View source for The Lost Prince

{{short description|2003 television film}}
{{other uses|Lost Prince (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = The Lost Prince.jpg
| image_size           = 240
| image_alt            =
| caption              = The Lost Prince DVD Cover
| genre                = 
| creator              = [[Stephen Poliakoff]]
| based_on             = 
| writer               = Stephen Poliakoff
| screenplay           = 
| story                = 
| director             = 
| starring             = [[Matthew James Thomas]]<br />[[Miranda Richardson]]<br />[[Tom Hollander]]<br />[[Bill Nighy]]
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = 
| country              = United Kingdom
| language             = English
| num_episodes         = 2
| producer             = [[Joanna Beresford]]<br />[[John Chapman (producer)|John Chapman]]<br />[[Rebecca Eaton]]<br />[[Peter Fincham]]<br />[[David M. Thompson]]
| editor               = [[Clare Douglas]]
| cinematography       = [[Barry Ackroyd]]
| runtime              = 
| company              = [[BBC]]<br />[[TalkBack Productions]]<br />[[WGBH Educational Foundation|WGBH]]
| budget               = 
| network              = [[BBC One]]
| first_aired          = {{start date|2003|1|19|df=y}}
| last_aired           = {{end date|2003|1|26|df=y}}
}}

'''''The Lost Prince''''' is a 2003 British television drama about the life of [[Prince John of the United Kingdom|Prince John]] – youngest child of Britain's King [[George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] – who died at the age of 13 in 1919.{{CN|date=November 2024}} John had epileptic [[seizures]] and an [[autism]]-like developmental disorder, and the [[British Royal Family|Royal Family]] tried to shelter him from public view; the script did not present the Royal Family as unsympathetic, instead showing how much this cost them emotionally (particularly John's mother, [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]). Poliakoff explores the story of John, his relationship with his family and brother [[Prince George, Duke of Kent|Prince George]], the political events going on at the time (such as the fall of the [[House of Romanov]] in 1917) and the love and devotion of his nanny, [[Charlotte Bill]] (Lalla).

A [[Talkback Thames]] production written and directed by [[Stephen Poliakoff]], it was originally broadcast in January 2003. It won three [[Emmy Award]]s in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lost Prince (Masterpiece Theatre) |url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/lost-prince-masterpiece-theatre |publisher=Television Academy |access-date=4 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/lostprince/|title=The Lost Prince|website=[[BBC]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/jan/16/broadcasting.arts|title=Mark Lawson: Stephen Poliakoff's The Lost Prince|first=Mark|last=Lawson|date=16 January 2003|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

==Plot summary==

'''Episode One'''

In December 1908, young [[Prince John of the United Kingdom|Prince John]] watches his family attend a birthday party for his grandmother [[Queen Alexandra]], at [[Sandringham House|Sandringham]] in [[Norfolk]].

Next summer, [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tsar Nicholas II]], [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Tsarina Alexandra]] and their children visit their relations, the British royals, on the [[Isle of Wight]]. The Russians entrance Prince John with their exoticism. It is clear that Johnnie, a charming boy, has an eccentric view of the world and is uninhibited in a way that is alien to his parents. His grandfather, King [[Edward VII]], loves him for his frankness. His nanny, Lalla, is reluctant to reveal the seriousness of his medical condition.

While people gaze into the skies to catch a glimpse of the approaching [[Halley's Comet]], Johnnie's parents go to [[Buckingham Palace]] to be at the King's deathbed.

[[Funeral of Edward VII|During the funeral]] Johnnie has an epileptic seizure. Queen Mary, Johnnie's mother, summons doctors to examine him; their diagnosis confirms the worst fears. Lalla volunteers to look after Johnnie, to prevent him being sent to an institution. They go to Sandringham, where Johnnie can be prevented from encountering anybody but the closest members of his family.

His brother, Prince George swears to protect him. Johnnie, now a few years older, is deprived of the company of other children and finds his lessons unfathomable, though he always takes an optimistic view of life. Then one day he embarrasses his parents by speaking his mind at a tea party held for Prime Minister [[H. H. Asquith]] and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, [[David Lloyd George|Lloyd George]].

Johnnie is brought to London to be re-examined. During his stay he is taken by George up to the gallery looking down on the banqueting hall of Buckingham Palace, at a grand state occasion. The dignitaries are chattering about the poise with which the Queen has dealt with the intrusion of a [[suffragette]], who confronted the Queen to demand support for women's suffrage. During the banquet Asquith and Lloyd George are called back to [[10 Downing Street|Downing Street]] to receive the news that is to prove to be the catalyst for the start of [[World War I]].

