The Queen’s Green Planet: the David Attenborough X Queen Elizabeth documentary that we all need to watch
If only to see the Queen’s banter…
If only to see the Queen’s banter…
Queen Elizabeth and Sir David Attenborough are national treasures - two 91-year-olds (born within a month of each other) who are beloved by the nation, and while high profile figures, are rarely seen in an interview format.
Introducing The Queen’s Green Planet.
Queen Elizabeth and David Attenborough are joining forces in a documentary, airing tonight, to discuss the Queen’s new project on sustainability - and it is a must-watch, if alone to witness the Queen’s hilarious sense of humour.
The unique documentary will see Sir David Attenborough join Queen Elizabeth II in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to informally explore the trees in her gardens, but also to discuss her new project, creating a global network of protected forests, spanning the 52 countries of the Commonwealth - or as it is known, the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy.
And the film isn't just limited to Sir David Attenborough and the Queen - also featuring members of the Royal Family involved in the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy, from Prince Harry planting trees in the Caribbean to Prince William and his family in Canada's Great Bear Rainforest while on tour.
Here’s why you need to watch The Queen’s Green Planet…
The cause is amazing: The main focus of The Queen's Green Planet is of course her ambitious new project, creating a protected canopy of trees which will be second in size only to the Amazon rainforest - the first big time environmental initiative that she has given her name to.
The Queen’s supposed dig at Donald Trump: One of the teaser trailers for The Queen's Green Planet went viral after it was suggested by royal fans that the monarch made a dig at Donald Trump, looking up as a helicopter noise above drowned out their conversation and turned to Attenborough to tell him, 'It sounds like President Trump!', before adding 'or President Obama’.
The Queen and David Attenborough’s friendship: The Queen and David Attenborough have known each other for a long time, so their conversation flows easily and we get to see the Queen in a new, informal light. Even the documentary's director, Jane Treays, spoke out about her relief at the ‘informality and delight’ shared between the Queen and David Attenborough, with the two laughing together throughout the ITV documentary. One particularly sweet moment between the two sees the Queen telling Sir David not to look at one particular sapling. 'This one we won’t look at because it doesn’t seem to be doing very well,' the Queen told him. 'Somebody sat on it, I think, at the garden party' - prompting Sir David to double up in laughter.
The Sundial anecdote: 'Aha! A sundial neatly planted in the shade!' David Attenborough can be heard telling the Queen as they walk through the Buckingham Palace gardens, to which she asks her off-screen gardener laughing, 'Had we thought that it was planted in the shade? It wasn’t in the shade originally?'. She then went on to add, 'Maybe we can move it?' to which Sir David responds, 'Depends if you want to tell the time or not!' It has been reported that the sundial has now been moved.
Tune in to ITV tonight at 9pm to watch The Queen's Green Planet.
