Uncovering New History At Britain's Royal Fortresses And Palaces

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:03]Welcome to the wonder of Britain, where every week I'm celebrating the things that I think put the great into Great Britain.

[00:00:14]And this week I'm exploring our royal story.

[00:00:18]Flipping heck.

[00:00:20]From castles of romance, [music] he built her an entire castle, to palaces of greed and excess. Fat king, fat fireplace.

[00:00:30]Moments of intimacy, It's quite amusing to think of the ruler of the British Empire mucking around [music] with her kids and having a good old sing-along with her husband, and famed pomp and pageantry. You've got a tiny pinhead. So have you, it would appear.

[00:00:46]I'VE chosen the places [music] where my favorite royal characters have lived and loved. This is the wonder of royal Britain.

[00:00:55]>> [music] >> When I was young, our royal history seemed to consist of a long list of tricky dates and dead kings. And then I started to see it in a much more entertaining way. It's actually like the ultimate Game of Thrones, a story packed full of heroes and villains that's unfolded over centuries. And there are reminders of our royal heritage all around us.

[00:01:26]So where do I begin with my list of [music] royal wonders? Well, I have to start with the true legend, King Arthur.

[00:01:31]Yes, I know he's a myth, but he's also a symbol of [music] everything that a good monarch should be. He's just and true and brave.

[00:01:40]So I've come to the place where his life is supposed to have begun.

[00:01:44]This is Tintagel.

[00:02:06]>> On a spectacular jagged headland, Tintagel is the perfect place for such a magnificent mythical king.

[00:02:15]The real Arthur is thought to have lived just after the Romans left Britain, a time of chaos and war around 1 and 1/2 thousand years ago.

[00:02:24]And growing up, I adored the heroic tales of his daring deeds and his Knights of the Round Table.

[00:02:31]Our attachment to [music] him has become embedded in our social culture. Films, books, plays, but actual details of his existence are in short supply.

[00:02:43]He became associated with Tintagel almost 900 years ago when the writer Geoffrey of Monmouth named it as the place where Arthur was conceived.

[00:02:54]But the remains of the castle you see here today date from the 13th century, hundreds of years after Arthur is believed to have lived.

[00:03:03]It was built by a wealthy earl, Richard of Cornwall, the second son of King John, who wanted a piece of the Arthurian magic.

[00:03:12]A magic that has drawn visitors to Tintagel for hundreds of years.

[00:03:19]Throughout the centuries, the story has become more elaborate and then a mystical element was introduced. Merlin, the wise old sorcerer, was born.

[00:03:30]And this This is said to be his cave.

[00:03:44]I love this sound. I can do this. I love that.

[00:03:49]I love that.

[00:03:57]>> This cave cuts right through the headland.

[00:04:00]So, you can actually see from one end to the other.

[00:04:05]And when you're in a place like this, you want to believe in King Arthur. You want to believe that Merlin the sorcerer came through here with his staff held high.

[00:04:19]The legend does live on.

[00:04:29]If there was a real Arthur, evidence suggests he was probably a Romano-British leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons.

[00:04:49]The legend talks about Arthur's great sword, Excalibur.

[00:04:53]But if he was a real Dark Age warrior, Arthur would probably have used this style of weapon.

[00:04:59]>> Realistically, >> Mhm.

[00:05:01]>> if we place Arthur as a warlord in that hiatus after the Romans have left Britain, then the chances are it would be something like this, a spatha. It's simply the weapon of a Roman auxiliary cavalryman.

[00:05:15]Uh it's much longer than the normal Roman sword uh simply because you have to reach from on top of a horse.

[00:05:21]>> Mhm.

[00:05:22]>> Uh it both cut and thrust uh and capable of uh of of great damage in the right hands.

[00:05:27]Speaking of which, those are the right hands.

[00:05:30]>> Yes.

[00:05:32]See, I've been longing for sword fight.

[00:05:33]>> Here's your moment. Right, what you're going to do is you're going to try and cut my leg off from here.

[00:05:37]>> Ooh. Right, okay.

[00:05:40]>> I don't want to let you do that, so I'm going to try and cleave you in two. So, step back and then look after your head.

[00:05:46]>> There. There we go.

[00:05:47]>> Yep.

[00:05:47]>> One option to here is to come through and take my arm off clean there.

[00:05:52]>> My instinct right now at this stage is to go like that.

[00:05:55]>> That >> [laughter] >> That is entirely an option.

[00:05:59]>> Okay.

