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00:00The Tower of London, a world-famous historic monument.
00:05There will be stories about murders!
00:08Over its thousand years of history, everyone who's anyone has passed through its gates.
00:14King Richard III!
00:16Catherine Howard!
00:17King Henry VIII declared!
00:18My darling Anne, I will love you for the rest of your life!
00:24Cheeky!
00:26And this year, it's non-stop.
00:28Oh! Oh!
00:30With grand commemorations...
00:32Jumping, Jiminy!
00:34...at the ancient fortress, including a royal visit.
00:38I truly think that Her Majesty will be moved.
00:40We've got a ringside seat to see it all unfold.
00:43Oh, my gosh.
00:44While its dedicated staff...
00:46High five!
00:47Yeah!
00:48...work to keep everything on track.
00:50You know this is the queue for the toilet, don't you?
00:52No, I'm not feeding you anymore, no.
00:54In this episode, to begin a very special year, the Tower puts on a moving tribute to the D-Day landings.
01:03We have lost friends whilst we've been serving, so this one is very poignant for us.
01:09We will remember them.
01:12We discover how Sir Walter Raleigh ended up locked in the fortress while the plague raged through London.
01:18For Raleigh, who'd explored the world, imprisonment was a terrible punishment.
01:24And the Tower says farewell to its much-loved deputy governor.
01:29It's been a major part of my life. I'm going to miss this place and the people.
01:35Welcome to the secret world of the Tower of London.
01:39It's summer 2024, and the sun is shining.
01:51And His Majesty's Royal Palace is especially busy.
01:55Guiding the visitors through 1,000 years of history are the world-famous Beef Eaters.
02:00My favourite subject! Let's build it up!
02:06Executions!
02:07Queen Anne Boleyn, Queen Catherine Howard, Thomas Cromwell, you name it, they are buried inside that chapel.
02:12With their iconic Tudor uniforms, the 35 Yeoman Warders are the public face of the Tower.
02:18Hello.
02:18But their role involves more than entertaining the crowds.
02:23They're also the guardians of the Royal Fortress.
02:27Responsible for keeping the Tower and its contents secure 24-7, which means they must have homes within the Tower walls.
02:36About 35 of us and our families live inside the Tower of London.
02:41When the weather's nice, we have barbecues.
02:43But keeping this unique village going inside a listed building takes a lot of work.
02:49Many Beef Eaters volunteer for extra duties to keep things running smoothly behind the scenes.
02:55Some are chapel clerks.
02:57We check the candles.
02:58Or keepers of the archives.
03:00The first photo glass taken of the Yeoman Warders.
03:03And others manage the Tower's private club, the Keys.
03:07To have community space is really important, especially after a long, hot day in the sun.
03:14But just because they live at the office doesn't mean the Beef Eaters don't enjoy some downtime.
03:20Over at the old hospital block, jailer Clive has nipped home to check in on one of the Tower's four-legged lodgers,
03:28Finn the Greyhound.
03:30Right, Finn, let's go.
03:32Going for a walk.
03:33Come on, then.
03:36Let's get you in the moat.
03:39So, this is Finn.
03:42He's eight and a half years old.
03:44And he's on his holidays for a couple of weeks.
03:46And he comes to the Tower.
03:48Loves it down in the moat.
03:50And this morning, Finn's got some company.
03:53Oh, look, that's his friends.
03:54Oh, look, we've got Bess, Wellington, Reggie.
03:59All coming to meet him.
04:00Say hello.
04:00So, these are his buddies from the Tower.
04:02Come on, then.
04:06The Tower moat has been the stomping ground for the resident puppy population for years.
04:11But two summers ago, it was transformed into a landscaped flower garden
04:16to celebrate the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.
04:20Good boy.
04:21Now, the dogs have to learn to behave.
04:24Come on, then.
04:25What have you got?
04:26Keeping their paws and gnashes to themselves.
04:28Stop eating that glass.
04:29There's all sorts of flowers down here.
04:34I couldn't begin to tell you all their names.
04:35But one of the ones that everyone notices, of course, is the poppy.
04:38Looks like a dainty flower, but it's actually really hardy.
04:40In 2014, the tower did a very big poppy display all the way around.
04:51888,246 handmade ceramic poppies were planted in the moat.
04:56And that was to represent one for every British and colonial soldier killed during that war.
05:01It was an amazing display.
05:07Marking military anniversaries has a special significance for beef eaters like Clive.
05:12So, being young wards at the Tower of London, we're all former military, part of the British Army, Navy or Air Force, and we represent our community.
