A casually dressed Queen Elizabeth II holds a Cine Camera while relaxing at the private home of NZ Governor-General at the time, Sir Willoughby Norrie on Christmas Day 1954. Photo / The Queen Unseen
A casually dressed Queen Elizabeth II holds a Cine Camera while relaxing at the private home of NZ Governor-General at the time, Sir Willoughby Norrie on Christmas Day 1954. Photo / The Queen Unseen
Never-before seen footage from 1953 showing a young Queen Elizabeth II enjoying downtime with New Zealand Governor-General at the time, Sir Willoughby Norrie, and his family, has surfaced.
The incredible footage was shot by Norrie's wife, Patricia, as the British royals enjoyed Christmas Day at the Governor-General's private home, loungingby the pool.
The newly surfaced footage will be featured in a highly anticipated documentary about the monarch, titled The Queen Unseen. The documentary is due to air on the Queen's 95th birthday in the UK, but details of a New Zealand release date have not been confirmed.
The Queen, in a red dress aboard the Royal Train which became home away home for the royal couple in 1953, taking them to 110 functions in 46 different New Zealand towns and cities. Photo / The Queen Unseen
The newly crowned Queen had been on a gruelling seven-month Commonwealth tour at the time and the chance to enjoy some fun in the sun would have been much needed. Other footage, captured at the time and compiled by NZ on Screen, gives some insight into the Queen's visit to NZ in late 1953-54 and her exhausting number of appearances.
In the intimate new footage, a young Queen can be seen wearing a simple summer dress with yellow stripes, her brown hair curled and pinned back neatly, wearing stylish gold rimmed sunglasses and holding a Cine Camera.
A casually dressed Queen Elizabeth II holds a Cine Camera while relaxing at the private home of NZ Governor-General at the time, Sir Willoughby Norrie on Christmas Day 1954. Photo / The Queen Unseen
The Queen herself doesn't don her swimsuit to join in the poolside antics, but Prince Phillip has no such reservations, sporting a black Speedo. One screenshot from the home movie shows a young and fit Phillip talking to Sarah Norrie (now Stevenson), the daughter of Patricia and Sir Willoughby Norrie, and he seems to be trying to steal her pool flotation device.
Sarah Norrie (now Stevenson), the daughter of Patricia and Sir Willoughby Norrie, fondly remembers Prince Phillip trying to steal the pool floaty she was lying on. Photo / The Queen Unseen
Stevenson, who was 10 at the time, recalls the visit from the royal family fondly, telling the Daily Mail that is was "terribly exciting" and sharing details of the Christmas gifts that were exchanged, including those given by the Governor-General to the royal couple – a dog lead for the Queen and an ashtray for Phillip, which had an image of the Queen's head on it.
While the Queen was reluctant to get into her swimsuit, Prince Phillip was keen to don his back speedo and take a dip. Photo / The Queen Unseen
Other home movie footage will be featured in the documentary, including the first colour images taken of the Queen and her first trip to a communist country to meet with then President Tito in Belgrade in 1972. The documentary hopes to paint a clearer picture of the Queen, who has managed to remain elusive throughout her life, in spite of being one of the most recognisable people in the world.