[00:05:59]>> They're both valid moves.

[00:06:01]>> Yep. Okay. And >> There. There.

[00:06:05]Here we go.

[00:06:05]>> Nice.

[00:06:06]>> Do you want to try it again?

[00:06:07]>> Yeah, let's go again.

[00:06:07]>> Okay.

[00:06:08]>> Go for the leg.

[00:06:09]>> Hey!

[00:06:11]>> Double-handed.

[00:06:18]Ultimately, it doesn't matter what the historians say. They can't suppress the legend that is King Arthur. He's become this leader that embodies all the characteristics we Brits adore in our monarchs. And for locals and tourists alike, this is where the story begins.

[00:06:40]The birth of our royal story may begin in legend, but how the royal soap opera continues is very real.

[00:06:47]My next wonder has been the location for some of its most memorable scenes.

[00:06:57]There's no other building in the country that's been at the core of more royal stories of drama and scandal than the Tower of London.

[00:07:09]>> [music] >> I first visited here when I was a teenager on a school trip from Sheffield, and I'm ashamed to say I haven't stepped foot inside these walls since then.

[00:07:21]And that's my mistake, because although modern London now looms over the Tower, when you step inside this fortress, our royal story comes alive.

[00:07:34]It's seen the murder of princes, the execution of three queens, has been a prison, a royal mint, even a royal zoo.

[00:07:44]Apparently, the polar bear [music] used to go for swims in the Thames.

[00:07:50]A thousand years after it was built, people still work and live within its walls, and it's still an official royal palace and fortress.

[00:08:01]The tower's been given countless makeovers down the centuries by kings and queens changing and adding buildings, all keen to leave their own mark.

[00:08:11]But at the heart of this fortress is this stone pile, the White Tower. It was built nearly a thousand years ago by William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings.

[00:08:24]This is where the tower began.

[00:08:27]It's the oldest building here. When it was constructed over 900 years ago, standing 90 ft tall, it was a skyscraper of its day.

[00:08:35]Nothing like it had been seen before. It loomed ominously over the London skyline as a warning to people, behave.

[00:08:46]Today, it houses one of the world's oldest tourist attractions.

[00:08:50]For 350 years, VIPs and [music] visitors have come to be wowed by hundreds of sparkling and sinister pieces.

[00:08:59]A display of the suits of armor of our royals and noblemen.

[00:09:08]Armor doesn't normally get me excited, but this is a special piece. It was made for Henry VIII when he was 49, past his prime, and he was a big boy. Look at the chest, 52 in around, and that paunch.

[00:09:21]And come around here, let's take a look at the rump. Does my bum look big in this? Yes, it does, Henry. But that's not the only thing that was big.

[00:09:36]Now, apparently, lady tourists in the 1700s would visit this suit and they would stick pins in the lining of the codpiece to aid their fertility. Quite why they thought it would help, I don't know. Cuz let's face it, Henry's own fertility was patchy at best.

[00:09:51]But he has got a big one.

[00:09:53]Or he did have a big one.

[00:09:59]So, why do we love Henry? He was a monstrous man, but he was passionate and determined and wildly romantic. And I think his appetite for life and his I don't care attitude are the reasons why we continue to engage with him, not just vividly, but strangely rather fondly.

[00:10:20]But to begin to understand the man behind the codpiece, you've got to experience a taste of his extravagant lifestyle.

[00:10:32]Our royal heritage has left us with an array of splendid palaces, each with its own treasure trove of stories.

[00:10:41]From Buckingham Palace with its 775 rooms, 240 of which are bedrooms, to Windsor, where the Queen spent [music] most of her private weekends and is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world.

[00:10:59]But there's one that I've always loved because it helps give me a real [music] taste of a dastardly king who's always intrigued me, Henry the VIII.

[00:11:10]I don't think anywhere better exemplifies Henry's exotic and excessive lifestyle than this place, his ultimate pleasure palace, Hampton Court.

[00:11:31]>> Hello.

[00:11:31]>> Hi.

[00:11:32]>> Hello.

[00:11:33]>> It's intriguing to think that had Henry's older brother Arthur not died prematurely, Henry might never have been king. But, he certainly grew into the job.

[00:11:43]Henry took over Hampton Court in 1529 from his leading churchman, Cardinal Wolsey.

[00:11:50]He spent a fortune improving and enlarging it for his then mistress and intended queen, Anne Boleyn.

[00:11:57]He built new lodgings, bowling alleys, tennis courts, and a great hall.

