>> YOU'RE WATCHING ROYAL ROMANCE, A BBC SPECIAL EVENT.
>> GOOD EVENING. I'M PRINCESS POMPLEWELLS.
WHEN PRINCE HARRY FELL IN LOVE WITH A GORGEOUS AMERICAN
STARLET, WE ALL WENT, AH. BUT WHEN MEGHAN MARKLE WANTED TO DO
THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, SOME WENT, AH. NOW PRINCE
HARRY IS SUING THE BRITISH TABLOIDS FOR THEIR CRUEL
TREATMENT OF HIS WIFE. BUT WHAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU IS
THIS ISN'T THE FIRST MIXED RACE ROYAL COUPLE WHO HAD TO ENDURE
THIS SORT OF HOSTILITY. TONIGHT, WE LOOK BACK AT THE
LESSER KNOWN, DUCHESS OF CLARKENWELL, AND THE
EYEBROW-RAISING RELATIONSHIP THAT ALMOST BROUGHT DOWN THE
ENTIRE MONARCHY. THIS IS ROYAL ROMANCE. ♪♪♪
THE YEAR WAS 1972. I HAD MADE MY FIRST JOURNEY TO
AMERICA, AND THERE I MET THE MAN OF MY DREAMS.
HIS NAME WAS JIMMY J ROBERTSON. >> BUT I WAS KNOWN UP AND DOWN
THESE STREETS AS THUNDER STICK, AND MY ASS WAS ABOUT TO LIVE IN
A CASTLE. >> THUNDER STICK WAS A COMEDIAN,
STREET POET, AND BLAXPLOITATION ACTOR.
PERHAPS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS FILMS, THE RETURN OF -- AND [
BLEEP ] I WILL SHOOT YOU RIGHT IN THE FACE. BUT WHEN I MET
JIMMY, HE TOLD ME HIS PRIMARY OCCUPATION WAS KARATE, AND I
FOUND IT SO REFRESHING. [ SOUND OF GUNFIRE ]
SOME OF THE OTHER ROYALS, THEY JUST DIDN'T UNDERSTAND JIMMY.
>> YEAH, I WAS BOTH AHEAD OF AND WAY BEHIND MY TIMES.
>> I'LL ADMIT, WHEN MY NIECE BROUGHT THUNDER STICK OVER, I
WAS A BIT SKEPTICAL, MAINLY BECAUSE HE THREW A BAG OF
COCAINE ON THE TABLE, AND SAID, NOBODY LEAVES THE ROOM UNTIL
THIS BIG IS EMPTY." >> JIMMY BROUGHT FUN TO THE
ROYAL FAMILY, RECITING LIMERICKS ABOUT HOW UNATTRACTIVE OUR
MOTHERS WERE. YET HE VOWED TO HAVE SEXUAL
RELATIONS WITH ALL OF THEM. >> AND THEN I DEMONSTRATED
EXACTLY HOW I WAS GOING TO DO IT USING AN OTTOMAN.
WORE THAT THING DOWN TO THE THREADS.
>> AT OFFICIAL EVENTS HE REQUESTED TO BE INTRODUCED AS
THE DUKE OF DOOKIE, AND I'LL NEVER FORGET THE POEM THAT HE
PERFORMED. >> I GOT ME A PALACE SURROUNDED
BY CLASS. I GOT TWO CORGIS GOING TO BARK
AT YOUR ASS. WHEN I RAISE MY ROYAL SCEPTER,
ALL MY LADY SUBJECTS BOW. THEY SAY, DAMN THUNDER STICK,
GIVE ME THE THUNDER NOW. COME ON RED.
WE DOING THIS? >> HE PERFORMED THAT AT THE
CHRISTENING OF PRINCE WILLIAM. >> BUT FOR ALL HIS FOIBLES,
JIMMY HELPED MODERNIZE THE MONARCHY.
HE KNIGHTED THE FIRST BLACK AMERICAN, TRANSFORMING MIX-A-LOT
INTO SIR MIX-A-LOT. AND JIMMY WAS FABULOUS WITH
CHILDREN. >> TAKE A WILD RIDE TO BANBERRY
CROSS. SEE A FINE LADY UP ON A WHITE
HORSE. RINGS ON HER FINGERS, BELLS ON
HER PALMS, THAT FUNKY [ BLEEP ] WAS LYING WHEN I BLEW THAT OUT
HER DRAWERS. >> BUT THE MEDIA COULD BE
RUTHLESS. >> YOU BETTER BELIEVE THEY HATED
MY CATCHPHRASE, TAKE A LOOK AT MY BIG BLACK ASS.
>> AND IN THE END WE DRIFTED APART.
>> YEAH, AS MUCH AS WE HAD IN COMMON, WE WERE FROM DIFFERENT
WORLDS. >> ALSO HE CHEATED ON ME WITH A
WAFFLE HOUSE WAITRESS. >> I DID DO THAT, GOT IT
SCATTERED, SMOTHERED, AND COVERS, BABY.
>> LET'S TAKE A QUICK BREAK. WHEN WE RETURN, A CLIP FROM
THUNDER STICK'S KUNG FU SANTA