Prince Philip larks about on tricycle in clip from new BBC documentary

The playful Prince Philip: Fun-loving Duke larks about on a tricycle and rows a boat with the young royals in cherished family footage released by the Queen ahead of BBC documentary

• Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, to chronicle life of late Duke on BBC One at 9pm on September 22
• Unearthed clips show an excitable Prince Philip racing along on a child’s tricycle while the Queen runs behind
• He is later also seen rowing a boat and playing by a lake’s edge with his children while donning traditional kilts

An upcoming documentary on the life of the late Prince Philip will feature never-seen-before footage of the Duke from the Queen’s personal collection.  

In a short video teaser of BBC’s Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, unearthed clips show a much-younger and excitable Duke racing through royal grounds on a child’s tricycle.

Prince Philip and Princess Anne can be seen riding on either side of their father as Her Majesty runs behind them giggling. 

The footage peeks a glimpse at the more playful side of the Duke who was famously committed to his family and deeply in love the Queen, practically from the moment they met as teenagers.

The hour-long program, set to be broadcast on Wednesday, features previously unseen footage from the Queen’s private collection. Above: An excitable Prince Philip races along on a child’s bicycle while Her Majesty runs behind.

Insiders also say the ‘historic’ program will allow family members and royal aides to offer ‘personal thoughts and reflections’ on Britain’s ‘extraordinary’ longest serving consort.

Producers Oxford Films – who have previously documented the Royal Wedding, Princess Anne’s tenure and the anniversary of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s wedding – were invited inside the walls of Buckingham Palace and given close access to the Duke’s personal effects for the hour-long documentary.

He would say that his job, ‘first, second and last’, was to ‘never to let her down’. 

Britain’s longest-serving consort is later seen rowing a boat with Prince Edward and playing by a lake’s edge with two of his children while donning traditional kilts.

The images reflect how Philip was able to spend more ‘quality time’ with the children when they were growing up, given the demands made on the Queen. 

He taught all four how to swim in the pool at Buckingham Palace and always saw them before bedtime.

And when the Queen’s ten red government boxes arrived at 6pm sharp — even at weekends — and she disappeared to read them, he would delight in keeping the children amused, often playing hide-and-seek with them in the corridors at Windsor Castle. 

He is later seen drinking from a trophy and laughing – reflecting his passion for sports, having been a polo player from a young age and a huge lover of cricket.

He was an active sports figure on the international stage for over 30 years, having been president of the International Equestrian Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation.

The hour-long programme will feature the Duke’s four children – and many others – as they share their personal stories and memories of the late royal, who died at the age of 99 in April. 

Princes William and Harry are among the dozen or more Royal Family members set to pay tribute. 

The Queen is not listed as a contributor to the show and is therefore unlikely to make an appearance.  

In an advert for the programme, Prince William can be seen sitting on a stool as he reminisces about his late grandfather.

He says: ‘He’s always been a huge presence behind everything we’ve done.’ 

Donning a white shirt and black trousers, Prince Harry adds: ‘What you see is what you got with my grandfather, he was unapologetically him.’ 

Zara Tindall, the Duke’s eldest granddaughter, adds: ‘You never really prepare yourself for losing him because he was always there.’ 

While Prince Charles can seen dressed in a dark suit, adding: ‘We were lucky to have him for nearly 100 years.’ 

The BBC said the ‘historic’ programme will include ‘poignant recollections, plenty of humour and numerous fresh insights into the character and legacy of this royal pioneer’.  

The programme was originally conceived to mark his 100th birthday.   

‘With special access to the Queen’s private cine-film collection, this film is an unrivalled portrait of a man with a unique place in royal history,’ the BBC said. 

Production company Oxford Films previously made Our Queen at 90, an ITV documentary marking the monarch’s 90th birthday in 2016. 

Neither the Duchess of Sussex, who has accused the royal family of racism, the Duchess of Cambridge nor any other spouses of the Queen and Philip’s grandchildren will appear, MailOnline understands.

Senior figures from within the Royal Family paid a powerful tribute to Prince Philip in a BBC documentary that features never-before-seen footage from the Queen’s private collection. The BBC has released a clip of its upcoming documentary, Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, featuring members of the Royal Family discussing the life and impact of Prince Philip. The broadcast was originally commissioned to celebrate the Duke’s 100th birthday in June, but has been repurposed following his death in April.

More than a dozen royals including Philip’s children – the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal , the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex – and their adult grandchildren, the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, have taken part in the one-hour program. 

The Duke’s son, Prince Charles, spoke of the longevity of the Duke of Edinburgh and finishes the trailer with a powerful message: ‘We were lucky to have him for nearly 100 years’.

Prince William kicks off the trailer with a powerful message reminding the world that the elder statesman was known to be an influential figure behind the scenes. Talking between images showing an energetic Prince Philip in his youth, The Duke of Cambridge says: ‘He has always been a huge presence behind everything we’ve done really.’ 