[00:12:02]And you can still see the letters, an A and an H for Anne and Henry, carved here in stone.

[00:12:11]But, along with his penchant for women, Henry had one other great love in life, food.

[00:12:17]They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and there's no better place to get a sense of this extraordinary king than a visit to see his kitchens.

[00:12:27]The kitchen was made up of 55 rooms.

[00:12:30]Think about that.

[00:12:32]Jamie and Nigella would have been so jealous.

[00:12:35]And this, haha, this is the mothership.

[00:12:40]The great kitchen, the roasting kitchen, as it was known.

[00:12:45]Have you ever seen such a fireplace?

[00:12:49]Fat king, fat fireplace.

[00:12:53]Henry owned over 60 properties, which he traveled around with an entourage of more than 600 people.

[00:13:00]And when they rolled into town, they all had to be fed.

[00:13:05]No one knows more about Henry's industrial-scale catering than food historian Mark Meltonville.

[00:13:13]>> We're going to spit roast this, cuz that's the best way of cooking.

[00:13:16]>> we are.

[00:13:17]But, this is a status symbol. It's about feeding not just high-ranking guests, but low-ranking guests, everybody.

[00:13:23]Because if you can feed the whole court, then you are a wealthy, wealthy, powerful individual.

[00:13:28]>> A rich man can eat a good dinner, but a really rich man, he can feed everyone in his court.

[00:13:33]>> The consumption here was enormous. Up to 100 sheep, 30 cows, not to mention poultry, game, and rabbits cooked every single day. Nothing was safe. A Tudor courtier was probably consuming over 4 and 1/2 thousand calories a day. No Weight Watchers here, then.

[00:13:52]>> There you go.

[00:13:53]>> Okay. There we go.

[00:13:54]>> Okay.

[00:13:55]Now, this one, I have to put it on in a sort of an S shape so that the meat is holding. And this is the bit where you don't want to go through the palm of your hand.

[00:14:02]>> So, you're sort of weaving it.

[00:14:03]>> Weaving it very slightly.

[00:14:04]>> Right. Here we go.

[00:14:05]>> Have a go.

[00:14:06]>> Nice bit of meat.

[00:14:07]>> So, push and then [music] wiggle it that way a bit. That's fine.

[00:14:10]>> We're on.

[00:14:10]>> Then it gets hard.

[00:14:13]Well, we're only doing three bits.

[00:14:15]>> One, two, three. Up.

[00:14:16]Just a little barbecue.

[00:14:18]>> Um if we go the second row up, there you go. That one back. That's it. In there.

[00:14:23]Now, just slow and steady.

[00:14:26]>> And how long will I have to sit [snorts] here for?

[00:14:28]>> Uh ideally, about 3 hours.

[00:14:32]>> As far as jobs go, back in those days, actually, not a bad job here in the kitchen.

[00:14:38]>> Well, you've got to remember it's an easy job in a world of very hard work.

[00:14:41]So, you could be outside, you could be plowing a field, you could be in all those agricultural jobs, you could be digging in a mine. So, if you offered one of those people, sit there for 3 hours for lunch and then 3 hours again later in the day, >> Mhm.

[00:14:52]>> it's not too bad.

[00:14:55]>> Amplify this. Have six open fires, 200 men all toiling and sweating over half-cooked meat, and suddenly it's not such a nice scene. One Spanish visitor to the Tudor court described the kitchens as veritable hells, full of stir and bustle.

[00:15:15]>> [music] >> This is the Great Hall where most of the tribe would have eaten.

[00:15:24]The largest room in the palace with a soaring 60-ft high hammerbeam ceiling that was painted blue, red, and gold.

[00:15:33]It's possibly the grandest canteen I've ever seen.

[00:15:40]The surprising thing is that Henry himself would eat in his own rooms alone.

[00:15:45]Whilst the court enjoyed his hospitality in this magnificent hall.

[00:15:54]>> All right, and a piece of mutton.

[00:15:56]>> That's perfect to me. The smell, I am just my mouth is >> Good.

[00:16:04]>> This for me is going to be the money shot.

[00:16:07]>> I should be rather good.

[00:16:10]Mhm.

[00:16:12]Mhm.

[00:16:13]Mhm.

[00:16:14]Mhm.

[00:16:15]Cheers.

[00:16:16]>> Cheers.

[00:16:16]>> This.

[00:16:17]>> Thank you. You have prepared a meal fit for a king.

[00:16:20]>> Thanks.

[00:16:23]>> Ah.