The following morning Johnnie has a rare meeting with his father King George V, who shows him his treasured stamp collection. Johnnie is more interested in his father's pet parrot, Charlotte. They are interrupted by the King's Private Secretary, [[Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham|Lord Stamfordham]], who relays news of the [[assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand]]. Realising this has been withheld from him, the King is furious. Unnoticed by the adults, Johnnie pursues Charlotte, as the terrified bird flies away into the building. The Queen, Lalla and George go searching for Johnnie and his mother is shocked when she sees one of Johnnie's fits for the first time. As officials gather for diplomatic meetings, Johnnie is taken back to the isolation of Sandringham.

'''Episode Two'''

Prince George witnesses the brinkmanship between the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] and the [[Central Powers]], led by [[German Empire|Germany]]. Surprisingly, the vacillating Tsar Nicholas of Russia mobilises his troops and plunges Europe into war. Against his wishes, Prince George is sent to the Naval College where his rebellious nature leads him to question propaganda about the cruelty of the German armed forces.

Such propaganda, combined with the disastrous conflict on the battlefields of Flanders and France, turns the public's attention to the German ancestry of the British royal family. The trauma of war is even felt by Johnnie, Lalla and their household, who are forced to live in increased isolation in Wood Farm, on the fringes of the Sandringham estate. Prince George, determined to maintain contact with Lalla and his brother, arrives to relay the news that the family is to change its name to [[House of Windsor|Windsor]], and also that the Tsar of Russia has abdicated and is to be exiled to Britain by the [[Bolsheviks|Bolshevik]] revolutionaries.

George V is alarmed at the reaction of his subjects to this and gets Stamfordham to press Lloyd George, who is now Prime Minister, to rescind the invitation to the Tsar. Johnnie dreams innocently of his Russian cousins coming to live with him. King George and Queen Mary are traumatised by what follows – the [[Execution of the Romanov family|execution of the Romanovs]]. Weighed down, they find consolation when Johnnie dies, in his unbounded optimism and unalloyed love of life.

==Cast==
* Daniel Williams – [[Prince John of the United Kingdom|Prince "Johnnie" John]] (younger)
* [[Matthew James Thomas|Matthew Thomas]] – Prince John (older)
* Brock Everitt-Elwick – [[Prince George, Duke of Kent|Prince George]] (younger)
* [[Rollo Weeks]] – Prince George (older)
* Samuel Page – [[Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia|Tsarevich Alexei]] (younger)
* Kostya Severov  – Tsarevich Alexei (older)
* [[Miranda Richardson]] – [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]
* [[Mary Nighy]]  – [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Princess Mary]]
* [[Gina McKee]] – [[Charlotte Bill|Lalla]]
* [[Tom Hollander]] – [[George V|King George V]]
* [[Bill Nighy]] – [[Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham]]
* [[Bibi Andersson]] – [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]]
* [[Ron Cook]] – [[David Lloyd George]]
* Roz McCutcheon – [[Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge|Princess Mary Adelaide]]
* [[Frank Finlay]] – [[H. H. Asquith]]
* [[John Sessions]] – Henry Hansell
* [[Michael Gambon]] – [[Edward VII|King Edward VII]]
* David Barrass – [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]]
* Ivan Marevich – [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tsar Nicholas II]]
* [[Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė]] – [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna]]
* Vanessa Ackerman – [[Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Olga]]
* Holly Boyd – [[Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Tatiana]]
* Nastya Razduhova – [[Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Maria]]
* Algina Lipskis – [[Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Anastasia]]

