- I think I've found it. -What?
The perfect house.
Where?
Malibu.
How can it be perfect if it's so far from home?
Because Los Angeles is my home now.
How much?
Uh, it's less expensive than the last place I told you about.
But I have to put down a deposit today,
or I will lose it to Michael Douglas.
Who?
Come on, Baba. The actor.
He wants it too so we have to move fast.
It really is perfect.
And, speaking of perfection, there's someone I'd like you to meet.
A girl.
For me?
No.
This one's for me. She's special.
If I bring her to London next week,
would you have time to meet her?
Sure.
Will you…
send the plane?
Are you crazy? To Los Angeles?
That's 50 thousand just in gas.
Trust me.
She's worth it.
Welcome to Monarchy, the Nation Decides,
the biggest live debate ever staged on television.
Good evening. There's only one thing the country's been talking about,
and that's this program and your role in the future of the monarchy.
These two telephone numbers will stay on screen throughout the program
as we ask, do you want a monarchy?
Don't forget, there are 14,000 lines open,
and they'll be open all through News at Ten.
The real reason why this program's on
is because we're facing the prospect of Charles III.
He is gonna divide this country…
You have voted "no" for a monarchy.
…choose their next head of state.
The overall public feeling is that…
You have voted "no'" for a monarchy.
The fact is that the cost of the House of Windsor compared to the cost…
You have voted "no" for a monarchy.
…is astronomical.
Let the Windsors…
You have voted "no" for a monarchy.
…while we choose our own head of state…
You have voted "no"…
…"no"…
You have voted "no"…
-Are they value for money? -My contention is this…
…"no"…
…drab country without the color the royal family bring to it.
Because the people of this country want to have the freedom
to be citizens rather than subjects.
-You have voted "no"…
You have voted "no" for a monarchy.
If you want to see a King Charles and a Queen Camilla…
You have voted "no"…
If you don't, then please hold up a red card.
-It looks like "no."
Have royal scandals damaged the country's reputation?
-An overwhelming majority says "yes." …"no'" for a monarchy.
In our final show of voting cards, we want our audience to tell us,
if you want a monarchy…
You have voted "no"…
If you don't, then please use the red card.
- Well done.
Oh, I did that in one puff!
Wish! Wish!
-Is this from you? -Yes. It's from me.
-What are they? -What is it?
-Oh, look. Just what I need!
Well, I swear by them, Lilibet.
They're very handy.
-Oh. -Ah.
Show me.
It's one of mine. It's, um…
It's Huna Mill, near John O'Groats.
-Yes. -It's good. Very good.
-Thank you. -Marvelous.
I saved the best till last, Mummy.
Oh.
-This'll be good. -Let's take that off.
Oh, what is this?
Oh, it's a…
Look, you press this. Look.
-That's terribly funny. -It's ingenious.
-You like it?
Oh, that is absolutely marvelous.
You should put it above your bed.
You always buy the best presents.
-Very good. Lovely, isn't it? -Yeah.
-Win anything this week? -Not a thing.
I don't suppose any of you watched that program the other night?
The monarchy debate?
God, it was awful.
I'm afraid I went to bed.
I started, and then when I saw it was going in our favor, I switched it off.
In our favor?
I'm not sure I saw it that way.
Is the royal family value for money?
More than half said "no."
Can you name three useful things the royals do?
83% couldn't.
Do you want a referendum to decide the future of the monarchy?
70% said "yes."
Does anyone want King Charles III?
100% said "no."
Oh, shame, you naughty boys.
Now, with a general election in its wake…
-What are the polls predicting? -A landslide.
For Mr. Blair and the Labour Party.
So I think we can safely say that wholesale change is afoot.
Mmm. Speaking of wholesale change, what are we going to do about Hong Kong?
The Great Chinese Takeaway?
-Granny. -She didn't just say that.
Why? Hong Kong's ours. The Chinese are taking it away.
Taking it back.
Philip and I are due to be in Canada on the day of the handover.
They're suggesting Charles go to Hong Kong in our place.
Hong Kong is clearly the more significant occasion.
Shouldn't you be there? As sovereign?
A monarch should never attend celebrations when a colony cuts ties.
It's undignified.
Like attending the wedding of someone you loved
and trying to look happy for them.
Been there, done that.
You go to Canada, darling.
