When Queen Elizabeth turned 90 in 2016, she sat down with King Charles (then the Prince of Wales) to watch some vintage family movies in the documentary Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute. The King’s former senior gardener, Jack Stooks, has been sharing clips of the late Queen leading up to the September 8 anniversary of her death, and he posted one “cherished” moment from her childhood on Instagram.
In the scene from Elizabeth at 90, the late Queen and King Charles sit down to watch a home movie featuring Princess Margaret forgetting her manners. “A glimpse into a cherished family memory,” Stooks captioned the video. “Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles watching an old film of the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, enjoying a carefree picnic in the garden with their father, King George VI, and their beloved nanny.”
In the clip, Elizabeth and Margaret wear matching short-sleeved sweaters as they enjoy a sunny outdoor meal. Queen Elizabeth, who was known as Princess Elizabeth at the time, daintily wiped her mouth with a lace-trimmed napkin after sipping her tea, but young Princess Margaret had other ideas.
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Margaret downs her tea in a big gulp, tipping her head all the way back to get every last drop as King Charles laughs loudly in the background. The princess then gave the camera a cheeky smile before wiping her mouth with a napkin.
“Typical!” Queen Elizabeth exclaimed. “It’s absolutely typical.”
The sisters were joined by their father, King George VI, who Queen Elizabeth noted was “reading the newspaper for some mysterious reason,” and their nanny, Marion Crawford. It’s an interesting appearance from the former royal nanny, who was shunned by the Queen Mother after she published a memoir about her time working for the family.
When King Charles pointed out, “That’s Miss Crawford,” Queen Elizabeth replied with a simple, “Yeah.”
Queen Elizabeth (far right) joins her parents and Princess Margaret in the garden at Royal Lodge in 1940.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“There is something so touching about watching them look back at these moments from childhood, a reminder that long before duty, titles and history, there was simply family, laughter and time spent outdoors,” Stooks captioned the video.
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