This is another new Channel Five series, as they have broadcast about royal palaces before. Xand van Tulleken, Raksha Dave and JJ Chalmers explore the subject well, covering the architecture, health and make-up, but quite a few important monarchs are omitted: William I who conceived it, Edward III who was born there, Richard III who moved Henry VI‘s remains there and the Stuarts, even though Charles I was imprisoned there.
This leaves the first episode with Henry VIII‘s obese tyranny (28 stone at his peak) and Elizabeth I’s complexion, replete with lead and mercury. Episode two covered the frugal but curious George III (a boiled egg and a cup of chocolate for breakfast) and his eldest son, who died at 24 stone, but remodelled the skyline and demolished the Queen’s Lodge that had been built for his mother and her eleven children. Victoria and the security-minded Prince Albert feature in the third episode as the castle grounds are enclosed following assassination attempts, although she is rarely seen for twenty years after his death.
The second half of the series focussed on the twentieth century as Edward VII, a mere 48 inch waist compared with his predecessors, installed electricity and central heating, after which the House of Windsor was proclaimed in 1917. Edward VIII furthered his liaison with Wallis Warfield and the Second World War began. The Crown Jewels were moved to the Castle and the new king’s elder daughter learned to drive ATS vehicles here. After the war, Windsor Castle was adapted further to become a full-time principal Royal residence and the 1992 fire is referred to as well.
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