Now Streaming
Learn how the longest reigning monarch in British history was shaped by World War II.
Learn how the longest reigning monarch in British history was shaped by World War II. Princess Elizabeth’s experiences during the war mirrored those of the public and helped shape her into the Queen she is today.
Now Streaming
Learn how the longest reigning monarch in British history was shaped by World War II.
Learn how the longest reigning monarch in British history was shaped by World War II. Princess Elizabeth’s experiences during the war mirrored those of the public and helped shape her into the Queen she is today.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Providing Support for PBS.org
Photos from The Queen at War
1/9
April 1945: Princess Elizabeth, a 2nd Subaltern in the ATS standing in front of an ambulance.
IWM
2/9
June 22, 1940: Princess Elizabeth working on her studies at a desk in Windsor Castle.
Lisa Sheridan/Stringer/Getty Images
3/9
The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret standing by a tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle in England on July 8, 1941.
Lisa Sheridan/Stringer/Getty Images
4/9
April 11, 1942: Princess Elizabeth talking to her father, King George VI, while he goes through the Royal boxes in a study at Windsor Castle, Berkshire.
Lisa Sheridan/Stringer/Getty Images
5/9
Princess Margaret (1930-2002) and Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II), both in costume, pictured during a royal pantomime production of "Aladdin" at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, December 15, 1943.
Lisa Sheridan/Stringer/Getty Images
6/9
Royal governess Marion Crawford accompanies Princesses Elizabeth (center) and Margaret to the headquarters of the YWCA, May 15, 1939. The princesses had their first ride on the London Underground.
Central Press/Stringer/Getty Images
7/9
Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret at the microphone for Elizabeth's first broadcast. She is the future Queen Elizabeth II of England.
Hulton Deutsch/Contributor/Getty Images
8/9
December 15, 1943: Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) in her pantomime costume as Aladdin at Windsor Castle.
Lisa Sheridan/Stringer/Getty Images
9/9
July 8, 1941: Princess Elizabeth amongst a syringa bush in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire.
Lisa Sheridan/Stringer/Getty Images
About the Film
Princess Elizabeth was a child of 13 when her father George VI directly addressed his people on September 3, 1939 to inform them that Britain was at war. This revelatory documentary will tell the story of the Queen’s experiences during World War II and how the longest reigning monarch in British history was shaped by the war.
We will learn how the Queen’s experiences during the war reflected the wider experiences of the public. She was evacuated, her home was bombed, she lost a family member, and she volunteered to help the war effort.
To tell the story of the then Princess‘s war experiences, we feature interviews with the people who were there, alongside historians, journalists and royal commentators who reveal how these years were so formative for Elizabeth and how, in many ways, it led to the Queen we know today. Meanwhile, creative use of extraordinary archive will immerse the audience in the Queen’s war - showing us what it was really like to experience the Blitz from inside Buckingham Palace, and demonstrating the role the Queen had in inspiring the nation.
Support for PBS.org provided by: