Archived from Thursday, November 13, 2008
Robert Hardman, writer and associate producer of the documentary "Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work," had unprecedented access to the royal family and will answer your questions about the world's most famous family.
Archived Chat
Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us. We are thrilled to welcome Robert Hardman, Associate Producer of Monarchy and author of the book "A Year with the Queen." Hi Robert. Let's get started with the first question.
kathleen, san francisco:
What got you interested in this topic?
Robert Hardman:
Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the opening part of the series last night.
I have always been interested in history and, as a journalist, it is amazing how many aspects of British national life interlink with the Crown - from the legal system to the stamp on our passports to the face on the coins. So, when I had the opportunity to start covering the Monarchy, I needed no encouragement.
I have always been interested in history and, as a journalist, it is amazing how many aspects of British national life interlink with the Crown - from the legal system to the stamp on our passports to the face on the coins. So, when I had the opportunity to start covering the Monarchy, I needed no encouragement.
Derek Taplin, Winnipeg, Manitoba:
Do you perceive the monarchy will endure the future as it is? Will the Queen's passing be the beginning of the end for them? *
Robert Hardman:
A popular saying among senior Palace staff is the line from Lampedusa's The Leopard (I paraphrase) : 'If things are going to stay the same, then things will have to change.' The Monarchy has been changing throughout its history. When it refuses to change, as Charles I discovered, it falls. So the institution will inevitably be different in the future. For example, I imagine that the core 'family' - the number doing official engagements - will reduce in size over time. The Queen is now the oldest Monarch in British history - and, in 2015, her reign will become the longest in history. So, the new Elizabethan era will be a tough act to follow. But all great institutions survive by adapting to the needs and demands of the age.Prince Charles is now the oldest Prince of Wales in history; he has been active in public life longer than any politician so he has vast experience (he will turn 60 tomorrow). Prince William has shown a maturity beyond his years in his approach to royal duty. So, I think the Crown is in safe hands. Its greatest enemy is complacency.
Neil Welton, London, United Kingdom:
Since making this documentary, has your opinion of The Royal Family changed? If so, in what way? *
Robert Hardman:
Having spent ten years as a royal correspondent, I thought I knew a lot about the subject. But then when we really got inside the institution, I realised how little I knew. For example, I had not been aware of the attention to detail. When you look at the planning of everything from a state banquet to a garden party, or the fact that every letter sent to the Queen is logged and a good proportion reach the top, then you start to realise that this is not just a constitutional operation. It is, in the words of one member of the Palace staff, ' in the feelgood business'. And the more we looked, the more we saw how the institution is always evolving. You might think that a 1000-year-old operation was stuck in the past, but it just keeps on changing. It's not just about having pop concerts in the garden or opening up the accounts to the public. A willingness to try new ideas runs through the whole corporate mindset. For example, while we were there, one guy turned up to take part in a science exhibition and asked if he could drill a hole the Ballroom ceiling and hang up a lifesize pterodactyl (winged dinosaur). I thought they would show him the door. But the Queen was delighted.
Brent Isaacs:
Has the Queen ever granted an interview on television and if so when?
Robert Hardman:
No. She does an annual Christmas broadcast and makes many speeches but she does not do interviews.
Stacey:
How would you answer people who say royal family members don't work?
Robert Hardman:
Members of the Royal Family do not have a 'job' in the conventional sense. They have a way of life governed by tradition and a sense of duty. Politicians seek office and then retire from it. Being royal is a cradle to grave existence. There is no retirement and no retreat from that duty. Is it work? Well, they never have to wait for their bags at the luggage carousel. But then, the rest of us do not have to get straight off the plane, make a speech and shake 1,000 hands.
Kioko, Nairobi, Kenya:
They seem to live very luxurious life. Is it financed through tax or their own money? *
Robert Hardman:
The Queen receives a payment from the state called the Civil List which covers the cost of her duties as head of state. It's been fixed at roughly $15 million dollars for a 20-year period since 1990. That covers all the wages of the staff etc. The bulk of the royal bill - about $40 million dollars - is spent on maintaining the Palaces and Windsor Castle. That money would be spent on those buildings regardless of who lived in them (much as the French state continues to maintain Versailles). Most of the luxuries - the jewels, the paintings, the carriages - belong to the state. But the racehorses, the private estates (Balmoral, Sandringham) and the bills for the other members of the family are not paid by tax. They are financed through the revenues from an old landed estate called the Duchy of Lancaster. The overall cost to the average Briton of the entire royal machine is one dollar per year.
mary ann, norwood ma:
Do you think interest in the English monarchy parallels the U.S. celebrity culture/obsession, or is it different? *
Robert Hardman:
It's different. Celebrity -like fashion - is of the moment. Fame fluctuates. The Monarchy stands for stability, continuity; in many ways, it is the state in human form. It is never in fashion or out of fashion. It is, simply, there.
Laura Rice, Johnstown, PA:
Does anything or anyone make the Queen starstruck? *
Robert Hardman:
She does have a remarkable capacity to make whomever she is talking to feel as if they are the most important person in the room.