05:25So, when we do these big showcase events, we are very proud to represent all those people who can't be here.
05:31Now, the tower is planning another special remembrance event.
05:36In just a few days' time, they will mark one of the most important operations of World War II, D-Day.
05:45Now, well, the 80th anniversary of D-Day is just around the corner, and we will hold our own ceremony to mark that,
05:51and to remember those people on D-Day on those beaches.
05:54On the 6th of June, 1944, Britain and its allies landed more than 130,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy, in Nazi-occupied France.
06:13D-Day, as it was known, would eventually lead to the end of the Second World War.
06:18In charge of planning the tower's special D-Day event is Deputy Governor Debbie Whittingham.
06:27Debbie served for three decades in the armed forces and has a special connection to the D-Day landings.
06:34I joined the Navy back in 1981, straight from school into the Rennes radar branch,
06:41which took me to HMS Dryad in Portsmouth, and that was where D-Day was planned.
06:49In 1944, the naval base HMS Dryad was the HQ where Allied commanders prepared for D-Day.
06:57When Debbie joined the Navy almost 40 years later, the map plotting the invasion was still in place.
07:05So I used to sit in that map room, having a cup of coffee in the morning, with that map as part of our wallpaper.
07:12And the fact that that was the start of the end of the Second World War, and the significance the Navy had to that, I felt so proud to be part of that legacy.
07:23The tower is just one part of a huge calendar of remembrance events stretching across Europe.
07:30The 80th anniversary is very, very important.
07:35And for us, especially here at the tower, under the guns of HMS Belfast, which was part of the D-Day operation as well, links us all together again.
07:47So we put our ceremonial hats on, and thought that we could have more of a religious ceremony.
07:55The service on Tower Green has been meticulously planned.
07:59It will be led by Canon Roger Hall, a guard of yeoman warders, and Gurkha soldiers.
08:03It must begin at 11am precisely, to coincide with the remembrance events across the country, and in Normandy.
08:12And Debbie is planning a special tribute in honour of one D-Day hero.
08:1721-year-old Scott, Bill Millen.
08:21Millen was one of the troops to land on the 6th of June.
08:25In an incredible act of bravery, he played his bagpipes alongside his comrades as they fought their way up the beach, giving them the courage to carry on.
08:37In the end, the D-Day operation would suffer over 10,000 Allied casualties.
08:44So I set the boys to task to find a piper who could play the same lament, and I think we've nailed that.
08:51We've just got to work out a bit of the logistics, but that'll be really quite poignant.
08:58That's what the Tower does.
08:59It does the gun salutes.
09:01It does the remembrance parades.
09:03It does those things that matter to the nation.
09:06And this D-Day, 80th anniversary, is up there with those.
09:12Coming up, we discover why famous explorer Sir Walter Raleigh ended up locked in the fortress.
09:19It was cold and cramped and pretty miserable.
09:23So Raleigh was in desperation.
09:27And the Tower comes together for one of its most emotional events.
09:30My father was fighting on D-Day.
09:33I prove that he made it.
09:35It's the 6th of June.
09:44You live here, right?
09:45I do live here, yes.
09:47Later today, the Tower will hold a special service marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
09:53It's been planned for weeks, and Deputy Governor Debbie Whittingham is up early to meet with Tower Chaplain Cannon Roger Hall.
10:01Good morning.
10:02Hi, good to see you.
10:02You too, you too, for a final run-through of the service that will take place outside the chapel.
10:07We'll get rid of the sign, but that sort of gives us a centre point, if you like.
10:11We'll be on the green here, creating a kind of a V with five yeoman warders either side of us.
10:19And the military guard who will flank the green, you in the middle, Roger.
10:24Just about here, really.
10:25Bugler on the left, Piper on the right, as we face out towards the broad walk.
10:30This morning's service will include some very special elements.
10:35To mark the significance of D-Day, and to tie in with the national and international commemorations,
10:41Debbie has arranged for a military piper and bugler to play.
10:44They will be flanked by a guard of yeoman warders and Gurkha soldiers.
10:53The 11 o'clock bell will be the cue.
10:55As soon as the last bell has struck for 11 o'clock, that's the very moment we join with people right around the world.
11:01It will be very special and quite a proud moment to be part of, really.
11:07For those yeoman warders whose relatives fought at D-Day, today's service will be a very personal commemoration.
11:14That's it, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much.
11:17One of these is ex-soldier Paul Cunliffe.