Let Charles do Hong Kong.
Hi!
Oh my God!
Okay?
Kelly, meet G4.
G4, meet Kelly.
You're telling me
you had no idea your husband was robbing a bank at that time?
No. I'm telling you
I was probably out shopping or, um,
having lunch.
You know, the things women like me do.
Don't be frightened to play that last line a little sexier. Try again.
Okay.
No.
I told you.
I was probably out shopping or having lunch.
You know…
the things women like me do.
Mrs. Farnham, I have no idea what women like you do.
But your husband's looking at 15 years.
Wait. How do I feel about that?
She's angry.
Sick of being betrayed.
-The anger is all in her next line. -Okay.
I am tired of being unwanted!
Someone as gorgeous as you could never be unwanted.
Wait, that's not the line.
-I just went off script.
But it's how he truly feels.
The character?
Or you?
We definitely made the right choice with these architects.
Really think your dad'll pay for it?
I hope so.
But he can be hard to predict.
What will make the difference?
If he likes you.
Well, that's pressure.
But he will like you.
What's not to like?
You said he likes Scandi girls.
You could be Scandinavian.
I'm from Kentucky.
-You could.
They're asking for three days, including travel.
Hong Kong's a long way to go for three days.
Unless Mrs. Parker Bowles and I combine it with a short holiday afterwards.
On Britannia.
Which is her final voyage.
We could invite some friends.
Leave it with me, sir.
Might it not also be an opportunity for me to meet with Mr. Blair?
Why would he be in Hong Kong?
-As British prime minister. -He's got to win the election first.
I know, but… surely that's just a question of how big his majority will be.
True.
And I've always felt there could be a productive alliance there.
Two men of a similar age.
Both committed and impatient for change.
I'll speak to his people.
Table Four. Two lobster salads, one saddle of lamb, one chicken suprême.
Yes, Chef!
Right, service, please. Table 16!
-Sir. Madam. -Thank you.
-Salmon. -Lovely. Thank you.
And steak.
So,
what do you think?
She's cute.
Yes, she is.
Isn't it enough just to fuck her?
What do you want me to say?
Maybe
how happy you are for me?
But I'm not happy for you or for me.
Is it a bad sign they're speaking Arabic to each other?
No, they always do that.
Does it bother you?
I mean, it's a bit rude.
You get used to it.
Do you know her family?
Of course. They're good people.
But do they have money?
Are they our equals?
We have to be careful.
Do you speak Arabic?
At my age, it's hard.
And anyway, most of the time,
you don't need to speak the language to know what they're saying.
And this Maliba house?
Malibu.
Malibu, Maliba…
Ten million dollars.
Let me guess. She chose it?
Actually, we both chose it.
And what's the deal with all the sanitizing?
Oh, you get used to that too.
But I like clean hands on a man.
Don't you?
And I will pay you back every cent.
How?
With money I will earn. With movies I will make.
I'll win you another Oscar.
You'll see.
Don't make me laugh.
Recently, your company is a joke.
Flop after flop, all bankrolled by me.
I offer you other jobs. Directorships, serious things.
And each time, you let me down.
The one thing you have always had a talent for is women.
The one area where I think, "He might still hit the jackpot."
And you bring home a swimwear model,
expecting it to make me happy!
I think the point is she will make me happy.
Making your father happy should make you happy.
Bringing honor to the name "Fayed" should make you happy.
You two having a nice chat?
We are.
You okay, baby?
You are right…
"Baby."
1974 was the last time they won an election, and it's a vast majority.
Nothing can take away the magnitude of the Labour victory.
They got four million more votes than the Conservatives.
-This is Tony Blair's hour.
And everyone knows it.
Thank you. All right.
Well, a new dawn has broken, has it not?
We have been elected as New Labour,
and we will govern as New Labour.
And as we head into the millennium,
we have the opportunity to change Britain.
It is strange, the…
the human capacity for self-deception.
Despite all the polls,
I still felt I had a chance of winning.
Instead, my party has just suffered its worst defeat in memory.
I do hope the history books will judge my premiership
rather more kindly than the electorate has.
Whatever the historians make of it,
you will always rank highly in my personal table of prime ministers.
Very highly.
I shall miss your calm, forthright, dependable presence.
And I'm especially grateful to you for your help with the Waleses.
