Those poor kids. It might seem a bit strange, but that's the thought that kept coming into my mind as I watched this. To me, William and Harry are objects of pity - and for that matter so are Charles and Elizabeth and the rest of them. Who would want that life? A life which is all about doing one's duty without emotion, keeping a stiff upper lip, having your life picked apart by tabloids and your decisions made (or at least heavily influenced by) politicians and civil servants, etc. etc. without any real outlet for just letting go and being oneself. I actually think constitutional monarchy is a great system of government; I'm just glad I'm not the constitutional monarch, or even part of the family!
The movie opens with Princes William and Harry being told of the death of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The most powerful scene in the movie actually occurs very early on in a confrontation between William and Queen Elizabeth (Rosemary Leach) over Diana's funeral. William wants a royal funeral. Elizabeth says no - she wasn't a member of the Royal Family anymore, she was an outsider. To which William replies - "she wasn't an outsider. She was my mother!" We then follow the princes (mostly William as the title implies) over the next few years as they come to terms with her death and with their growing resentment of the paparazzi, whom they blame for her death, and their anger over the control various figures (from the Queen down through civil servants) exert over their lives. The particular focus of the movie is William's time at Eton College, and the various misadventures he gets into, being somewhat removed from the watchful eye of his family. Jordan Frieda was quite believable as William, I thought Eddie Cooper less believable as Harry. I found Martin Turner's portrayal of Prince Charles intriguing, as well as quite sympathetic to the Prince of Wales.
Is any of this to be taken seriously? I have no idea. However, I must say that whether any of it's true or not, it was a very entertaining couple of hours, and - even if not true - presented a believable enough portrayal of what it must be like to live constantly in the spotlight as a member of the Royal Family. Personally, I quite enjoyed it. 9/10
The movie opens with Princes William and Harry being told of the death of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The most powerful scene in the movie actually occurs very early on in a confrontation between William and Queen Elizabeth (Rosemary Leach) over Diana's funeral. William wants a royal funeral. Elizabeth says no - she wasn't a member of the Royal Family anymore, she was an outsider. To which William replies - "she wasn't an outsider. She was my mother!" We then follow the princes (mostly William as the title implies) over the next few years as they come to terms with her death and with their growing resentment of the paparazzi, whom they blame for her death, and their anger over the control various figures (from the Queen down through civil servants) exert over their lives. The particular focus of the movie is William's time at Eton College, and the various misadventures he gets into, being somewhat removed from the watchful eye of his family. Jordan Frieda was quite believable as William, I thought Eddie Cooper less believable as Harry. I found Martin Turner's portrayal of Prince Charles intriguing, as well as quite sympathetic to the Prince of Wales.
Is any of this to be taken seriously? I have no idea. However, I must say that whether any of it's true or not, it was a very entertaining couple of hours, and - even if not true - presented a believable enough portrayal of what it must be like to live constantly in the spotlight as a member of the Royal Family. Personally, I quite enjoyed it. 9/10