras also film HRH at the recent state visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his new bride Carla Bruni. Throughout the programmes several eminent individuals including Sir David Attenborough, journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil, and Charles Clarke MP offer their assessment on the contribution the Duke has made to widely differing areas of public life.
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