11:21His family has a long history of military service.
11:24I joined the Welsh Guards.
11:26And then, in 1982, we were deployed to the Falklands War.
11:32We were fighting on the 6th of June, in 1982.
11:37An extra amount of years before that, my father was fighting on D-Day, on the 6th of June.
11:46Paul's father landed on the Normandy beaches in the early morning mist, with no idea what lay ahead.
11:56He was on the first wave.
11:59He knew that when he come off that landing craft onto that beach, it was a 50-50 chance that he's going to make it or he's not going to make it.
12:10But he made it, and he went all the way through France, and he went all the way through Germany.
12:17I bought my dad a pocket watch.
12:24That's the only thing I've got on my dad, really.
12:28Paul will be one of 11 Yeoman Awarders taking part in the Tower's D-Day remembrance event later today.
12:36I'll be thinking of my father, and I'll be thinking of every single British serviceman who's not with us anymore.
12:41We've got a show that we're never going to forget.
12:51Today's service will mark 80 years since D-Day, but the ancient fortress has been witness to centuries of history.
12:58400 years ago, the Tower hosted some of the most high-profile figures in the kingdom.
13:06But they didn't always come willingly.
13:09Many military, religious, political prisoners held within its walls.
13:13One of the most notable Tower inmates was Sir Walter Raleigh.
13:17Soldier, poet and celebrated adventurer, Raleigh is famous for popularising the potato and tobacco in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
13:26But when James I came to the throne, Raleigh's fortunes changed quickly.
13:32The new king distrusted him and had Raleigh thrown into the Tower on flimsy charges of treason.
13:39Chief historian Tracey Borman is on the trail to find out what happened next.
13:44When Raleigh was brought to the Tower, it was under threat of execution.
13:53And he was housed here in the Baladi Tower, which was actually one of the more comfortable, roomy cells in the Tower.
14:00But compared to what Raleigh, the great adventurer, was used to, it was cold and cramped and pretty miserable.
14:07And as well as the threat of the axe, the plague was raging through London and had even reached the cell next to Raleigh's.
14:19So he was in desperation.
14:22And here in the Bloody Tower, he wrote to his beloved wife, Bess.
14:27He said,
14:57His salvation is his faithful wife, Bess, who braves the plague to visit him many times here in the Tower, sharing his imprisonment and stopping him from slipping entirely into despair.
15:17Walter and Bess lived at the Tower for another 13 long years.
15:25She even gave birth to a son, Caru, who was baptised in the Tower Chapel.
15:32Then, in 1616, King James ordered Raleigh's release.
15:37But his freedom would be short-lived.
15:40After just two years, Walter found himself back at the Tower, once again charged with treason.
15:49The great adventurer had run out of luck.
15:52He was sentenced to death.
15:54On the 29th of October, 1618, Raleigh was beheaded outside the Palace of Westminster.
16:04He faced his grisly fate with brave resolution, refusing a blindfold and apparently telling his executioner while waiting for the axe to fall,
16:14After two blows of the axe, Raleigh's head fell, the executioner then lifted it up and cried,
16:28Well, after all she'd been through, Raleigh's death left Bess alone, disgraced, shamed and now widowed.
16:41Raleigh's adventure may have come to an end, but the greatest mystery of his remarkable story was yet to come.
16:52What happened to his severed head?
16:59It's 10.30am on the 6th of June.
17:03200 miles from the Tower, on the coast of Normandy, King Charles is preparing to commemorate the D-Day landings,
17:09which took place 80 years ago today.
17:14Deputy Governor Debbie is getting ready for the Tower's own D-Day service.
17:19It's going to be a special moment, knowing what's going on in France at the same time as we're doing this.
17:24So, off we go.
17:27Debbie makes her way to Tower Green, fitted out in her ceremonial swan feathers.
17:33Good morning, Clive.
17:36Where Jailor Clive has begun prepping the Yeoman Warder Guard.
17:40It's an important day, we want to mark that by stepping up a little bit.
17:44We are wearing our medals, we are wearing our fine-tuned bonnet, as we call it, and white gloves.
17:49But Debbie is worried.
17:51The special centrepiece of today's remembrance service, the military piper, is nowhere to be seen.
17:57Is the piper here?
18:00He is, we just haven't seen him yet.
18:02And have they had a practice?
18:03I hope so.
18:04Don't tell me that.
18:05You know.
18:06I don't want any panics.
18:07As they wait for the piper to arrive, the day's visitors are beginning to suspect something is happening.
18:14All nice and clean.
