A royal invitation ITV Choice puts spotlight on The Queen’s 90th birthday and more

There’s a celebration of British Royalty on ITV Choice (DStv channel 123) this April and May with a slate of exclusive programming in honour of Her Majesty, The Queen’s 90th birthday.

The Royal Season starts on Friday, April 29 at 20h00 with the exclusive African premiere of the documentary When Ant & Dec Met The Prince: 40 Years of the Prince’s Trust and will culminate three weeks later with a two-hour broadcast of the Queen’s 90th birthday pageant on Saturday, May 21.

Many of the shows in the line-up are a first and exclusive broadcast in Africa. The full line-up is as follows:

WHEN ANT & DEC MET THE PRINCE: 40 YEARS OF THE PRINCE’S TRUST
Premieres Friday April 29 at 20h00

The Prince’s Trust supports 13 to 30 year olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. By the end of 2015 The Prince’s Trust had helped a million disadvantaged young people. With one in five young people in the UK currently not in work, education or training, it’s clear that the charity Prince Charles founded in 1976 is more relevant than ever. Well-loved ITV presenters Ant and Dec spent a year with the Trust, learning to understand exactly what it does, how it inspires young people to transform their lives, and what its influence has been on generations of Britain’s youth.
Through conversation with Prince Charles they explore his inspiration to set up the charity and his passion to help young people create the lives they want instead of the lives they were born into. With unprecedented access to fascinating archive footage and interviews with Princes William and Harry, the Duchess of Cornwall and pop star and X-Factor judge Cheryl Cole, this is the story of the organisation’s journey to become the UK’s leading youth charity.

ROYAL STORIES
Premieres Friday, April 29 at 21h30

Each of the five episodes will reveal a series of secrets about members of Britain’s Royal Family; which has at its head the world’s oldest monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Every show will contain substantial exclusive footage from ITV’s Royal Archive. Episode 2 will air Saturday April 30 at 21h00, episode 3 on Friday May 6 at 21h00, episode 4 on Saturday May 7 at 21h00 and episode 5 on Friday May 15 at 21h00.

CAMERAMAN TO THE QUEEN
Premieres Saturday April 30 at 20h00

A fascinating insight into the work of royal cameraman Peter Wilkinson, who has been present at the Queen’s public engagements for 18 years. This hour-long documentary highlights his unique relationship with the monarch and captures his work during a state visit by the Chinese president; at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace; on a visit by the Queen to Essex; and in Scotland on the momentous day when the she became the longest-serving monarch in British history. He talks about some of the most memorable and poignant royal moments he has filmed, including the days after the death of the Queen Mother and the aftermath of the 7-7 London bombings.

HARRY’S SOUTH POLE HEROES
Premieres Friday, May 6 at 20h00

Four wounded British soldiers, led by Prince Harry, prepare to take on teams of wounded from the US and the Commonwealth in a 200km race to the South Pole. All have sustained life changing injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan; they’re now preparing to race each other in some of the harshest conditions on the planet. Missing four legs between them the UK team are the underdogs and training in Iceland they struggle to be race ready. Not even last minute words of advice from The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace, can fully prepare the teams for the stark reality of what lies ahead. The second episode of this two-parter will be screened on Saturday, May 7 at 20h00.

THE QUEEN’S WORST YEAR
Premieres Friday, May 13 at 20h00

1992 was the Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’ – a year of scandal, tragedy and turmoil for the royal family that stretched the monarchy’s credibility to near breaking point. From Fergie’s topless scandal to Charles and Di’s separation to the Great Fire at Windsor; no one could quite believe the Queen’s bad luck. This film argues that the impact of the events of 1992 threw the monarchy into a profound identity crisis. It had long since lost its religious mandate but in 1992 it lost something almost as profound – its ‘fairytale’ reputation, its glitz, glamour and romance, its image as the perfect model family.  But what would it become instead and how did the Queen weather the storm of 1992 to become more popular than ever in 2016?   

PRINCE PHILIP: THE PLOT TO MAKE A KING
Premieres Saturday, May 14 at 20h00

For the first time this film tells the inside story of the tensions that were unleashed when the Queen fell in love with Prince Philip – tensions that would place huge strain on the royal marriage and would shape the future of Elizabeth’s reign.  Young Philip, it was felt, was “rough, ill-mannered, uneducated and would probably not be faithful,” according to one courtier. The royal and political elite disliked his German roots and they disliked his larger than life, ferociously ambitious uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten. This film draws on unpublished memoirs to show how Philip and Mountbatten were manoeuvring for a royal marriage as early as the winter of 1939-40, when the Queen was just 13. Philip’s German links were a source of anxiety for Elizabeth’s parents with the Queen’s mother reported to have privately referred to Philip as ‘The Hun.’ The Queen found herself torn between two sides and reportedly coming close to tears. The film reveals, for the first time, the complexities and frustrations of the Royal marriage as the Queen struggled to reconcile the love of her husband with the suspicions of her family and her government.

THE SECRET PHOTOS OF THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF WINDSOR
Premieres, Saturday, May 14 at 21h00

The intimate love story of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson as it’s never been seen before. A one hour documentary that offers insight into the romance between the King and “the divorcee” revealing, for the first time ever, more than a 1000 personal photos that the Duchess of Windsor gave to her gardener on the Duke’s death and which have remained, until now, hidden in a trunk of mementoes.

OUR QUEEN AT 90
(First and exclusive broadcast in Africa within five days of the UK)
Premieres Friday, May 20 at 2000

In this two hour landmark programme celebrating The Queen’s 90th birthday, ITV cameras have been granted close access to the work of Her Majesty and other members of the Royal Family across last year, including individual contributions from many key figures in her life, including: Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and leading national and international figures such as, Prime Minister David Cameron, along with famous faces from the world of sport and entertainment. Viewers will also see Her Majesty attending and hosting various events, including a reception for the Rugby World Cup and the Chinese State Visit, as well as seeing Her Majesty working and relaxing at home.  Speaking about Her Majesty, HRH The Prince of Wales says: “I said to my mother the other day, do you realise that when you reach 90 I shall have known you for 68 years, she had to laugh a little bit.”  As she reaches her 90th birthday, this film aims to offer a fresh insight into our monarch’s life and work; a remarkable story of an extraordinary life which in so many ways reflects the changing face of the nation.

THE QUEEN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY PAGEANT
Premieres Saturday May 21 at 20h00
(First & exclusive broadcast in Africa within 7 days of the UK)

The pageant to mark the 90th birthday of Britain’s longest serving monarch and much loved Queen Elizabeth II will be the show of a lifetime. Broadcast exclusively by ITV Choice, the celebration brings together international stars and traditional institutions to tell the story of a remarkable life dedicated to duty. It’s a perfect blend of formal state grandeur and popular entertainment which is guaranteed to bring a lump to the throat. Retelling the remarkable life of Elizabeth with joy and magnificence, the pageant is a fitting and moving tribute to a Queen – presenting quite simply the must-see event of the decade.

So, pour yourself a cuppa, plate up the scones and cucumber sandwiches and pull up a throne for a Royal Appointment to view these exclusive – and first time seen in Africa – shows.

Only on ITV Choice (DStv channel 123) – where you’ll find all the hits from all the Brits!