The Queen banned a royal documentary 50 years ago but the rare show has finally been leaked

• The Queen banned a royal documentary 50 years ago but it's just been leaked
• Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ordered the BBC to lock it away back in 1972.
• This royal news comes as it's revealed how Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is supporting Princess Charlotte’s unique hobby

The Queen banned a royal documentary after it's claimed she did not wish the BBC to broadcast the fly-on-the-wall style look at the monarch and her family anymore.

There are some of the best documentaries on the royal family kicking around but the controversial documentary in question is the 1969 Richard Cawston film, Royal Family, and it followed the royals at home.

At the time it was repeatedly shown on TV, but in 1972 Her Majesty effectively ordered that it never be shown in public again without her permission.

But 50 years later and the 90-minute documentary, which gave the public a rare insight into the private world of the royals, was leaked on YouTube this month and has so far been viewed thousands of times since. One will not be amused.

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A royal source told The Telegraph, "This is a matter for the BBC. From time to time, things pop up on the internet that should not be there. We will assume it’s going to be taken down."

But by Thursday afternoon, the documentary had indeed been taken down from the site "due to a copyright claim by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)".

When it was first released the documentary attracted some 23 million views in the UK and 350 million worldwide.

It reportedly caused such a stir that Her Majesty decided not to give a televised Christmas speech, and issued a written message instead.

The original footage was filmed over 12 months and featured all kinds of private royal moments - from the family watching TV and enjoying picnics, to the Queen working at her desk and camera crews even accompanied her on royal tours abroad.

But it's understood the Queen regretted the decision to allow the cameras into her home. 

Sir David Attenborough, who has recently bid farewell to Instagram just months after joining, was a BBC controller back in the 1960s and he is said to have told the filmmaker that it risked "killing the monarchy".

And the Queen wasn't the only one who was unhappy with the film's impact. Princess Anne once admitted, "I never liked the idea of Royal Family, I thought it was a rotten idea. The attention which had been brought upon one ever since one was a child… you just didn’t need anymore."