Marcus Parks

But Saville had also developed a close relationship with Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband, by the time of Mountbatten's assassination.

See, Prince Philip immediately saw Jimmy Saville as a way for the royal family to project a common touch.

His words, not mine.

But Jimmy Savile was a way for the royals to appear more approachable because that was always a concern for the royals in the latter half of the 20th century.

They had to figure out in the age of mass media how to appear as human beings because the fucking monarchy had never had to worry about being a fucking human being before television.

Prince Philip also believed that Jimmy Savile's so-called common touch could be of great use to his incredibly awkward and terribly disappointing son, Charles, the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne.

Oh, how I wish I could be your tampon.

As we mentioned last... That's why they call it Aunt Flo.

Yeah.

Oh, wow.

Well, as we mentioned last episode, Charles immediately took to Jimmy Savile as part jester, part friend, part confidant, part advisor, and at times, full mentor.

In other words, it was clear to anyone who saw them together that Charles...

trusted Savile and valued his opinions in all matters.

Now, it took Jimmy Savile until the mid-1980s to fully worm his way into Prince Charles's inner circle.

But starting in 1986, the two of them began a 20-year correspondence in which Savile basically told the royals how to behave in public with actual people.

He would write like five page like outlined strategies for like, this is what you know, you need a situation room.

This is how you talk to people.

These are the things you say.

These are the things you don't say.

And they listen to him.