[00:16:25]Yum.

[00:16:27]Within just a few years of Henry's grand home improvements here at Hampton Court, the queen he'd been so desperate to impress, Anne Boleyn, was dead. [music] Beheaded for amongst other things false charges of adultery committed at the palace.

[00:16:42]But Henry barely paused for breath.

[00:16:45]Within 11 days, he was married again to Jane Seymour.

[00:16:50]His court was a machine that just kept on moving.

[00:16:54]Today I've experienced a fraction of the effort, the organization, and the money that would have taken to feed 600 mouths twice a day.

[00:17:03]Not that any of [music] that mattered to Henry VIII, of course.

[00:17:08]I do feel quite privileged [music] to have such a direct link back to our royal heritage.

[00:17:13]Even though that direct link is [music] a leg of mutton.

[00:17:24]>> But Henry VIII wasn't the only king to enjoy a bit of indulgence.

[00:17:32]I've chosen my next wonder because it is simply the most over-the-top royal residence in the country.

[00:17:39]I've always loved the fact that slap bang in the center of seaside Brighton is a giant oriental palace.

[00:17:47]It's utterly bonkers. It's the Royal Pavilion.

[00:17:54]>> [music] >> The Royal Pavilion was the vanity project of one of our most outrageous kings, George IV, built when he was Prince Regent.

[00:18:10]He was a rebel against his stiflingly strict upbringing, a true playboy prince.

[00:18:15]If he lived today, we'd be talking mega yachts, money, champagne, women, Vegas.

[00:18:23]Back in 1815, the same year Britain won the Battle of Waterloo, he spent a right royal ransom creating this oriental extravaganza.

[00:18:34]Dr. Alexandra Loske is an expert on this eccentric place.

[00:18:39]>> It's a style we call chinoiserie or orientalism. It's full of exotic things and elements. And uh I think George wanted you to to enter a fantasy vision of the East.

[00:18:53]It's pure escapism.

[00:18:57]>> And an escape it was. George came here to have royal romps by the sea with his favorite mistress, Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert.

[00:19:05]And to throw exquisite dinner parties in this glitzy banqueting hall where no expense was spared.

[00:19:12]>> So, you have to imagine this place in the evening, wonderfully lit, and you would eat here for hours.

[00:19:21]The banquets were incredibly lavish. On some occasions, you had stream of water in the middle of the table with real fish in it.

[00:19:31]>> A single meal could consist of over 120 dishes.

[00:19:36]And after dinner, it was time for some dirty dancing Georgian style.

[00:19:41]>> George had a private band, 40 of the best musicians [music] of the country, and they would travel with him.

[00:19:48]One of the dances that George liked particularly was the waltz.

[00:19:55]>> [music] >> It was this new, the very sensual, slightly erotic, >> [music] >> slightly scandalous dance from Germany, and it's just typical that George would have embraced that here in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.

[00:20:11]>> But living it up like this took a severe toll on George's health.

[00:20:15]By the time he was finally crowned king in 1820, he was suffering from gout and was extremely overweight, weighing almost 23 stone.

[00:20:26]>> The entire ground floor, the entertaining area of this palace is completely level.

[00:20:34]No steps, cuz he had one of the earliest wheelchairs.

[00:20:38]>> And George's reckless lifestyle made him pretty unpopular.

[00:20:41]Especially as the country was in financial crisis after the Napoleonic Wars.

[00:20:49]>> Well, he's still much ridiculed, but I think we're we're almost at a point where we are so reevaluating him and re-appreciating him.

[00:20:57]Uh particular as a as a builder king, someone who gave us places like this, one of the most outrageous, entertaining, unusual buildings in Europe.

[00:21:10]>> That's one of the contradictions of our royal story. Our greediest and most excessive rulers have left us with some remarkable and beautiful palaces.

[00:21:21]Thankfully, our royal story is much more than a tale of a long line of fat, indulgent men.

[00:21:27]Any good soap opera's got to have a bit of romance.

[00:21:31]Next, I'm going to discover a castle that hosted one of the most extravagant royal dates in history.

[00:21:37]And a place you can uncover the intimate side of one of our most famous and fearsome queens.

[00:21:50]I'm traveling the country exploring the key places that unlock some of my favorite royal stories.

[00:21:56]And my list wouldn't be complete without including the royal I find most fascinating.

[00:22:03]Queen Elizabeth the First.

[00:22:06]Bright, independent, [music] a bit of a ball breaker, she's always impressed me.

