Classic Albums: Queen - The Making of 'A Night at the Opera' Page #4

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- No. Certainly not.

- I thought you were getting a new one?

- What for? It's perfectly all right.

I was thinking

what Diana might have done

had it been me that died

in the tunnel in Paris.

She would have taken the boys

to Paris. I regret not doing that.

What, and expose them to the media?

That would have been dreadful.

They're better off here.

It's private. They're protected.

Whatever you thought of Diana,

she was a wonderful mother.

She adored those boys,

and never let them forget it.

Always warm, physical,

never afraid to show her feelings.

Especially if a photographer

was in sight.

She may have encouraged all that,

but still...

that was the extraordinary thing

about her -

her weaknesses and transgressions

only made the public love her more.

Yet ours only make them hate us.

Why do they hate us?

- Not us, dear.

- What?

Yesterday,

when we brought the coffin back,

there was a noise, a bang,

and I thought it was a gun.

I thought

someone had taken a shot at me.,

I think I'm going to walk back.

- I don't feel like stalking.

- Are you sure?

I'll take the dogs.

Walkies? Yes!

Who knows the way home? Come on.

'Do you think

you will ever be queen? '

No, I don't. No.

Why do you think that?

I'd like to be a queen

of people's hearts, in people's hearts,

'but I don't see myself

being queen of this country.

'I don't think many people

want me to be queen.

'By many people, I mean

the establishment I married into,

'because they've decided

that I'm a non-starter.'

Charles and I had a talk

in the car today.

He was good enough

to share his thoughts on motherhood.

- What did he say?

- How wonderful Diana was.

That's changing his tune.

He thought her natural.

'They see me as a threat

of some kind.'

Oh, for God's sake!

Maybe he's got a point.

Maybe we are partly to blame.

Oh, I can't watch this.

No, no. Wait. Please, no, leave it.

'I don't go by a rule book.

I lead from the heart, not the head,

'and it's got me into trouble

in my work.'

We encouraged the match.

We signed off on it, both of us.

You were very enthusiastic, remember?

She was a nice girl. Then.

And I was sure

he'd give the other one up,

or at least make sure

his wife toed the line.

- Isn't that what everyone does?

- Is it?

'Was Mrs Parker Bowles a factor

in the breakdown of your marriage? '

'There were three of us in this

marriage, so it was a bit crowded.'

I can't bear it. If you're watching,

I'll sleep next door.

- Early start tomorrow.

- Any luck with your stag?

No. But close,

a couple of hundred yards at one point.

One of the boys even got a shot off.

We'll get him tomorrow.

See you in the morning.

Not to worry. Night-night.

'... and with her obsession

with the belief

'that Charles loved a woman he'd fallen

for years before, Camilla... '

# Heaven

# Must be missing an ngel

# Missing an ngel, child

# Cos you're here with me right now... #

The good news is the palace

agreed to video screens.

- And the bad news?

- Crash barriers.

- What about them?

- They expect over two million people.

There aren't enough barriers,

so we've gone cap in hand

to the French for theirs.

There's something else

I think you should see.

Can we run that piece again?

- Of course.

- You'll love this.

- '... find their behaviour disgraceful.'

- 'What do you think? '

'I think it's disgusting that they've

not said a word relating to all this.'

- Look, I know all this.

- Wait for it.

'... not to have a flag up. I think

it's a disgrace on the royal family.'

'OK, the Queen's not in residence,

but where is the flag?

'Do you see what I'm saying

about the establishment? '

Don't tell me there isn't a flag

at half mast over Buckingham Palace.

'Dodi, when them two were together,

it was a fairy tale come true.'

Will someone please save these people

from themselves?

- Fine, I'll call Balmoral.

- Planet Zog?

I've really got nothing better to do.

Come on, dogs. Come on.

Those fire lighters all right?

A bit damp?

Oh, well,

I brought some stew just in case.

- It's lamb. We can have that cold.

- No, we'll be all right.

Stay.

Robin had a call from the Prime

Minister, who expressed his concern.

- About what?

- The flag above Buckingham Palace.

He thinks it should be flying

at half mast.

I hope Robin said there isn't a flag

above Buckingham Palace.

There's the Royal Standard, which flies

to denote the presence of the monarch.

Since you're here, the flagpole is bare,

just as it should be.

Isn't it possible that for some people,

the Royal Standard is just a flag,

and the flagpole being bare

sends out the wrong signal?

- No, that's not the point.

- The point is it's over 400 years old.

It's never been lowered for anyone.

Your grandfather didn't get

the flat at half mast when he died,

and if your mother died tomorrow,

she wouldn't either.

Yes, Granny, but in a situation

like this, one has to be flexible.

It is just a flag.

"What about the Union Jack?"

Was Mr Blair's next suggestion.

For heaven's sake!

Next, he'll suggest you

change your name to Hilda.

Who does the think he's talking to?

You're the sovereign.

You don't get dictated to. You conceded

the idea of a public funeral.

You've opened the parks.

That's enough.

Ssh. The boys.

You wait. In 48 hours,

this will all have calmed down.

In one sense, it's comforting.

Now, my parents can see

what it's been like for me,

being up against her popularity.

They're still making the mistake

of thinking the Diana they knew

will eventually be the one

seen by the public, but it won't.

The two Dianas, the public's and ours,

bear no relation to one another at all.

The flag of St George,

it is at half mast over Highgrove?

- Yes, sir.

- Get a picture of that in the papers.

I'll get onto it,

call in a few favours.

What about a statement of gratitude

to the crowds?

Something heartfelt

from myself and the boys,

thanking people for the flowers

and so on.

Right.

'Di was wonderful, because

she stood up to the establishment.

'She said, "You're elitist people

we are paying to be better than us,

"'and you have to get out

among the people."

'We have a wonderful Prime Minister,

Tony Blair,

'a compassionate young man, who, after

'is such a breath of fresh air,

'and I feel he will do something... '

- Is this the stirrings of...

- What?

I don't know.

Something more interesting.

Maybe people will see them

for what they are.

Which is?

A bunch of freeloading,

emotionally retarded nutters.

- That's just absurd.

- Why?

They live in a cocoon of wealth

and they don't pay tax.

- Yes, they do.

- The Queen costs us 40 million a year.

If you want a serious conversation

about the constitution.

We don't have one.

About ways in which we could phase out

hereditary privileges, then fine.

- If you're leaving, take the plates.

- Forget the 'off with their heads' bit.

- Why?

- It insults your intelligence.

'The Queen cannot be expected

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