Secrets of the Royal Palaces (2021)

Christmas secrets of the royal palaces.

An unveiling of some of the many secrets held by Buckingham Palace, including its former rat problem, and the part it played in Charles and Diana's courtship.

Historian Jonathan Foyle casts his eye over Balmoral.

Some dramatic events have taken place at Windsor Castle, which was built more than 900 years, guided by Edward III and his obsession with tales of Camelot. There is a look at one of the most popular exhibits at Windsor - Queen Mary's Dolls' House - and Kate Williams revisits some of the castle's darker times, including the year when bubonic plague caused Queen Elizabeth to isolate at Windsor, and the death of Prince Albert in 1861.

Sandringham in Norfolk was purchased in 1861 for the rakish Prince Edward, to curb his ways, but it proved to be the perfect palace for a party.

Highgrove House in Gloucester is the smallest royal residence currently in use, with nine bedrooms. It is Prince Charles's own creation and features a garden described as an 'organic oasis'.

Kensington Palace has been home to many Royals since the 17th Century. Christopher Wren expanded Nottingham House into a palace, which some describe as a bit of a 'botched job'.

Holyrood House in Edinburgh has a bloody history - Mary Queen of Scots saw her secretary murdered in front of her there, and it is also where her second husband was murdered.

Hidden in Central London, the Palace of St James is the real seat of royal power. Originally built for Anne Boleyn, by the time it was finished her marriage with Henry VIII was over.

Kate Williams explores some of the more gruesome stories of Windsor Castle history, including the death of Princess Charlotte in 1817.

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Versailles is one of the most enormous and impressive palaces in the world. Louise XIV built it in 1634 as a way of controlling the French aristocracy.

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Brighton's Royal Pavilion was built by Prince Regent, George IV in 1787. He took a small beach house and turned it into a flamboyant multi-domino-Saracenic wonder palace.

Kensington Palace had always been a party palace but a gap in succession made way for foreign import George 1st of Hanover and his refurbishments.

London's lost royal palace Whitehall is destroyed, but if you know where to look, it is still possible to find the remnants of what was once the largest palace in Europe.

Buckingham Palace is known throughout the world as the headquarters of the royal family, and is one of our most recognisable palaces.

More behind-the-scenes tales of the British monarchy’s residences, looking at Queen Elizabeth II added the Royal Gallery to Buckingham Palace after swathes of it were damaged by bombs during the Second World War. Kate Williams explores the make-up used in the Elizabethan court, including arsenic, beetles and the urine of a small boys, and also reveals how George III was imprisoned and tortured in Kew Gardens to hide his mental decline and how Holyrood Palace became the nerve centre of the Jacobite Rebellion.

Behind-the-scenes tales from the Palaces of Westminster, with the State Opening of Parliament the event where royalty and democracy come together. The Prince’s Chamber was specially built for Queen Elizabeth II to rest before entering the Lords and taking her seat on the palace’s royal throne, while a secret tunnel hidden behind the ancient walls is explored. Other stories featured include a hologram portrait of Elizabeth II and how Charles II dabbled in cannibalism.

Windsor Castle is the largest permanently lived in castle in the world, and it’s still packed with secrets. There is the Welsh Cottage, a 2 fifths life size Dolls house that the young Elizabeth 2nd played in as a child. It had been gifted to her by the people of Wales but she almost never got to play in it, as caught fire on the way to Windsor. We examine the stunning Waterloo Chamber, built from contained courtyard and turned into one of the most stunning rooms in the Palace, dedicated to Britain’s greatest military victory.

Exploring Greenwich, the great lost palace, and a look at the Gold State Coach.

The history of Hampton Court’s Great Hall, a huge dining area built by more than 400 stonemasons, bricklayers, carpenters, joiners and labourers that was also used by Henry VIII to keep an eye on his household. Plus, a look at the 2002 Golden Jubilee Party, which was held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and is considered to have changed the public’s perception of monarchy.

Exploring St James’s, the palace at the heart of the monarchy built by Henry VIII.

Behind-the-scenes tales of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, which was bought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 and was turned into their perfect renaissance hideaway. Kate Williams goes on a culinary adventure and tries traditional Tudor cuisine, including snails and pigs’ feet, while the horrors of the palaces’ bedding ceremony is revealed, where a royal bride is observed on her wedding night to make sure the marriage is consummated.

Behind-the-scenes tales of Kensington Palace, which started out as Nottingham House until it was bought in 1698 by William III and transformed into a royal residence after a major renovation. Kate Williams explores some of the more gruesome pieces of palace history, including the grim death of Henry Stuart, the murder of Amy Robsart to clear a path for the queen, and the amazing story of Eleanor Cobham, the `Royal Witch”.

Uncovering the secret stories of love and marriage from within palaces walls, beginning with the strange mystery of Squidgygate and Princess Diana's intimate Sandringham phone conversations with her 'friend', James Gilbey.

Stories of palace private life - and the moments the royals wish were private - beginning with the royal family's race to be by Elizabeth II's side in her final moments at Balmoral. The programme forensically examines that day and uncovers how the deep family rift between Prince Harry and the rest potentially caused a tragic delay. Kate Williams shines a light on some of the most remarkable private tales from palace history, including the messy end of William the Conqueror's life when he was buried by a band of hapless monks.

This time, we uncover secret stories of palace scandal, as Diana confesses all to one of her closest member of staff, King Charles tries to move out his scandal-hit brother and we reveal the shocking link between Queen Victoria's favourite lapdog and a palace massacre.

We uncover secret stories of palace duty; including Queen Elizabeth II’s final balcony appearance; how not to look after the Crown Jewels; and Kate’s first palace assignment abroad.

Uncovering the secrets of Palace entertaining, from Wayne Sleep teaching Princess Diana how to dance, to the Buckingham Palace party that almost went up in flames.

Uncovering the secrets of palace entertaining, from Wayne Sleep teaching Princess Diana how to dance, to the Buckingham Palace party that almost went up in flames.

Behind-the-scenes tales of palace retreats, exploring former royal yacht Britannia'a hidden history and unravelling why its loss caused such public sorrow on its decommissioning at Portsmouth dockyard. Plus, the secrets of George IV's seaside palace Brighton Pavilion, while Kate Williams tells the astonishing story of how George V's doctor hurried the dying monarch to his death at Sandringham in order that its could be reported in the morning's edition of the Times.

This time, we uncover the secrets of Queen Victoria's Palaces, as we explore the romantic hideaway designed for her by Prince Albert, open-up the scandalous diaries that reveal Victoria's racier side, and discover just how many times she was shot at by would-be assassins.

Uncovering the secrets of Tudor palaces: exploring the last remnants of a mega palace, and discovering the astonishing treats on the menu at a Tudor banquet - a chicken riding a pig!