18:15Excellent.
18:17While Debbie concentrates on making sure everything is ready on the dotted 11,
18:22Clive takes a moment to reflect on his time serving on the front line.
18:26Of course, we served in the ministry.
18:28We have lost friends whilst we've been serving, so we can relate to it very much.
18:32The nerves before you go on a patrol, the nerves before you run out of that gate or get off that helicopter,
18:36they're all there, and they would have been having those nerves probably ten times over.
18:40So this one is very poignant for us.
18:44Just in the nick of time, the piper arrives.
18:48Hello there.
18:49I don't think we've met.
18:51No, no, no, before your time.
18:52Steve Mackie, better known as Piper Chick, has been selected to perform the lament.
18:58With all eyes on him, the pressure of the occasion is huge.
19:03He'll be honouring the contribution of piper Bill Millen, who played during the D-Day landings.
19:09There's a famous picture of Bill on the landing craft and the pikes on his shoulder, and he played all the way through.
19:18He actually played Highland Laddy on the beaches of Normandy, which I'll be playing during this remembering service.
19:25With just a few minutes to go, the military guard from the Queen's Gurkha Signal Squadron...
19:32..arrives on Tower Green.
19:37Left!
19:38Can't!
19:40..and the tower officials take their positions.
19:43Come forward a bit, Si.
19:45Bit more, bit more, bit more, bit more.
19:47That's it.
19:47As the clock strikes eleven...
19:54Childer!
19:56..in Normandy, King Charles begins the remembrance commemorations at the memorial for British troops.
20:05Eighty years ago, on D-Day, our nation faced the supreme test.
20:12And the tower service begins with the bagpipe lament.
20:28The Allied landings marked the start of a long and costly campaign to liberate northwestern Europe.
20:35Today, we recall all those who gave their life as part of D-Day, the 6th of June, 1944.
20:48They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
20:56We will remember them.
20:58We will remember them.
21:01The bugler brings to a close this poignant remembrance service,
21:20as one group of veterans honour the sacrifice of another.
21:24That was very, very moving.
21:32And I remember my dad telling me about the bagpipes.
21:35And my dad fought there.
21:38Five and a half hours ago, my dad had stormed Gold Beach.
21:42So I'm proof that he made it.
21:49That's, uh...
21:50Coming up, we discover what happened to Sir Walter Raleigh's head.
22:11Wow, look at that!
22:14And Debbie prepares for the end of her time at the tower.
22:17Yeah, it's something that will never leave me.
22:21It's been a major part of my life.
22:24You won't get it.
22:34It's the 6th of June.
22:37After commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day,
22:39it's back to business as usual for the tower.
22:42There it is, Traitor's Gate.
22:44Surely the most infamous gate on earth.
22:46But one member of the tower's family has another special D-Day event to attend.
22:51Deputy Governor and Royal Navy veteran Debbie Whittingham
22:55has been invited aboard HMS Belfast,
22:58a warship which served in the D-Day landings.
23:01Moored on the Thames, it's one of the tower's nearest neighbours.
23:05This is a real treat for Debbie.
23:07Gosh, I've not stood up here for years.
23:12This has brought it all back.
23:15And I can see home as well.
23:18This visit marks the end of an era.
23:21After more than seven years as the tower's deputy governor,
23:24and a 30-year career in the Navy,
23:28Debbie has decided to retire.
23:31It's been a major part of my life,
23:33even though, you know, when you spend 30-odd years in the services,
23:37but this appointment is...
23:40..is just...
23:42There's no comparison.
23:45Today, she's meeting with HMS Belfast's curator, Nigel Steele.
23:49Nigel.
23:50Hello.
23:50Good morning.
23:51Good to meet you.
23:52To learn about the role of HMS Belfast in the D-Day landings.
23:56Each of the bombarding ships had a specific target,
23:59and these were the big concrete gun emplacements,
24:02not on the beach, but behind the beach,
24:03and they commanded the beach.
24:05At 5.27am on the morning of the 6th of June,
24:10HMS Belfast opened its guns on the German defences
24:13along the Normandy coastline,
24:16providing cover for the troops as they fought their way inland.
24:20By the end of the fighting,
24:21HMS Belfast had fired over 5,000 shells at the enemy.
24:28Today, the warship is marking the D-Day commemorations
24:31with a gun salute to rival anything seen at the tower.
24:36It's the first time Belfast has fired her guns in five years,
24:40so anticipation is high.
24:42Debbie is lucky enough to have a front row seat.
