Unseen footage of King Charles over past 70 years to feature in new documentary

Previously unseen personal moments of the royal family and King Charles III flying solo are among clips to feature in a new BBC documentary.

The king will tell his more than 70-year story as heir to the throne, through his own words and audiences will have the chance to view unseen and rarely seen footage of him in Charles R: The Making of a Monarch.

The BBC was granted exclusive access by Buckingham Palace to unseen footage of the king from the 1969 documentary, Royal Family.

The footage shows the royal family enjoying a bonfire at Sandringham, the then Prince Charles flying solo, and the future king on a private visit to Malta in 1968.

There are also clips of King Charles on royal engagements, including a trip to the Royal Mint with his parents, and a visit to a North Sea oil platform.

Other intimate moments that have never been seen before include the late Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles and other members of the family taking a trip by hovercraft and the family sitting down to dinner on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.

BBC Studios has also been given special permission to use clips from the royal family’s private home movie footage, showing the king’s early love of nature, gardening and animals.

The BBC says the programme is told through the king’s own words, as recorded through the decades.

Viewers will hear the king discuss his childhood, including his memories of the queen’s coronation, as well as his school days, adolescence and investiture as Prince of Wales.

It also contains recollections of the king’s military service and personal commentary of his commitment to charitable work, as well as his private passions and the role of the institution he now heads up.

The UK prepares for the coronation of King Charles III - in pictures

Five never-before-seen images from the programme were released on Tuesday including shots of the then prince flying a plane solo, a visit to the Royal Mint with the queen, a trip to Malta when he was young, and a shot of the prince decorating a Christmas tree at Windsor.

“It’s a real privilege to be trusted with such rare, unseen archive material to create a new and distinctive portrait of someone so famous and photographed," said Simon Young, the BBC’s head of history.

“As their majesties’ coronation approaches, this film will give audiences a fresh insight into his remarkable life.”

Claire Popplewell, creative director for BBC Studios events productions, added: “This documentary brings audiences a treasure trove of scenes filmed across seven decades in the life of the king.

“Unique and unseen moments with contemporary archive sources and the spoken words of his majesty, Charles R: The Making of a Monarch tells the story of how a prince became a king.”

Charles R: The Making of a Monarch will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, April 30.