==Reception==
The drama achieved a high viewing figure and much praise, was released on VHS and DVD, and was repeated on [[BBC One]] in January 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2676181.stm|title=Lost Prince loses ratings fight|date=20 January 2003|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2"| {{center|2003}}
| rowspan="2"| [[Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards]]
| Costume Design – Drama
| [[Odile Dicks-Mireaux]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-craft-and-design-winners-2003 |title=RTS Craft and Design Winners 2003 |date=24 January 2011 |publisher=[[Royal Television Society]] |access-date=September 22, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| Team Award
| Craft & Design Team
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="17"| {{center|2004}}
| rowspan="2"| [[2004 British Academy Television Awards|British Academy Television Awards]]
| rowspan="2"| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Gina McKee]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2004/television |title=BAFTA Awards: Television in 2004 |website=[[BAFTA]] |year=2004 |access-date=September 16, 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|2004}}}}</ref>
|-
| [[Miranda Richardson]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[2004 British Academy Television Craft Awards|British Academy Television Craft Awards]]
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Editing: Fiction|Best Editing – Fiction/Entertainment]]
| [[Clare Douglas]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="5"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2004/tvcraft |title=BAFTA Awards: Television Craft in 2004 |website=[[BAFTA]] |year=2004 |access-date=September 16, 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|2004}}}}</ref>
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Make-Up & Hair Design|Best Make Up and Hair Design]]
| Liz Tagg
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Original Music|Best Original Television Music]]
| [[Adrian Johnston (musician)|Adrian Johnston]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction|Best Photography and Lighting – Fiction]]
| [[Barry Ackroyd]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]]
| John-Paul Kelly
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Broadcasting Press Guild|Broadcasting Press Guild Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Single Drama
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/bpg-awards/2004-2/ |title=BPG Awards 2004 |website=[[Broadcasting Press Guild]] |date=October 30, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| [[Directors Guild of Great Britain|Directors Guild of Great Britain Awards]]
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television Movie/Serial
| [[Stephen Poliakoff]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| rowspan="7"| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Miniseries
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="7"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oftaawards.com/television-awards/8th-annual-tv-awards-2004/ |title=8th Annual TV Awards (2004) |website=Online Film & Television Association |access-date=May 15, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
| Miranda Richardson
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
| [[Bill Nighy]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
| rowspan="2"| Stephen Poliakoff
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
| {{nom}}
|-
| colspan="2"| Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
| {{nom}}
|-
| colspan="2"| Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Royal Television Society Programme Awards|Royal Television Society Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Drama Serial
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-programme-awards-2004 |title=RTS Programme Winners 2004 |publisher=[[Royal Television Society]] |access-date=September 22, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="10"| {{center|2005}}
| [[62nd Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film|Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film]]
| Miranda Richardson
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/tv-show/lost-prince |title=The Lost Prince – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=July 5, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|2004}}}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[57th Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Awards]]
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series|Outstanding Miniseries]]
| [[Peter Fincham]], [[David M. Thompson]], <br> [[Rebecca Eaton]], [[Joanna Beresford]], <br> and [[John Chapman (producer)|John Chapman]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/lost-prince-masterpiece-theatre |title=The Lost Prince (Masterpiece Theatre) |website=Emmys.com |publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=July 13, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie|Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie]]
| John Paul Kelly, Emma MacDevitt, <br> and Sara Wan
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with Sarah Knowles, Scott Ritenour, Thomas Minton, and Frank Galline for ''[[Warm Springs (film)|Warm Springs]]''.}}
|-
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special|Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special]]
| Odile Dicks-Mireaux and Colin May <br> {{small|(for "Part 1")}}
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[10th Satellite Awards|Satellite Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Satellite Award for Best Miniseries|Best Miniseries]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="4"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2005b.shtml |title=Nominees & Winners – Satellite™ Awards 2005 (10th Annual Satellite™ Awards) |publisher=[[International Press Academy]]. [[Satellite Awards]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202163316/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2005b.shtml |archive-date=February 2, 2008 |access-date=April 7, 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film|Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television]]
| Miranda Richardson
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television]]
| Bill Nighy
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television]]
| Gina McKee
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[26th Young Artist Awards|Young Artist Awards]]
| rowspan="2"| Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Supporting Young Actor
| Brock Everitt-Elwick
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms26.htm |title=26th Annual Young Artist Awards |accessdate=2011-03-31 |work=YoungArtistAwards.org |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304222052/http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms26.htm |archivedate=2008-03-04}}</ref>
|-
| Daniel Williams
| {{nom}}
|}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite journal|first= Sarah|last= Cardwell|year= 2006|title= Patterns, Layers and Values: Poliakoff's The Lost Prince|journal= Journal of British Cinema and Television|publisher= [[Edinburgh University Press]]|volume= 3|issue= 1|pages= 134–141|doi= 10.3366/JBCTV.2006.3.1.134}}

==External links==
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/lostprince/ Official BBC site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927041256/http://wkar.org/enews/story.php?fill=051206%2Flostprince%2F Interview with the writer/director, Stephen Poliakoff]
* {{Screenonline TV title|id=1262391|name=The Lost Prince}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0349747|title=The Lost Prince}}
* [https://archive.today/20130415173758/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/lostprince/index.html PBS site for ''The Lost Prince'']
* [https://archive.today/20130415143050/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/lostprince/notes_music.html PBS music notes for ''The Lost Prince'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041027055218/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/lostprince/synopsis.html Story synopses for ''The Lost Prince'']

{{Edward VII}}
{{George V}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''The Lost Prince''
|list  =
{{EmmyAward Limited Series}}
{{Satellite Award Best Miniseries}}
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{{Stephen Poliakoff}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lost Prince, The}}
[[Category:BBC television royalty dramas]]
[[Category:Anti-war films about World War I]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries winners]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series]]
[[Category:2003 television films]]
[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of David Lloyd George]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Edward VII]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of George V]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Wilhelm II]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Nicholas II of Russia]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia]]