“We are honoured that the Queen has entrusted the BBC with such unprecedented access to her personal film collection,” said the BBC’s commissioning editor for history, Simon Young. “This documentary is an extraordinary glimpse into a deeply personal side of the royal family that is rarely seen, and it’s wonderful to be able to share it with the nation as we mark her Platinum Jubilee.”

“As programme-makers who have previously worked closely with the Royal Household on ceremonial and celebratory broadcast events and programmes, the production team were under no illusion quite how special having access to this very personal archive was,” added creative director for BBC Studios Events Productions, Claire Popplewell. “Being able to draw upon the self-recorded history of a young Princess Elizabeth and her wider family – and allowing the Queen to tell us her own story - is the very heart of this film.”

Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen will debut on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 29 May 2022.

BBC’s Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen will tell the story of the Queen’s life in her own words