With just two days until the whole of the nation and the Commonwealth can listen to King Charles' first Christmas message, Andrea Caamano, co-host of HELLO!'s new podcast, A Right Royal Podcast, caught up with retired PA photographer John Stillwell to talk royal Christmases.
John, who photographed the royals for 30 years, had the privilege of witnessing the late Queen record her Christmas messages for nearly a decade – and has given HELLO! listeners a real insight into what happened inside Buckingham Palace during the recording – also recalling the time a "mumbling" Queen was asked to reread her lines by a cheeky producer.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen enjoyed recording her Christmas message - which was witnessed by a handful of people
"They would record it [Christmas speech] and it's normally two weeks before Christmas. She would come in; she would obviously know the lines. She had an auto cue, so she would read from an auto cue, and she'd always do it the first time. Never made a mistake. She was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."
He goes on to add: "Once that was finished, the camera that filmed her making the speech would be taken away and I would take up exactly the same position. So, you got the same view. I would take her pictures; I would only be seconds taking it."
© Photo: AlamyKing Charles has already recorded his first Christmas speech as monarch, and it will air on Christmas Day
"It was her job doing the Christmas broadcast, but it was a job I think she enjoyed doing," he explained.
LISTEN: Check out the new Right Royal Podcast!
Listen to our very first episode above, dedicated to royals at Christmas. As well as catching up with John, we spoke to Royal Collection Trust curator Kathryn Jones, who reveals exactly how much work goes into decorating the royal residences, Prince Charles and Princess Diana's former chef Carolyn Robb, who spent 11 years with the family at Kensington Palace and witnessed many adorable family moments, and our very own royal editor, Emily Nash, who reveals what we can expect to happen in the next couple of days.
