About this season
Tracy Borman reveals the intimate details of the monarchs, to find out what really went on in their private lives.
Episodes (5)
1. Queen Victoria
Aired 27 October 2017 • 45 min
We explore two of the most important relationships in her private life - with her husband Prince Albert, with whom things may not have been quite as they seemed; and her eldest son Edward, who she came to utterly despise.
2. Louis XIV
Aired 3 November 2017 • 45 min
The Palace of Versailles pays testimony to Louis XIV, the self-styled Sun King, who ruled at the height of French power for an incredible 72 years. He had a very open 'secret' second marriage, as well as very infrequent bathing practices.
3. Charles II
Aired 10 November 2017 • 45 min
Hampton Court and Whitehall Palace provide the backdrops for a man besotted by sensuality who presided over a court obsessed by sex. A 24-hour 'pox doctor' was constantly on call.
4. Mad King George
Aired 17 November 2017 • 45 min
We see how a handsome and popular young man with exquisite manners, a witty conversationalist, the first gentleman of England, indeed, turned into a bloated, boorish and bullying monster who hated his son.
5. Henry VIII
Aired 24 November 2017 • 45 min
It turns out that Henry VIII was a bit of a prude, and shocked by the worldliness of Anne Boleyn; he had decent table manners, contrary to his image. The king's life eventually had to be adapted to accommodate his ever-increasing weight.