Royals at War

A journalist before I became a director, I worked at the BBC, CBS News LONDON and Libre Belgique, in short, in two countries with a constitutional monarchy, which, for me, a daughter of the Republic, was odd. I was struck by the importance of the ruling families and at their role in creating national unity. My experiences in Belgium and Great Britain showed me the degree to which their peoples were attached to their sovereigns. At the BBC it became clear to me how deep this affection ran. Far from the glamorous image of crowned heads, it was above all the courage of the Windsors during the war that reinforced the relations between the British people and their Crown. And it was that historic event that today explains the importance of Queen Elizabeth and her acceptance throughout the Commonwealth. However, the role of the royal families, linked as they are by family ties, during the Second World War has gone largely uncommented. Although the conflict itself has received enormous attention, this crucial aspect has been ignored. The families had to make a personal and national response to the international situation. The pressure they had to bear, the alternatives available to them dependent on their country, their handling of the consequences of the First World War…these are all key elements for construction of the documentary. What I find fascinating is that their personal decisions had repercussions for an entire country and its people.