24:45People in a prime position on the bridge.
24:49Oh, I wouldn't want to wear on that Uber.
24:53Whoa, whoa!
24:55Jumping Jiminy's!
24:58Ha, ha, ha, ha!
25:00Oh, look at the flash!
25:03Whoa!
25:05Oh, and there's a smoke ring!
25:16That is impressive.
25:17That's competition.
25:23Watching the salute on a Navy warship
25:25will always be a moving moment for Debbie.
25:27I'm such a lucky lass to have had these experiences,
25:33you know, and I think about how it all began.
25:36I had no idea what I was going to do with my life,
25:38and now, you know,
25:41having this experience on D-Day anniversary as well,
25:46and all the stuff we've done at the tower...
25:48Yeah, it's something that will never leave me,
25:56whether I'm there or not.
26:05It's a fitting end to Debbie's extraordinary career
26:09and her years spent at the fortress.
26:12But many former residents of the tower
26:15came to a much less celebrated end.
26:18In 1618, famous adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh
26:24was beheaded on charges of treason
26:26by King James I.
26:28But Raleigh's story, somewhat surprisingly,
26:33doesn't end there.
26:34Chief historian Tracey Borman
26:36has come to West Horsley Place in Surrey
26:39in search of an intriguing and grisly artefact.
26:44Legend has it, after Raleigh's execution,
26:47his embalmed head was given to his grieving widow Bess,
26:51who bizarrely kept it as a sign of eternal love
26:55until she died.
26:58Tracey is meeting with West Horsley Place director
27:01Iona Harris
27:02to see if she can get to the bottom
27:04of this 400-year-old mystery.
27:07Hi, nice to meet you.
27:08Very nice to meet you too.
27:09Well, what a beautiful house.
27:11And it has a connection with someone
27:13I've been looking into,
27:15Walter Raleigh and his widow Bess.
27:18I wonder if you could tell me a bit more about that.
27:20Yeah, absolutely.
27:21Well, their son, Caru Raleigh,
27:22got given the estate in 1643.
27:24And Bess lived here with her son
27:26whilst he owned the estate.
27:28And it seems her husband's severed head
27:31may have come here with her.
27:34She had a special bag made for the head,
27:36suitably head-shaped and sized,
27:37and she would tie this bag around her skirt
27:39so the head would be with her at all times.
27:42Is that unusual?
27:44It's unusual to us,
27:45but was that all the rage in Jacobian times
27:48that you kept her body parts from a loved one?
27:50I don't believe that embalming is unusual,
27:53but, yeah, not common to keep it with you at all times.
27:57Bess died 29 years after her beloved husband
28:00and was buried next to his body in Westminster.
28:04But Sir Walter's head was reportedly buried
28:07in the family's plot near his son's estate
28:10in West Horsley Place.
28:12For nearly 400 years,
28:14no trace of the bag that Bess used
28:16to carry his embalmed head
28:18was ever recorded,
28:20until one of Iona's colleagues
28:22ventured into the attic,
28:24where they found a suspiciously ornate velvet sack
28:28hanging from the rafters.
28:29They believe it to date
28:31from the correct period
28:32of Sir Walter Raleigh's death,
28:34and it matches descriptions,
28:36the way it's been made,
28:37the embroidery,
28:37all these things lead us to believe
28:39that it might actually have been
28:41the bag that the head was carried in.
28:43Now, I've heard of some things
28:45turning up in attics in my time,
28:47but that has to be one of the best.
28:50Can we take a look?
28:50Would you like to see?
28:51Yes, please.
28:53Careful handling.
28:54Well, how exciting.
28:55Absolutely.
28:55Wow, look at that.
29:01It's a really beautiful thing as well, actually,
29:03I think.
29:03It is.
29:04I wasn't expecting anything
29:05quite so ornate.
29:07All this beautiful gold embroidery,
29:11the tassels,
29:13and the red velvet.
29:14That is extraordinary.
29:16Well, I'm sorry to ask,
29:17but wouldn't it be covered in blood?
29:19I don't think so.
29:20So we know that the head
29:23was actually embalmed,
29:23so it would have been preserved
29:24entirely.
29:26It's an extraordinary end
29:28to the tragic life
29:29of one of the Tudor world's
29:31brightest stars,
29:33and Bess,
29:34the woman who kept him
29:35by her side
29:36through it all.
