With a career spanning several decades, you would think that nothing could rile Sir David Attenborough anymore – but the naturalist has admitted that he was nervous before filming with the Queen for a new documentary, The Queen's Green Planet. Chatting to Radio Times about the upcoming show, which sees David discuss conservation with Her Majesty while they stroll through the grounds of Buckingham Palace, he said: "Yes, there was a certain amount of apprehension because all sorts of things could have gone wrong."
David and the Queen took a stroll through the ground of Buckingham Palace
The 91-year-old continued: "There were problems in that where the palace is, geographically, there are always police sirens and ambulance sirens that make filming difficult. But she took it all in her stride. It was a privilege of course, a very nice occasion - and she was very gracious." Speaking about the monarch, who David has known for several years having produced her Christmas Day address in the 1980s and 1990s, he added: "She is very un-solemn, very good at putting people at their ease."
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The documentary will look at the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy, which is intended to create protected forests in all 53 Commonwealth countries. Speaking about the show, ITV's controller of factual programmes, Jo Clinton-Davis, said: "Rare is the project that starts as a finite one-hour documentary and ends up generating the momentum for a timeless campaigning event." The documentary will be accompanied by a campaign to encourage viewers to plant trees, who will be able to apply for a pack that contains tree saplings, including two rowan, a hazel and two silver birch, with 10,000 packs up for grabs. Speaking about the show, Woodland Trust's Chair, Baroness Young, said: "Trees are a cornerstone of our landscape and countryside, forming an essential and cherished part of our cultural identity… They look good, they do good and we are thrilled Her Majesty feels the same."
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