This Unearthed Video of the Royals Socializing at a G7 Cocktail Reception in 1991 Is Fascinating
An unearthed clip of the the Queen, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana at a G7 cocktail reception in 1991 is going viral.


- In an unearthed clip that's currently going viral, members of the royal family (opens in new tab) can be seen mingling and chatting at a G7 cocktail reception at Buckingham Palace.
- The video, filmed in 1991, features Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana and is a rare, unfiltered look at the royals interacting with other world leaders.
- The clip is originally from a 1992 BBC documentary called Elizabeth R (opens in new tab).
It's rare that we normals get a real, inside look at the royal family (opens in new tab), but an unearthed clip from 1991 is offering exactly that.
In the video, taken at a G7 cocktail reception at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth (opens in new tab), Prince Charles (opens in new tab), and Princess Diana (opens in new tab) all drink and mingle with other world leaders and VIPs. It's a rare (and deeply fascinating) chance to listen in on the private conversations that royals have during events the general public just doesn't get to see.
The clip has gone viral since being posted by @BenABrittain, and lots of royal reporters have joined the hoards of regular royal fans in sharing and commenting on it.
One thing that's stuck out to a lot of the people who have watched the video is the rude way some men, including former Prime Minister Ted Heath, speak over the Queen (opens in new tab) repeatedly during the clip (one highlight of the clip is when the Queen jokes to Heath that he's "expendable" after being cut off several times).
Brilliant clip of a G7 drinks reception, featuring Thatcher, Lady Di and even HM speaking French. pic.twitter.com/yntU5Zi0LcJuly 22, 2021
The Times' Valentine Low summed up the sentiment writing (opens in new tab), "What is noticeable here: 1. How well informed and articulate the Queen is and 2. How the men, including Heath, insist on talking over her."
What is noticeable here: 1. How informed and articulate the Queen is. 2. How the men (including E. Heath) insist on talking over her. https://t.co/9yIAwv4JTTJuly 23, 2021
After sharing the video, Brittain explained in a followup tweet (opens in new tab) that we have the 1992 BBC documentary Elizabeth R to thank for this footage. The documentary is available to watch in full on YouTube and is absolutely worth a watch:
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Kayleigh Roberts is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, covering celebrity and entertainment news, from actual royals like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle to Hollywood royalty, like Katie Holmes and Chrissy Teigen. She’s a Ravenclaw who would do great things in Slytherin. To learn more about her, google “Leslie Knope eating salad GIF.
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