[00:22:12]So, I could have chosen the remarkable Westminster Abbey where Elizabeth is buried.

[00:22:17]Or the quaint old palace at Hatfield House where she spent her childhood years.

[00:22:25]I could have explored her story at the Tower of London where [music] she was imprisoned for eight weeks before she became queen.

[00:22:35]But one of the things that's always intrigued me most about her is that she chose duty over love. Not an easy thing to do.

[00:22:46]So, my next one there is a beautiful and atmospheric ruin where her decision to remain the virgin queen was tested to the limit when a man she loved tried everything he could to win her hand.

[00:22:58]This is Kenilworth Castle.

[00:23:08]Kenilworth wasn't built by a royal, but it was created to impress one.

[00:23:13]It belonged to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, a dashing fellow and childhood friend of Elizabeth.

[00:23:21]At the start of her reign, the court was rife with rumors of a passionate love affair between them.

[00:23:26]In 1575, he invited [music] her to stay here at Kenilworth.

[00:23:30]His aim was to convince her to marry him.

[00:23:35]Elizabeth stayed at Kenilworth for [music] a total of 19 days. That's the longest time she ever spent with a courtier.

[00:23:43]This was wooing on a grand scale.

[00:23:46]Dudley constructed magnificent four-story state apartments just for Elizabeth to stay in.

[00:23:52]Imagine that, building all this for a guest who stays less than 3 weeks.

[00:23:58]This is the very view that Elizabeth would have been looking out on.

[00:24:02]>> Yes, and you can see what Dudley was trying to do. The scale and the lavishness of this building that we're standing in, um, reveals just how much he was willing to spend to prove to her how grand he he could be.

[00:24:15]>> He turned the castle and the grounds into a sort of festival of love with music, performances, fireworks, and dancing, which they both adored.

[00:24:24]This image, painted at the time, is reputed to show them dancing together.

[00:24:29]>> Um, it would have been a really exciting event to be at. I'd love to have been here.

[00:24:33]>> Oh, Nick, if I'd known you, I'd have sent you a invitation in the post.

[00:24:39]Dudley also constructed an elaborate formal garden for the Queen, filling it with suggestive symbols of love.

[00:24:45]He didn't miss a trick.

[00:24:50]>> It's a paradise.

[00:24:52]>> [music] >> The aviary was to contain birds that might have come from Africa.

[00:24:55]>> Exotic.

[00:24:56]>> Exotic. And, uh, the perfumes from the garden, >> carnations and the the roses that they brought in specially and of course the wild strawberries.

[00:25:04]>> The fruit of love.

[00:25:05]>> Yes.

[00:25:07]>> We're talking about the highest status garden you can possibly imagine, showing off all this symbolism to remind the Queen that, you know, here I am, I'm after you. Please, please, please, will you marry me?

[00:25:28]>> Elizabeth was a fashion icon and used clothes to emphasize her wealth and power.

[00:25:34]When she died, she owned over 2,000 gowns.

[00:25:38]>> This particular one >> And today, Beth Williams is giving me a tiny glimpse into what it was like to dress like Liz.

[00:25:45]Starting with the eight different undergarments that go on before the gown. What am I stepping into, Beth?

[00:25:50]>> Okay, this is called a farthingale and this is called a bum roll. So, you've got a nice, great, big skirt.

[00:25:58]>> I like it.

[00:25:59]>> [laughter] >> Now, we're just going to put some padding on you.

[00:26:03]>> I'm just looking, Beth, at the layers that we've got on the bed. [laughter] >> It's not simple dressing like a queen.

[00:26:08]>> No.

[00:26:10]>> This is a bit where it starts to get a bit tight.

[00:26:14]This bit is called a partlet, just to protect a lady's modesty.

[00:26:19]>> I don't think I've ever had my modesty protected.

[00:26:22]>> [laughter] >> You need to make gentle, lady-like movements just in case you get stabbed by your own dress.

[00:26:33]>> Here we go. This is the final layer.

[00:26:35]>> This is the bit that everyone's been waiting for. This is the gown and it's like a very heavy, very elaborate coat.

[00:26:43]>> I can't get my hands through there. Oh, there we go. That's why we're hooked in.

[00:26:47]I was a bit worried then but I have man [laughter] hands.

[00:26:52]>> When Elizabeth visited Kenilworth, she was 41 years old, the average life expectancy of the time.

[00:26:59]And age was something she was very conscious of, using thick makeup to disguise hers.

