The Queen documentary also reflects on later attempts to balance tradition with public engagement, including high-profile moments such as the Queen’s appearance alongside Paddington Bear during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Queen Camilla, 78, appears in the documentary, emphasizing Elizabeth’s enduring commitment to duty.
She said: “I think duty has overridden everything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody have a sense of duty like she had.”
Another source familiar with royal history said the decision to allow cameras inside the palace remains one of the most debated choices of Elizabeth’s reign, and her “greatest regret.”
The insider added: “There is a strong argument that it humanized the monarchy at a crucial moment, but it also created expectations of access that could never be satisfied without consequences.
“This documentary revisits the late Queen’s legacy, and presents a portrait of a ruler navigating unprecedented social and media change – and grappling with decisions that reshaped the institution she spent a lifetime trying to preserve.
“But make no mistake, humanizing the monarchy by letting the cameras in was perhaps her greatest regret.”