Filmed over the course of a year in an "upstairs-downstairs" fashion, this fascinating program provides a behind-the-scenes look at life inside Windsor Castle -- the world's largest inhabited castle -- via unprecedented camera access. Highlights include a visit from French President Jacques Chirac; the Queen's arrival for the Order of the Garter ceremony; and the high-profile celebration of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles's nuptials.
15 Feb 2022
Lady Diana Spencer was one half of the highest-profile courtship the British royal family had seen in decades. The wonder of Diana, and her style, stemmed partially from how noticeable she was from the very beginning.
10 Jan 2015
Lucy Worsley and David Starkey celebrate the 500th anniversary of Britain's finest surviving Tudor building, Hampton Court. As Henry VIII's pleasure palace, Hampton Court was a showcase for royal magnificence and ceremony - and the most important event of all was the christening of Henry's long-awaited son, Prince Edward, on October 15th, 1537. Lucy and David explore how Tudor art, architecture and ritual came together for this momentous occasion. Drawing on historical records and with the help of a team of experts, they recreate key elements of the christening ceremony - including a magnificent set piece procession through Hampton Court involving nearly 100 people in full Tudor costume.
09 Mar 2011
No overview found
07 May 2013
Wallis Simpson is one of the most reviled women of the 20th century. It was to marry this twice-divorced American that King Edward VIII of England renounced the throne in 1936, after less than a year on the throne. Born in Pennsylvania in 1896, Wallis, orphaned of her father, grew up in precarious conditions, and very early on relied on marriage to advance socially. But her matrimonial choices were far from always happy. From 1935 onwards, her affair with Crown Prince Edward opened the doors to "a shimmering new world", but it also made her the target of numerous rumors and public animosity.
29 May 2022
The story of Queen Elizabeth II in her own words, featuring never-before-seen home movies.
26 Oct 2002
Catchy mix of farce and documentary. Portrait of a Berlin theatre company made up entirely of the homeless, alcoholics and junks. They call themselves ‘rats’ and take the film over to have a party.
05 Dec 2015
Chambord, the most impressive castle in the Loire Valley, in France, a truly Renaissance treasure, has always been an enigma to generations of historians. Why did King Francis I (1494-1547), who commissioned it, embark on this epic project in the heart of the marshlands in 1519? What significance did he want the castle to have? What role did his friend, Italian genius Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) play? Was he the architect or who was?
06 May 2023
Kirsty Young, Huw Edwards, Sophie Raworth and Claire Balding are your guides for the historic coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Saturday 6 May. From her studio outside Buckingham Palace, Kirsty will be joined by guests, including friends and colleagues of the King and Queen, who will share their personal insights. Throughout the morning, a series of films will explore the King’s passions, and a broad range of experts will join Kirsty to provide analysis of this new chapter in British history. Across the capital, a team of presenters will be in key locations to report and commentate throughout the day as events unfold. As the armed forces prepare for one of the largest military parades in living memory, JJ Chalmers will speak to servicemen and women from across the UK and the Commonwealth as they arrive in London to take their positions.
27 Mar 2016
Documentary following the Queen and members of the British Royal Family.
02 Jul 2013
Ludwig II of Bavaria, more commonly known by his nicknames the Swan King or the Dream King, is a legendary figure - the handsome boy-king, loved by his people, betrayed by his cabinet and found dead in tragic and mysterious circumstances. He spent his life in pursuit of the ideal of beauty, an ideal that found expression in three of the most extraordinary, ornate architectural schemes imaginable - the castle of Neuschwanstein and the palaces of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Today, these three buildings are among Germany's biggest tourist attractions. Dan Cruickshank explores the rich aesthetic of Ludwig II - from the mock-medievalism of Neuschwanstein, the iconic fairytale castle that became the inspiration for the one in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, to the rich Baroque splendour of Herrenchiemsee, Ludwig's answer to Versailles. Dan argues that Ludwig's castles are more than flamboyant kitsch and are, in fact, the key to unravelling the eternal enigma of Ludwig II.
01 Jun 2021
Prince Philip has walked two steps behind Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth ever since she became Queen in 1952. For many years before then and many years since he has been the supporting man, husband and father that the Royal Family has needed him to be.
01 May 2021
The Tindalls are on the surface an unlikely pairing of a Wakefield-born rugby union player and the daughter of the Princess Royal born and bred in a royal palace. This programme looks at their life together, from the highs to the lows, revealing how they carved out successful careers for themselves and supported each other along the way.
27 May 2022
Elizabeth Windsor tells the story of the girl who was never supposed to be Queen. Born the first daughter of 'the spare', the Duke of York, Princess Elizabeth's life was destined to be nothing more than a bit part in the privileged shadows of the British Royal family.
30 Apr 2023
This is the story of how a prince became a king, a revealing portrait of our new monarch across the seven decades he spent as heir to the throne. It’s a journey from cradle to crown told almost solely in his own words, from film and television recordings to private home movies and featuring a wealth of material, some of which has never been seen before. As well as drawing on home movies from the Royal Collection, the film-makers were given exclusive access to sequences featuring the prince, shot for the landmark 1969 film Royal Family, including private unseen moments.
01 Jan 1989
No overview found
21 Apr 2016
A unique celebration of the Queen's ninety years as she reaches her landmark birthday in April. Film-maker John Bridcut has been granted special access to the complete collection of Her Majesty's personal ciné films, shot by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen herself, as well as by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Much of it has never been seen publicly before. Various members of the Royal Family are filmed watching this private footage and contributing their own personal insights and their memories of the woman they know both as a member of their own close family and as queen. Among those taking part are the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Kent and his sister Princess Alexandra, who has never before given an interview.
09 Sep 2022
On the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, a special documentary featuring contributions from HM King Charles III, her children, public figures, and those who worked with her. With previously unseen archive footage from the Queen's collection.
22 Apr 2020
Learn how the longest reigning monarch in British history was shaped by World War II. Princess Elizabeth’s experiences during the war mirrored those of the public and helped shape her into the Queen she is today.
13 May 2020
Lucy Worsley tells the story of the royal photograph, showing how the royal family worked with generations of photographers to create images that reinvented the British monarchy.
19 Jun 2021
In 1981 Prince Charles married Diana Spencer – but prior to that, he’s rumoured to have romanced at least 20 women and proposed twice. Who were the women who could have been queen?