[00:27:06]>> Elizabeth [snorts] was very paranoid about getting old. So, as she got older, she started to dress younger and younger, and she filled her court with younger and younger people because she didn't want to be reminded of anyone getting older.

[00:27:21]>> Elizabeth was a cougar.

[00:27:23]>> [laughter] >> She was, indeed.

[00:27:26]>> The white makeup she wore was made with white lead or chalk mixed with egg white and vinegar. I've gone for a safer option today.

[00:27:36]Once it was applied, you had to be careful not to laugh or it might crack.

[00:27:40]Bathing in mercury was also thought to soften the skin, and this may well have been why all her hair fell out and she had to wear a wig.

[00:27:49]Elizabeth hid her fears [music] and her insecurities beneath a mask of charisma, bravado, and toxic makeup.

[00:27:59]>> Flipping heck.

[00:28:01]One is surprised.

[00:28:04]>> But despite the glorious time she had at Kenilworth, [music] there were a few problems with Robert Dudley. He was not a man without baggage.

[00:28:12]A, he'd already been married.

[00:28:14]B, his wife had died in suspicious circumstances. And C, he was the suspected murderer.

[00:28:21]To marry such an unsuitable candidate would have been a catastrophe for the Queen and the nation.

[00:28:27]In the end, Elizabeth chose duty to her country over any man.

[00:28:32]In one [snorts] of her last public speeches, she said she knew that one day there might be a monarch more capable than her, but there would never be one that loved her people more.

[00:28:42]She died with her image of the Virgin Queen intact, but she kept a letter in her bedside table from Dudley, marked quite simply his last letter in her own handwriting.

[00:29:00]>> But not all our queens felt they had to sacrifice [music] earthly love for their country. And one of our greatest royal love stories has to be that of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

[00:29:15]>> Most of us have the impression [music] of Victoria as a dour queen who was not amused. But of course, that's not the whole story. She was actually a vivacious young lady. And when she met Albert in 1836, she fell passionately in love.

[00:29:32]So for my next [music] wonder, I could very easily have chosen the Royal Albert Hall. I mean, look at it.

[00:29:38]It's stunning.

[00:29:41]Victoria dedicated the building to Albert after his untimely death. But I wanted to find somewhere that would give us a more intimate view of the towering queen. And really, there was only one choice. Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

[00:30:04]Victoria and Albert were married in 1840. And unconventionally, it was Victoria who proposed to Albert. Girl power.

[00:30:13]A few years later, they began coming to Osborne House to escape the hubbub and pace of London life.

[00:30:23]They loved the arts and music.

[00:30:27]And this sitting room was both a place they worked and relaxed together.

[00:30:33]Curator Michael Hunter can unlock the memories held in this house.

[00:30:38]>> Prince Albert composed, the Queen sang.

[00:30:42]One can imagine the two of them [music] sitting side by side at the piano.

[00:30:47]We know that Mendelssohn, for [music] instance, famous composer, German composer of the 19th century, arranged some of his work specially for Queen Victoria [music] and Prince Albert so that they could play duets together.

[00:31:08]>> Osborne was very much a family home. And quite a family it was. By 1857, Victoria had born nine children.

[00:31:17]>> The Queen was pregnant throughout much of the marriage, really, to be honest.

[00:31:22]So, yeah, I mean, these rooms up here were incredibly busy.

[00:31:32]This was the night nursery, the main room up here on the nursery floor.

[00:31:37]This is a sculpture of one of Queen Victoria's children's arm. Very strange way that Queen Victoria liked to sort of capture fleeting images of her children.

[00:31:53]Queen Victoria and Prince Albert would come up and play with the children here.

[00:31:56]They would help bathe the children. So, I think they were very hands-on.

[00:32:03]>> Outside, there was lots of fun to be had on Osborne's private beach.

[00:32:07]Albert taught the kids to swim, and Victoria collected shells with them.

[00:32:13]She had her first ever [music] swim in the sea here, declaring, "I thought it delightful until I put my head under the water, when I thought I should be stifled."

[00:32:26]What I love about Osborne House is the intimate glimpse it gives us into Victoria's personal life. It's quite amusing to think of the ruler of the British Empire, the Queen of the United Kingdom, the [music] Empress of India, mucking around with her kids and having a good old sing along with her husband.

[00:32:44]The romantic idyll wasn't to last.

[00:32:46]Tragically, at the age of just 42, Albert died of typhoid. [music] Victoria was devastated. From that day on, she didn't wear any other color other than black.

[00:32:56]The Prince Albert Memorial took 10 years to build.

