Unseen film of Queen discovered

Previously unseen footage of the Queen in the 1950s, before she came to the throne, has been uncovered.

The film, showing Princess Elizabeth cradling a baby boy at a christening, was very nearly thrown away and lost forever.

BBC Leeds producer Tony Parker found the footage while he was looking for film of Britain during World War II.

The footage, filmed by a doctor from Ashford, Kent is, unusually for the time, in colour.

It has been donated to Screen Archive South East in Brighton.

Mr Parker said he made an appeal for war footage on local radio.

"A chap got in touch with us," he said.

"We thought crikey what's that, it's the Queen"
Tony Parker

"This chap happened to sell lots of second-hand kit for charity and did the odd house clearance - and there the material was in the back of his car."

He said he spent two days looking through the films, most of which were of no interest.

"But then suddenly, towards the end of the view we thought crikey what's that, it's the Queen.

"And of course, also in the background was Lord Mountbatten.

"We thought absolutely brilliant, wonderful, we've hit the jackpot."

'Joyful and sad'

He said the BBC's Inside Out programme went on to do some detective work to find out who the baby was at the christening.

The baby was found to be Michael Knatchbull, being christened in Mersham, Kent, with the Queen as his godmother.

When he saw the footage, Mr Knatchbull said: "It's me being held by the Queen."

And he added: "It is odd seeing this, it really is.

"It makes me feel joyful and a little sad in some ways as well, seeing a lot of the people there who are dead now, who I was very very fond of, and still am."

Dr Victor Don, who filmed the pictures, was the Knatchbull family doctor.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Screen Archive South East
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites