The real Diana Cavendish (who was played by Claire Foy in this movie), was present during much of the filming. She was eighty-three at the time and travelled to all of the filming locations with the production.
Three wheelchairs were made by Teddy Hall, he named them the "Cavendish" wheelchair. Teddy Hall built the original chairs with his own money. He had a considerable amount of money because his grandfather discovered the largest lump of gold to be found at the time in Australia.
In the DVD commentary Jonathan Cavendish states that the song "True Love" from High Society (1956), which is played during a repeated scene of Robin and Diana kissing in front of an African sunset was a favorite of his parents in real-life.
Andy Serkis has stated that this movie was a labor of love in that the story depicts the real-life odyssey of Robin and Diana Cavendish, the parents of his friend and business partner, Jonathan Cavendish.