Abby:
What are your impressions of how the death of Princess Di still has in impact on her two sons, both good and bad?
Robert Hardman:
I cannot imagine what it must have been like to lose a mother at such a tender age and in such an unforgiving global spotlight. The fact that Prince William and Prince Harry have matured into such engaging, considerate, well-balanced young men is a great tribute to both their parents. You can see Diana's impact in the way that they approach their work - informal, putting people at their ease - and in their charitable work. Prince William, for example, has taken on one of Diana's favourite charities - Centrepoint, for homeless young people - and is just as enthusiastic about it as she was. Prince Harry has set up a charity for orphans with HIV in Lesotho. That is exactly the sort of thing their mother would have been so proud of. What her loss really means to them is, of course, something we can never truly know.
Barbara, Old Orchard Beach, Maine:
Queen Elizabeth has devoted her life to the monarchy. How did the public backlash over the behavior of the younger generation a *
Robert Hardman:
While the Queen has devoted her life to the Crown, she is also a mother and grandmother so she has seen the ups and downs of the family from a very personal perspective. Having grown up through George V, Edward VIII, the Abdication, a world war, the Cold War, 11 Prime Ministers and so on, I suspect that she takes a pretty long view over the misfortunes and the bad headlines. But the popularity of the Monarchy has remained very much the same through thick and thin.
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Starred (*) questions have been edited by PBS editors for brevity and/or clarity. The original, unedited question can be found to the right under Audience Questions.
Continuing This Genre
I'm a filmmaker, and so I was very glad to see that this film was being produced. Do you have any ideas/hopes about doing similar features on the royalty of other countries?
(If so, would you let me write the music for those segments?)
on perfectand interesting documentation
It's a very interesting outlook on Englands continued pagentry and the politics of our time. Thought-provoking it seems to capture the olden days of knights and magic where women dressed like women and men looked clean and dignified. I hope to see this series continue through sometime to come and updates onthe Queen and her health. I'd like to know the cosmetics she uses and if she gets up early in the morning for The dawns dew which is supposed to be wonderful for the complexion. O. K. Pretty please, there will be more inthe near future. Thanks a lot. Happy holdiays to Merry ole England from Naomi Hamm at e-mail to the USA hamm_naomi@yahoo.com
Ghana's First Lady and the palace lift
Was the palace lift repaired in time to enable Ghana's First Lady to attend the banquet? What happened?
Lift
I believe she used the staff lift to get to the banquet since the guest lift was broken.
Robert's queen
Robert Hardman,
When ever I see the Queen,it reminds me of the Great Britain's
grand history.
And though everycountry has a history, the British has a live one.
Do you worry what will happen after the Queen's demise?
Thank you
c.tashi
english monarchy documentary
Mirror Mirror On The Wall is a more appropriate title for the English monarch ducmentary. The documentary is a public relations effort for the family. It proves the point that competition for personal attention is not tolerated. As a contributor to PBS, I do not wish to have my donation or public funding go toward public relations for one of the richest families in the world (who do not work.) Thank you. LM
Louise Mulberg
How can you say they don't work! I didn't see where the QUEEN gets a moment to herself.
THE ROYAL FAMILY
Hi Robert,
THANK YOU for doing such a fasinating show,I was enthralled watching it.Watching the ROYAL FAMILY makes us realize just how hard they workThat they don't just get to sit around doing nothing.
I too love history so in researching my family tree I found out that my Father's family was with William in 1066,so of course to see the WINDSOR CASTLE was of great interest to me.
If you get to do another show with the QUEEN please Thank her for allowing all of us a glimpse into their lives.I also exspecially loved the segment on the ROYAL GROUNDS and think that PRINCE PHILLIP does a wondreful job.I could imagine what it must have been like in HENRYVIII day.
Do you know how you write to the QUEEN and do the common people of ENGLAND write to her often?
Queen's Favorite Drink
What is the name of the Queen's favorite. I know it contained gin, but what is the name of the other liquer used?
Drink
I have similar question. I know that the person in charge of the wine commented that she drinks a cocktail of Gin and some other component and would love to know what it is. 1/3 Gin, then 2/3 of the other red liquid filled just to the bottom of the ER on the glass.
Drink Solved?
Oh, the power of this Web. I believe the other component for the drink is perhaps Dubonnet. I went to their website and found that a Dubonnet Cocktail is 1/3 Gin and 2/3 Dubonnet.
Quote from thier website:
"Originally an un-garnished cocktail from the 1930's, the Dubonnet Cocktail is now often served with a twist of lemon (sometimes an orange peel) but has fallen into obscurity in recent years. The Dubonnet Cocktail is said to be a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II, her mother preferred it served served on the rocks. This cocktail is also known as a Zaza."
Camilla and Prince Charles
Considering all the pain that Prince Charles caused Princess Diana with his affair with Camilla, I do not beleive
that he should ever be crowned King. I am so hoping that his Mother, the Queen, outlives him.
The show was fantastic and I ordered a copy and the companion book.
I was really surprised that Prince Edward had rejoined his family, and was working for the monarchy. The last I heard, he had given up using any royalty titles.
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