The short trailer shows Charles, William, Harry and the duke’s granddaughter Zara Tindall talking about Philip over a montage of family pictures and video clips. One video shows Philip riding bicycles with his children as the Queen runs behind them and another shows him drinking from a trophy and laughing. Speaking separately his brother, Prince Harry, adds: ‘What you see is what you got with my grandfather. He was unapologetically him.’ 

Granddaughter Zara Tindall explained the ever present leadership Prince Philip afforded: ‘You never really prepare yourself for losing him because he was always there.’

The BBC says its new documentary Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers will offer poignant recollection and fresh insight into the life of Britain’s longest serving consort.

The BBC shared: ‘The documentary-makers have been inside Buckingham Palace to meet the Duke’s long-serving staff and to capture his study, private office and library, exactly as they were during his seven decades at the heart of royal life. With special access to the Queen’s private cine-film collection, this film is an unrivalled portrait of a man with a unique place in royal history – by those who knew him best.’

Producers Oxford Films – who have previously documented the Royal Wedding, Princess Anne’s tenure and the anniversary of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s wedding – were invited inside the walls of Buckingham Palace and given close access to the Duke’s personal effects for the hour-long documentary.

The BBC added: ‘The documentary-makers have been inside Buckingham Palace to meet the Duke’s long-serving staff and to capture his study, private office and library, exactly as they were during his seven decades at the heart of royal life.

‘With special access to the Queen’s private cine-film collection, this film is an unrivalled portrait of a man with a unique place in royal history – by those who knew him best.’

It is not the first time the royals have opened up about the Duke since his death in April, with several members of The Firm revealing personal memories on what would have been his 100th birthday this summer.

Prince Philip died of ‘old age’, his death certificate revealed. The Duke of Edinburgh died ‘peacefully’ aged 99 on April 9, Buckingham Palace announced at the time.

Princess Eugenie said she was ‘thinking of her Grandpa’ as she led the Royal Family in paying tributes to Prince Philip on 10 June.

The Queen’s granddaughter, 31, took to Instagram and shared a heartwarming snap of the monarch and Duke of Edinburgh leaving following her wedding to Jack Brooksbank in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on 12 October 2018. 

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales also paid his respects to his father by posting an adorable black and white throwback photograph which showed a young Prince Charles welcoming the Duke home from a trip to Malta in 1951.

In a second snap, Prince Philip can be seen transferring his role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifles to The Duchess of Cornwall, during a joint ceremony at Windsor Castle and Highgrove in July 2020.

It comes as the BBC said last month that it was looking at ‘lessons to be learned’ after its coverage of Philip’s death drew a record number of complaints.

Nearly 110,000 people objected to the corporation’s decision to clear its schedules across both channels to run a series of mirrored special programmes, making it the most complained-about piece of programming in its history.

More than a dozen royals including Philip’s children and their adult grandchildren have contributed to the one-hour program. Above: Members of the Royal Family watch on at the annual Trooping the Color.

Prince Harry will appear alongside other members of the royal family including Prince Charles and Prince William to share their personal thoughts and reflections on the Duke of Edinburgh for a new BBC One tribute film.

Here, the royals are seen at Prince Philip’s funeral, which took place in April. 

The program was originally conceived to mark the Duke’s 100th birthday in June, but the nation’s longest-serving consort died two months before celebrating his centenary. Above: Members of the royal family lead the procession at Prince Philip’s funeral at Windsor Castle, April 17.

The Queen will not be featured in the program. Pictured: Philip and Queen Elizabeth II.

Princess Eugenie, 31, also remembered her grandfather Prince Philip by sharing a heartwarming snap of the monarch and Duke of Edinburgh leaving after her wedding to Jack Brooksbank in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on October 12, 2018, (pictured).

Earlier this year, Prince Charles paid a touching tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh on what would have been his 100th birthday by posting an adorable black and white throwback photograph which showed his younger self welcoming his father home from a trip to Malta in 1951.

It appears that only immediate family members have been chosen to participate in the hour-long broadcast, with Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge not involved, MailOnline understands. 

The broadcast is set to feature interviews from both before and after Philip’s death in April 2021. Above: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip pictured on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.

It is not the first time the royals have opened up about the Duke since his death in April, with several members of The Firm revealing personal memories on what would have been his 100th birthday this summer. Above: Elizabeth and Philip on their wedding day, November 20, 1947.

Pictured: The royal couple together at Buckingham Palace in July 1947 after their engagement was announced.

Earlier this year, the BBC also wrote to the royal family to apologise for the circumstances surrounding Diana’s famous Panorama interview in 1995.

Lord Dyson’s inquiry found the BBC covered up ‘deceitful behaviour’ used by journalist Martin Bashir to secure his headline-making world exclusive, and that he faked bank statements.

The trailer’s release comes as lawyers for Virginia Giuffre, who is suing the Duke of York over sexual assault allegations, claimed to have served legal papers on him.

Ms Giuffre claims she was trafficked by Andrew’s former friend and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the duke, when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law.

Andrew has vehemently denied all the allegations and legal firm Blackfords, who said they represent the duke ‘in certain UK matters’, has raised questions about how the papers were served.

Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers will air on BBC One at 9pm on September 22. 

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