[00:33:03]It's grand. It's ornate. It's purposefully over the top. This is Victoria's symbol of enduring love for Albert.

[00:33:19]And when it comes to grandeur, our royals certainly know how to put on a good show.

[00:33:27]Next, a rather noisy birthday celebration.

[00:33:34]And I discovered the hours of work that go into creating the pomp and splendor that us Brits do best.

[00:33:52]Edinburgh is one of Britain's most stunning cities.

[00:33:57]And I've chosen my next wonder because for me, it symbolizes the long history between two mighty kingdoms.

[00:34:04]Even if it's not always been a straightforward relationship.

[00:34:09]The first king to wear the crowns of both [music] England and Scotland was born here at the marvelous Edinburgh Castle.

[00:34:27]When England and Scotland were ruled by two separate lines of kings and queens, Edinburgh Castle was a seat of Scottish power.

[00:34:34]>> NUMBER ONE!

[00:34:35]>> [screaming] >> BUT THIS SALUTE CELEBRATES THE BIRTHDAY OF the Queen who reigns over both England and Scotland, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland.

[00:34:48]That's because in 1566, Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to a son here, James the VI of Scotland.

[00:34:57]And when Mary's cousin Elizabeth I died without an heir, James was her closest living relative.

[00:35:04]So, he was crowned King of England in 1603.

[00:35:10]The two crowns were now united, even if it took another 100 years for the countries to follow suit.

[00:35:23]And the Queen's birthday is celebrated every year here at Edinburgh Castle.

[00:35:41]Ceremonies like the 21-gun salute are a vital part of our royal heritage, and that's one of the best things about royal Britain. We know how to throw a party. Just look at the Queen's birthday parade or the royal wedding, admired around the world. And it's no surprise really, because everybody likes a man in uniform.

[00:35:59]So, my next wonder isn't a place, it's a group of fiendishly dashing soldiers, the Household Cavalry.

[00:36:12]>> [music] >> The Household Cavalry are the Queen's official bodyguards and are made up of two of the oldest and most senior regiments in the British [music] Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals.

[00:36:32]They trace their rich heritage back over 350 years to the time of Charles II.

[00:36:40]And their mounted regiment is based here in Hyde Park [music] Barracks in Central London.

[00:36:47]At any one time, there might be 250 officers and soldiers living and working here.

[00:36:55]Their job is to provide a daily guard of 12 to 15 men for the Queen.

[00:37:00]They also carry out countless public and state ceremonial duties.

[00:37:09]Today, they're preparing for a very special parade, which only happens once every 10 years.

[00:37:14]The Standards Parade.

[00:37:19]These are what the Royal Standards Parade is all about. They are the Royal Standards. So, essentially, they're articles which bear the regiment's battle history.

[00:37:30]And very few people get to touch them.

[00:37:36]These banners were traditionally used as a rallying point for soldiers during battle.

[00:37:41]Now, they're used every day on parade when the Queen's in London and are replaced as they get worn out.

[00:37:49]It's also a chance to add any new battle honors that the regiment has received in the previous decade.

[00:37:56]The Household Cavalry is one of very few regiments that receive their new standards from the Queen herself.

[00:38:04]But when you're parading in front of the Queen, everything has to be perfect.

[00:38:09]Preparations for a parade like this take months. There are numerous rehearsals involving hundreds of soldiers who each take hours and hours to get ready.

[00:38:19]It's an endless process. Grooming.

[00:38:24]Cleaning.

[00:38:27]Polishing.

[00:38:29]I'll do this and you do See, I actually quite like doing this at home. I quite like cleaning the silver and stuff.

[00:38:36]Not that I've got a lot of silver to clean, but you know, photo frames, the odd spoon.

[00:38:41]Waxing.

[00:38:43]And more polishing.

[00:38:46]Can I pick it up? Is that right?

[00:38:48]It's quite heavy. Can I put it on? Let's try it.

[00:38:51]If it fits, I've got a tiny pinhead. So, have you, it would appear.

[00:38:54]>> It's not comfortable after a few hours.

[00:38:56]>> No, I'm going to live with it just for a few seconds and see how I cope. How long would you have to wear it for?

[00:39:01]>> Be anything up to 5 hours for Queen's Birthday Parade. So, and you're not allowed to move it.

[00:39:08]>> You're not allowed to touch it. You would not want to wear this for 5 hours.

[00:39:14]>> After a while, like certain parts of it start to stick into your head.