I am still frustrated I was never able to resolve the issue of the royal yacht.
And I gather the Labour Party is still committed to decommissioning her.
Yes.
It is just possible that the scale of his victory
will make Mr. Blair magnanimous,
and I could try having a word through back channels,
and I might be able to persuade his administration to keep her after all.
That would mean the world to me.
What do you make of him?
Mr. Blair?
Oh, I shouldn't have done that.
Well, the oft-touted criticism
is that his leadership style is a triumph of image over substance.
Much attention is also paid to his age.
Mmm. Forty-three, I checked.
The youngest prime minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812.
Whatever the criticisms, there's no denying his achievements.
He's broken the stranglehold the unions had over his party
and made Labour electable again, which is no mean feat.
And he has caught the mood of the country, in a way that I clearly failed to do.
Let's see.
True statesmanship is not confined to a time in public office.
And you're still a young man too.
Your Majesty.
One moment, darling.
Congratulations.
Thank you, John.
It's a funny old business.
One day, you're prime minister, arguably the most…
Well, the second-most important person in the country,
and the next, you lose your job, your car, and you're evicted from your home.
All before lunch.
I left a note for you on, uh…
on your desk.
Good luck.
The prime minister, Your Majesty.
-Your Majesty. -Prime Minister.
The new prime minister came to see me today.
So, how are you settling in?
After some polite chit-chat, I brought up the Royal Yacht Britannia,
hoping for a last-minute reprieve,
and he offered a new idea.
A brand-new yacht, but not paid for by the government.
-What?! -How, then?
By private finance.
At a cost of some £65 million.
Which means that…
…whichever individual or company pays for it would own the yacht
and lease it back to the government
whenever the royal family required its use.
What, like a rental?
Hmm, like Avis.
Actually, it's not that unusual.
In the modern, commercial world,
that's what they do for shipping containers and oil tankers.
Britannia isn't a shipping container.
She's a royal yacht
and a symbolic representation of your mother.
So, what are they suggesting?
That "HMY Britannia sponsored by McVities Biscuits"
be emblazoned on the side?
They're suggesting the yacht would no longer be Britannia.
She would have a new name.
Go on.
New Britain.
I rather like it.
Wait, wasn't that Blair's political slogan?
-Yes. -Oh, come on.
Next they'll want his grinning face on the side with a big red rosette.
I said if those were the terms of the royal yacht's existence,
I would sooner it be decommissioned.
So that's the decision.
Charles' trip to Hong Kong will be her last official trip.
After 43 years of service
and more than a million nautical miles around the globe…
the royal yacht is to be retired.
It was the first time I've seen it so clearly.
The toll that the past few years have taken on her.
And her distress or her grief,
it was not for the royal yacht, nor her precious memories.
It was for herself.
And the institution she represents.
Like she felt she was being decommissioned.
In which case, you must be ready, sir.
And the country must start to prepare for you as the future.
To that end, I had a look at the itinerary,
and I've managed to find some time
for you to meet with the prime minister one-on-one on the royal yacht.
I also identified one or two places
in the speech that Buckingham Palace has sent for you
to read out at the farewell ceremony, just to tweak it a bit.
Just to give it a bit more of your voice.
The only thing I haven't been able to change is, um…
business class seats.
The politicians, Foreign Secretary Robin Cook,
former foreign secretary Douglas Hurd, and former prime minister Edward Heath,
are all going first class.
And the heir to the throne is in business?
Afraid so.
Doesn't that tell you everything?
You're going to have to be very brave.
But I promise you, you'll survive.
-I'll talk to him. -I'm not gonna ask you.
There you are.
I mean, the excitement is being in a position to actually do this stuff.
Prince Charles flew into Hong Kong today
as the final countdown to the handover begins.
The foreign secretary, Robin Cook, criticized China's plans
to send in troops hours after the handover.
Dodi called me today.
To tell me he paid a deposit on the house in Malibu.
Good.
Be happy for him.
But what if he actually proposes to this girl?
Then we will give him a magnificent wedding.
In Paris.
With the reception at the Ritz.
Or in Scotland. In your castle.
My firstborn son marrying a model.
That's all I was.
You were so much more than a model.
You were a socialite.
I'm feeling a bit gloomy this evening. I don't want to spoil your night.
No, you will spoil it only by not coming.
Just one course.
