Buried up to their necks in sand while the family dog looks on, Charles and Anne look like any other children on holiday — but the dog is a royal corgi and they are second and third in line to the throne.
Some 50 years later, Prince Charles has released clips from his favourite home movies to celebrate his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
The videos, all shot by the queen and Prince Philip in the summer of 1957, show Prince Charles, aged eight, and a six-year-old Princess Anne enjoying their annual holidays at Sandringham in Norfolk.
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The above clip shows the queen, Prince Philip, Charles and Anne lolling about on the lawn at Sandringham, while another shows the family messing around at nearby Holkham Beach.
Philip has buried his two young children up to their necks in sand, leaving them giggling and shouting with joy.
Charles personally chose the clips for a BBC documentary, A Jubilee Tribute to The Queen by The Prince of Wales, which is due to air in the UK tonight.
Charles offers many personal memories from his mother’s 60-year reign in the TV special.
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Speaking about the queen’s coronation in 1953, he reveals she practised wearing her crown every waking moment before the big day, even at bath time.
“I remember my mama coming up, when we were being bathed as children, wearing the crown,” he says. “It was quite funny — practising.”