CBC - Doc Zone: Royals & Animals: Till Death Do Us Part (2014)

Pet-crazy Britain has a monarch to match. Only she’s more extreme. “The Queen’s private passions follow this order,” says former royal butler Paul Burrell, “horses, dogs, husband and kids.”

The “kids” are Her Majesty’s worthy successors. Prince Philip famously said of Princess Anne: "If it doesn’t fart or eat hay, she isn’t interested.”

For the first time, this film documents the extraordinary relationship between the Windsors and their animals. The revelations come courtesy of staff who cooked and cared for them. From the footman who walked the Queen’s Corgis, to the chef who cut carrots for her horses, they tell a tale of pampered palace pets - and hypocrisy.

The Windsors’ love of animals doesn’t extend to the stag, pheasant and grouse which they shoot in astonishing numbers. Top gun, Prince Philip, ”thinks that animals are there to be shot,” says royal correspondent Andrew Pierce.

William and Harry aren’t much different. Recently, reporters caught them hunting wild boar in Spain just days before attending their father’s international conference to save endangered species in Africa. “It was a PR disaster,” says Pierce. “They were accused of crass hypocrisy - and rightly so.”

Despite their contradictions, the Windsors seem to trust their pets more than most humans. For good reason: a wagging dog’s tail trumps the contrived smile of a courtier; and none of their horses talk to the tabloids.