The Queen

Nicholas Witchell looks back at the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

When Nahid Persson Sarvestani, an Iranian exile, set out to make a documentary about Farrah, the wife of the shah of Iran, she expected to encounter her opposite. As a child, Persson Sarvestani had lived in dire poverty, watching Farrah’s wedding as if it were a fairy tale. As a teenager, she joined the Communist faction of Khomeini’s revolution that deposed the shah, sending him and his family volleying from country to country. When Khomeini betrayed his promise for democracy, imposing more violent measures than the shah had, Persson Sarvestani was also forced to flee. Thirty years later, she needs key questions answered and goes directly to the source. Surprisingly, Queen Farrah welcomes her as a fellow refugee from their beloved homeland, granting unprecedented access. Over the next year and a half, Persson Sarvestani enters the queen’s world, planning to challenge the shah’s ideology; instead, she must rethink her own. When Persson Sarvestani’s prior opposition to the shah surfaces, the queen shuts down filming. Yet, in the struggle to understand each other’s experiences, an unlikely friendship has blossomed. Confronting Farrah about the shah’s repression has become not only a political conflict but a personal one, and Persson Sarvestani’s objectivity is shaken.In this gripping, poignant consideration of subjectivity as truth, we learn that people write history. And can also heal it. The Queen and I couldn’t be more relevant as we reach across our own political aisles.

With exclusive access to the magnificent liner and its extensive archive of film and photographs, the documentary explores the action-packed life of the Clyde-built ship: an epic journey through some of the most dynamic periods of the 20th century. Built with the blood and sweat of the master craftsmen of the Clydebank shipyards, she helped drag a nation from the depths of the great depression and set sail as a symbol of new hope and a better future. Leaving Southampton on the 27th of May 1936 her maiden voyage to New York set a new benchmark in transatlantic travel.

"The Queen Carries On: A Gayle King Special" looks at Queen Elizabeth II's life through the eyes of people who have grown up with her, been honored by her and reported on her for decades. The CBS News special spans the milestones of her journey from princess to Queen, her public and private challenges, her relationship with Prince Philip, and more.

Queen Elizabeth II is Britain's longest reigning monarch. 75 years after the end of the second world war, Our Queen at War draws on interviews with a childhood friend, people who shared her experiences, and royal experts to explore how the war transformed a teenage princess into a legendary Queen.

The Queen has three official residences - the best known, Buckingham Palace; the oldest, Windsor Castle; and the most romantic, Palace of Holyroodhouse. Among the few working royal palaces in the world today, they serve as both family homes and as the setting for the business of Monarchy. Each has its own distinctive story - long histories that reflect good and bad times, triumph and tragedy and, of course, the lives of some of our most memorable kings and queens.

The Queen's Palaces is a 2011 documentary in three parts written and presented by Fiona Bruce that tells the story of the Queen's three official residences, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse which are amongst the few working royal palaces in the world today.

The Queen and Us, a substantive, meaningful and fond recollection, celebrates the remarkable life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II through Australian eyes.