29:38I do think it's just
29:39such a remarkable piece of history
29:40because we know all about
29:42Sir Walter Raleigh,
29:43Elizabeth's great favourite,
29:45an adventurer,
29:46but what this bag
29:47brings out of the shadows
29:50is this woman
29:52who history has forgotten,
29:53really,
29:54but who was remarkably resilient
29:57and utterly devoted
30:00to her husband.
30:01It's a new day
30:10at the Fortress.
30:12Hello.
30:13And while the regular business
30:14of the Tower ticks along,
30:16Chief Yeoman Robb
30:17is busy preparing
30:18for an exclusive Tower event
30:20taking place
30:21at the Fortress
30:22this evening,
30:23the Constable's Reception.
30:25Once a year,
30:25the Tower's
30:26most senior officer
30:27invites select
30:28VIPs and guests
30:29for a special evening
30:31of entertainment
30:32inside the Royal Palace,
30:34featuring a marching band,
30:35jazz quartet,
30:37and a private view
30:38of the Jewel House.
30:39The pressure is on for Robb
30:41to make sure the event
30:42is up to Tower standards,
30:44especially as it's
30:45for the Constable himself.
30:46With a lovely big reception
30:48up here,
30:49there'll be closure tables
30:50all over the place,
30:50and because he's
30:51the Constable,
30:52he'll have the band
30:53of the Royal Marines.
30:54He's our big boss,
30:55we want to make sure
30:56that everything goes right.
30:58But tonight's event
30:59will also be a wistful one
31:01for the Yeoman Warders
31:02and Tower staff
31:04as they prepare
31:05to say goodbye
31:05to their popular
31:06Deputy Governor.
31:08And of course,
31:09although it's
31:09the Constable's receptions,
31:11it's also a little bit
31:12of a fitting
31:12sort of farewell
31:14for Deborah.
31:15And we just want
31:16to make sure
31:16that she enjoys
31:18the night as well.
31:19Even though she will be
31:20an unofficial guest
31:21of honour
31:21at her last event,
31:23Deputy Governor Debbie
31:24still makes sure
31:25everything is planned
31:26to perfection.
31:27Morning, Chief.
31:28Hello, Deborah.
31:29How are you?
31:29All set for the big day?
31:30Yes, yes.
31:32I just wanted to make sure
31:32we all knew
31:33where the positions were
31:34as the guests.
31:36Come through,
31:36we'll get them
31:36to grab a drink
31:37and then move across
31:39and enjoy.
31:39This way,
31:40so we can get the band
31:41and...
31:41Yeah, the quartet
31:42will be on the green,
31:43so we need to chaperone
31:45the guests,
31:45keeping mainly the party
31:46going in this area.
31:48Yeah.
31:48Well, we've got
31:49a young one
31:49at the Traitor's Gate.
31:51There's two up here,
31:52so we'll make sure
31:52that they're corralled
31:53in the right area.
31:54And without any rain,
31:55we should have
31:56a cracking evening.
31:57Here's hoping, right?
31:59Yeah.
32:00Aside from the threat
32:01of the unpredictable
32:02British weather,
32:03Debbie is happy
32:04that Rob has everything
32:05planned to achieve
32:06for her very last
32:07tower engagement.
32:09To have a party
32:10with a band,
32:11knowing it'll be
32:12the last time
32:12I'll witness
32:13such an event,
32:14will be quite special.
32:16It's nice to go out
32:16on a high, isn't it?
32:17Yes.
32:18So there's only one
32:18thing left to do,
32:19and that's go and
32:20brief the governor,
32:21reassure him
32:22that we've got
32:22everything in hand.
32:23OK?
32:23Yep, let's go.
32:25In his office
32:26overlooking the broadwalk,
32:27Tower Governor
32:28Brigadier Andrew Jackson
32:29is expecting them.
32:32Here we go.
32:33Morning, Governor.
32:34Hey, how are you getting on?
32:35Good.
32:36How many we got?
32:37Oh, just under 300.
32:38There are tables
32:39down the side of Tower Green
32:40so they can go and stand
32:41near the quartet.
32:42Yeah, we'll make sure
32:43we've got someone
32:44pointing them
32:44in the right direction
32:45for the marching
32:46with the band.
32:47And this is about
32:48the last time
32:49that you and I
32:49are going to be
32:50in uniform together,
32:50isn't it?
32:51Oh, I think it is
32:52the last time.
32:53So I thought I'd just
32:54mark that occasion.
32:55I think there's probably
32:56Clive's moment
32:57of entry into the office.
33:00Hello, Clive.
33:00Hello, Jailor.