[00:39:19]>> These stunning helmets can weigh up to 6 lb and they're known as Albert helmets because the design was introduced by Prince Albert.

[00:39:30]And it's not just with the helmets that style trumps comfort.

[00:39:33]The cavalry have worn the same type of boot since 1812.

[00:39:37]Called jackboots because the leather has been jacked or stiffened to keep it looking pristine.

[00:39:43]Right, I've heard a lot of men complaining about these boots, so let's try them on and see exactly how uncomfortable they are.

[00:39:52]Ooh.

[00:39:55]Right, they might not be my exact size.

[00:39:59]Let's go for a little stroll now.

[00:40:07]They are so uncomfortable. I don't think I'd last in the British Army.

[00:40:13]But the men in uniform are not the only stars of the show.

[00:40:20]The barracks is also home to almost 200 horses, mostly cavalry blacks. [music] They stand almost 6 ft tall.

[00:40:35]Each soldier is assigned [music] a specific horse, and they learn special skills like shoeing.

[00:40:44]Just like a car's registration plate, the first letter of the horse's name tells you their age.

[00:40:53]Lance Corporal of Horse, Mark Neale, rides a K reg called Kimberly. She's 10 years old.

[00:40:59]>> And could you ride before that?

[00:41:01]>> No.

[00:41:01]>> No, so you were completely thrown into all of this.

[00:41:03]>> Massively. Massively.

[00:41:07]>> But being in the Household Cavalry isn't just about fancy parades.

[00:41:11]Every soldier is also a fighting soldier.

[00:41:15]They put their lives on the line throughout history, in the Battle of Waterloo, on the fields of Flanders, and more recently in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

[00:41:26]>> You served, you've been on tours, you've been in Afghanistan.

[00:41:29]>> Yeah, I served in Afghan in 2009.

[00:41:32]>> How do you cope with the contrast?

[00:41:33]You're in Afghanistan serving your country in a in a a deadly situation, and then you're back here preparing for essentially a pretty parade.

[00:41:44]>> The pressure out there is slightly different pressure that the pressure is all about timings and and looking good and whatever else, well out there is >> Yeah.

[00:41:51]>> the pressure is a lot more cuz it's life well can be life or death, I suppose.

[00:41:55]But equally this time of the year here, the pressure is immense.

[00:42:00]Especially on the young lads that come through.

[00:42:05]>> Are you excited?

[00:42:07]>> I am actually.

[00:42:08]This parade is the first one I've known someone to actually volunteer to ride on a parade. Lads actually want to be on this parade. So, um yeah, it's going to be a proud day.

[00:42:18]>> To make sure it all goes smoothly, officers like Captain Jack Campbell will be keeping a close eye on their men.

[00:42:25]What's the correct facial expression when you're on parade? You're not meant to smile, are you?

[00:42:30]>> Depends who you talk to. I'm in the belief that you take a lot of pride in your work and you enjoy what you do, but um obviously to an extent you can show some expression, but not too much.

[00:42:40]>> You don't want to look smug, though.

[00:42:41]>> Not too smug.

[00:42:42]>> Not too smug. Smug's not good.

[00:42:43]>> No, just just as if you're enjoying yourself. Not miserable.

[00:42:46]Find a balance.

[00:42:56]>> And after months of preparation and hours and hours of hard work, it appears it was all worth it.

[00:43:09]>> [music] >> The beauty and power of seeing 175 horses and cavalry men circling Horse Guards Parade in perfect step is an unrivaled spectacle.

[00:43:32]As the Queen presents the new standards to the regiment, it's a chance for the Household Cavalry to relive their deep connection to an ancient military and royal heritage.

[00:43:45]>> [music] >> And you don't have to be a royalist to admire the splendor of our pomp and pageantry.

[00:43:57]No wonder it's the envy of the world.

[00:44:04]>> [music] >> I've been traveling across the country exploring my favorite wonders that connect us to our royal past.

[00:44:22]Over the leg.

[00:44:23]Hey.

[00:44:26]I visited legendary castles and flamboyant palaces.

[00:44:33]I've seen our royals at their most indulgent and most intimate. Flipping heck, I'm a nice surprise.

[00:44:43]Britain's royal heritage has given us a rip-roaring soap opera.

[00:44:47]Queen Victoria, Elizabeth, Henry VIII were all larger than life colorful characters [music] that even J.K. Rowling might have a hard time creating, but they were real people, as real as the walls around me, and they all played a vital role in shaping our history.

[00:45:32]>> [music]