Twenty minutes.
-All right. All right. -Hmm? Hmm?
I thought after the divorce, I'd be this happy, smiley thing again,
but I'm more glum than ever.
It's Camilla's 50th birthday coming up.
Charles wants to throw her a big party at Highgrove.
I don't want to be in the country for that.
Where to go?
I had plans to take the boys to America for a summer holiday,
but that was shut down for security reasons, so…
Why don't you come to Saint-Tropez with us?
Please.
No, I wouldn't inflict all this on you.
Clear off. Get out! Go on, get out of here!
Clear off. Get out of here.
My bodyguards are all special forces, so you will be fine.
For the boys, there will be speedboats and jet skis
and movies and burgers and french fries.
For you, there will be sunshine and shopping
and a big, new yacht.
And a helicopter and a plane to get you there.
You will think it's all very Egyptian and vulgar.
But you will love it!
So?
Promise me you will think about it?
Hmm?
Mm-hmm.
Your Excellency, Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
I've been asked by Her Majesty the Queen to read the following message.
Five hours from now, the Union Flag will be lowered.
The flag of China will fly over Hong Kong,
and more than a century and a half of British administration
will have come to an end.
And now the people of Hong Kong can look to a new future.
As the old certainties give way,
I feel hopeful Hong Kong's unique character and spirit
will be a lesson to the world of independence and progress.
This strong sense of identity…
…this deep commitment to its own way of doing things,
has been the engine of Hong Kong's spectacular success.
By preserving these liberties,
we are not merely protecting a people's way of life.
We are inviting the world to learn from their example.
I wish you all a successful transition,
and a prosperous and peaceful future.
The prime minister, Your Royal Highness.
Prime Minister, I'm so grateful to you for making the time.
Your Royal Highness.
Look at you.
The first prime minister young enough to be the Queen's son.
Winston Churchill,
who sat in that armchair a great many times,
was old enough to be her grandfather.
Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, her father.
Wilson and Heath, her husbands.
Mrs. Thatcher, her twin sister.
And you, her son.
Which I suppose, by extension, would make us…
-Brothers. -Yes.
Two men of the same age and generation. And, hopefully, of a similar mindset.
And I want to say, if this meeting is about the decommissioning of the yacht,
I want you to know, especially in light of having been shown around her today,
how bad I feel.
Why?
-Well, I… -Please.
I suppose I wasn't prepared for how striking she'd be up close.
Or… how remarkable the sense of tradition is
that you get aboard her or…
I suppose it almost makes one regret the decision.
To get rid of her? Really?
And here am I, thinking the opposite.
The very thing that has brought us to Hong Kong
has made clear that there's no point clinging to the past.
We must be excited by the future.
And what an example you've set with your party.
You've taken a rusty, old socialist tractor
and turned it into a gleaming, modern sports car.
-And look how the public has responded. -I hope so.
I probably shouldn't say this, but…
I think the royal family needs a similar renovation.
Not just in terms of size and cost, though certainly those things, too, but…
also in terms of attitudes.
My parents can be a little hidebound in their ideas
about, for example, how I should be permitted to live.
Divorces and second marriages… these things exist.
And the reality for many people today.
You understand that.
You understand the public mood better than anyone.
Don't you think they'd prefer to see a happy, remarried Prince of Wales,
rather than an unhappy, unmarried one?
It was pretty gobsmacking what he was doing.
Effectively briefing against his own mother.
Mmm.
But I have some sympathy with him.
Can't be much fun being the Prince of Wales
if you're an impressive man.
Is he?
Oh yes, with energy and a brain.
And a conscience and a beating heart
and a genuine desire to engage and make a difference.
Same with this yacht.
Magnificent though she is, the fact is, she's done over a million miles.
Her glories belong to the past. She's not fit for purpose today.
Of course, I have enormous respect for the people who advise the Queen,
but, well, let's be honest, there's a lot of gray hair there.
And they do display a certain tone deafness at times.
If we want to preserve what's best about the Crown,
then… two, modern, forward-thinking men might need to work together
to help protect…
well, not only the monarchy's future, but…
as heir to the throne, my future too.
To be stuck in a system that wants you to be nothing. No one.
Without a voice.
"…and the leader of the bushmen attached himself to this man
as if it was his natural right, but soon a remarkable change set in."