33:01Jailor Clive Towle
33:02joins the surprise ambush
33:04to raise a toast
33:05to their much-loved colleague.
33:07Debbie is so well-respected
33:08the Beefeater's nickname
33:09for her is
33:10the power at the Tower.
33:11Oh, Andrew,
33:13it's posh stuff as well.
33:15You know,
33:16we're just footnotes
33:17in the Tower's history
33:18in that thousand-year span
33:20of amazing things
33:21that have happened here.
33:22But you're not.
33:23You've actually made history.
33:25You've actually put yourself
33:26on the map
33:26as the first female
33:28deputy governor
33:29of the Tower of London.
33:30And that's a momentous
33:31piece of history
33:32and one that can't
33:34pass by unnoticed.
33:35It's been an
33:35immense contribution.
33:37And here's to a long
33:38and happy retirement.
33:39Debbie, Debbie.
33:42Well done, Debbie.
33:44Cheers.
33:44Well done, Debbie.
33:44Cheers.
33:45As the Tower's
33:47first female deputy governor,
33:49Debbie has ushered in
33:51a brand-new chapter
33:52in the ever-evolving story
33:54of the ancient fortress.
33:56As she helped steer
33:57the Tower
33:58and its community
33:59through some of the most
34:00extraordinary times
34:01in its history.
34:04From the COVID lockdown,
34:06the longest time
34:07the Tower
34:07has been closed
34:08since World War II
34:10and the death
34:13of Queen Elizabeth II
34:14to the coronation
34:16of a new monarch,
34:17King Charles III.
34:19She will be dearly missed
34:21as a colleague
34:22and friend
34:23by those she's worked
34:24side-by-side with
34:25through it all.
34:26Oh, Debbie, thank you.
34:28That's brilliant.
34:29We're allowed to hug.
34:30We're allowed to hug.
34:31Can I hug you two, too?
34:34Sailor to sailor.
34:35And the future sailor is a sailor.
34:38Yeah.
34:40Debbie's brought
34:41a real style
34:43and character
34:44to the role.
34:45We'll really miss her.
34:47Missed.
34:49With just a few hours
34:50to go until tonight's event,
34:52It's our alarm.
34:54It's all starting
34:55to sink in for Debbie.
34:57It's very touching
34:58to realise
34:59that you've had an impact
35:01and for them
35:03to express
35:04the way they did.
35:05Men from the military
35:06don't often express
35:08those emotions
35:08and that meant a lot.
35:11So, a big surprise,
35:12a lovely surprise
35:13and, yeah,
35:16very, very special.
35:20Coming up,
35:22Rob's favourite band
35:23plays at the Tower.
35:25The finest
35:26you'll ever see
35:26anywhere on the planet.
35:27And Debbie carries out
35:29her final ceremonial engagement
35:31after seven years
35:33of the fortress.
35:34I'm very proud
35:35to end my working life
35:37here at the Tower of London.
35:39It's been amazing.
35:50Good line, then.
35:53It's the end
35:54of another day
35:55at the Royal Palace.
35:57Bye-bye.
36:01In less than an hour,
36:03the Tower will host
36:04a private event,
36:05the Constable's Reception,
36:07for the Tower's staff
36:08and specially invited guests.
36:11And it would also be
36:13a moment to say goodbye
36:14to the Tower's
36:15Deputy Governor,
36:16Debbie Whittingham.
36:18At first,
36:19the Beefeaters need
36:20to lock down
36:21the historic fortress.
36:22Being former military,
36:24we like to do it
36:24punctually.
36:26A task
36:26that this evening
36:27falls to Yeoman Sergeant
36:29John Donald
36:30and his team.
36:31They have to walk
36:32the entire length
36:33of the ramparts
36:34and around the fortress's
36:3621 towers.
36:38So we're now
36:38on the north wall.
36:39I'm going to start
36:40walking through
36:40three towers
36:41and secure
36:42all the buildings
36:44and the doors,
36:44et cetera,
36:45and make sure
36:45all the electrical equipment
36:46has been turned off.
36:48So I'm just one
36:49of five other Yeoman warders
36:51who are going to be
36:51on the ground
36:52closing down
36:52various sections.
36:54And we're all
36:54going to coordinate
36:55with the duty supervisor.
36:57And we then
36:58report into him
36:59when our particular
37:00air response
37:00will be secured
37:01for the night.
37:02The strict locking up
37:03of the fortress
37:04has been a big deal
37:05ever since a furious
37:06Edward III
37:07in 1340
37:08realised you could just
37:10waltz straight in
37:11unchallenged.