That is so good.
It would be like being trapped for eternity in opposition.
I mean, we had 18 years. That was bad enough.
He's already had 50.
It can't be easy knowing your own mother has the final say
on who you can or can't marry.
Hmm.
Imagine if your mum had a veto over me.
She wouldn't have dared.
Hong Kong's new dawn heralded a new military power today.
Troops of China's People's Liberation Army, the PLA,
trundled across the border as a friendly invasion.
But it is the sight of armored personnel carriers
that has stirred particular unease in some quarters.
The Prince of Wales Barracks on Hong Kong Island
was the British military headquarters until midnight last night.
But no more.
Today, inscrutable Chinese sentries came face to face with…
Your Majesty.
…struggling home after a long and liquid night.
The PLA arrived--
One or two bits and pieces, if I may.
The Princess of Wales has asked permission
to take the princes with her on a holiday in the South of France,
as guests of Mohamed Al Fayed.
Should we go back with a "no"?
That would be my preference,
but it is Diana's turn with the boys this year.
Which is what I'm told divorced couples call "parenting."
So it's none of my business.
Ma'am.
Was that the bit?
I'm bracing myself for the pieces.
The Prince of Wales…
Go on.
…is believed to have granted the prime minister a private audience
while in Hong Kong,
before heading off on a private holiday with Mrs. Parker Bowles and some friends
on the royal yacht.
I've taken the liberty of drafting a statement
clarifying that the holiday was at the Prince's expense.
But that doesn't deal with the private audience.
What do you think they discussed?
The ostensible subject was the future of Britain in the region.
Will you ask the Prince of Wales to come and see me as soon as he has a moment?
Ma'am.
And before she is decommissioned,
do you think I might be allowed to say my own private farewell to Britannia?
Of course.
Let me arrange that.
Your Royal Highness.
The Prince of Wales, Your Majesty.
Mummy.
How was Canada?
Wonderful, thank you.
Not a spot of rain.
No, I'm afraid I got the rain. Almost drowned out my speech.
My speech.
I hope it didn't spoil your subsequent holiday
in the… Where was it?
Uh, Manila and the Paracel Islands.
I must say, I was surprised to hear of the trip.
And that you would use the royal yacht
as a place to conduct your affair with Mrs. Parker Bowles.
My affair, Mummy? I'm an unmarried man.
Divorced man whose wife is still alive.
Are we really having this conversation?
Camilla and I are mature, willing adults.
-No doubting the "willing." -Who make one another happy.
No doubting that either.
But isn't it time you asked yourself,
what good can ultimately come of it when the public is so against it?
This is madness.
I tend to agree.
For years, Diana has washed her dirty linen in public.
She's thrown endless grenades over the Palace gates trying to blow us all up.
And throughout this, Camilla has remained a model of
discretion and decency and dignity.
And yet you save your most bitter condemnation for her.
The prime minister…
Ah yes, the prime minister.
…a young man who understands the public better than anyone,
told me that what they want is a happy heir to the throne
whose private life reflects the world as they see it.
I don't want to get drawn on Mr. Blair
or whether he understands the people better than me or not.
I'd say he does.
But I do want to make clear that the only person in this family
to have a direct relationship with the first minister is the sovereign.
-Which will one day be me. -One day. But not yet.
When?
You should know the answer better than anyone
because, God willing, you will one day take the oath yourself.
This job is for life.
Let's hope there's still an institution for me to take the oath for.
I don't think it's my behavior that's threatening its survival.
Isn't it?
It hasn't been on my watch that there's been a complete breakdown of authority,
that a program on national television's made such a mockery of us.
The vote, as I understand it, went comfortably in our favor.
Less in yours.
In Hong Kong, I saw how easy it is to dispose of us.
Buildings renamed. Your head removed from the stamps.
150 years of living under the Crown,
they couldn't have been shot of us more quickly.
That's what happens when… we fail to move with the times.
You can't be blamed for living a long life.
Thank you.
But you have to accept that your… your values were shaped by Queen Mary.
Yes. Proud of it.
Hers by Queen Victoria.
Proud of that too.
I'm just worried, Mummy, that…
if we continue to hold onto these Victorian notions
of how the monarchy should look, how it should feel,
then the world will move on.
And those who come after you will be…
will be left with nothing.
Your Majesty.
I love you.