37:13It's looking good
37:14and there's nobody
37:15hiding in the corners.
37:17So that's a good sign.
37:18So, yep,
37:19that's this tower clear.
37:23Last few bits
37:24and pieces
37:24to turn off
37:25so we'll kill
37:25the lights in here
37:26and then turn off
37:27all the audio
37:28and visual displays.
37:29And there we go.
37:32That's that turned off.
37:33All is good.
37:34A final check
37:38of the grounds
37:39to go before
37:40JD can clock off.
37:43Whilst the visitors
37:44might think
37:44that's it
37:45we're all going home
37:45and actually
37:46the tower
37:46has a second breath
37:48shall we say.
37:49We'll have events
37:50going on in the evening
37:51so we need to have
37:52everything clean
37:52and tidy
37:53ready to welcome
37:54some guests.
37:56This way please
37:56my name.
37:58Duty supervisor
37:59this is the North Hall
38:00just confirmed
38:00that's now all clear
38:01over.
38:03Perfect timing.
38:04His dinner is waiting.
38:06There's Mrs. Donald
38:07up there
38:07keeping an army.
38:11Are we home soon?
38:14So there we go.
38:15All within 10 minutes
38:16which is really efficient
38:17and a lovely evening
38:19to look forward to.
38:22The public may be gone
38:27but the tower
38:29is soon fizzing
38:30with activity.
38:33The broad walk
38:34has been set up
38:35for the constable's reception
38:36and up in her home
38:39in the Bywood Tower
38:40Deputy Governor
38:41Debbie Whittingham
38:42is getting into
38:43her ceremonial best.
38:46Do I remember
38:47the first time
38:47in this uniform?
38:48I certainly do.
38:49It was for a swearing-in
38:51ceremony for the
38:51Omen Warders
38:52and I was so excited.
38:54You know
38:54any excuse to put it on
38:56was really
38:56quite a thrill.
38:59Despite being in uniform
39:00all her career
39:01for Debbie
39:02this one stands out.
39:04This particular uniform
39:05as the tower
39:06Deputy Governor
39:07has never been worn
39:08by a woman
39:09so it's really
39:09quite wacky
39:10to think that I've had
39:12that opportunity
39:13to be the first
39:14and I look forward
39:15to seeing other women
39:16take on the mantle
39:17one day.
39:18Who knows?
39:20Good.
39:21All that's left
39:23for Debbie to do
39:24is don her
39:25swan-feathered hat
39:26for the very last time
39:27and head out
39:28to the party.
39:30Up on the broad walk
39:31tonight's guests
39:32have started to arrive
39:33alongside some
39:35familiar faces
39:36from the tower's
39:37home team.
39:39Here we go.
39:40Just after
39:41seven o'clock
39:42Chief Rob
39:43ushers everyone
39:44to their places.
39:45Take your way
39:46across their fleet.
39:47Enjoy your evening.
39:48And Debbie
39:50takes her seat
39:51in pride of place
39:52by the side
39:53of the tower constable.
39:57As the centrepiece
39:58of tonight's event
39:59a performance
40:00by the Royal Marines
40:01Band
40:01gets underway.
40:0313
40:06provinley
40:062019
40:06is a
40:07town
40:09which
40:10could be
40:10beautiful to make
40:13a house
40:13more easily than
40:14the beginning
40:15and the line
40:16houses
40:17that
40:18can spread
40:19into their
40:20tent
40:21and their
40:21aunque
40:22only
40:22is
40:22to the
40:23centerpiece
40:24in kind of
40:25composure
40:26that
40:26a
40:27Kim
40:28and
40:29expect
40:30a
40:30as the band begins their sunset bugle call marking the end of the ceremony and known by every naval
40:42veteran here deputy governor Debbie takes her final salute I was stood behind Debbie watching
40:52and I thought her shoulders might go she held it all together Debbie's been a big part of what we do she will
41:02definitely be missed well I'm in the Royal Navy and the Romaree's band are the finest you'll ever see
41:17anywhere on the planet so a great spectacle for the constable himself for all our visitors and I
41:22think that we was happy that it means a lot to her as it does to all of us and it's a nice end-off for
41:29her as well Wow that was that was so special I'm just so pleased that I've been able to experience
41:38that again and let's just put the icing on the cake after more than seven years living and working at
41:49the Tower through commemorations coronations and ceremonial events Debbie's official duties at
41:57the fortress are over I've had a fabulous career I've had a fabulous life and I'm very proud and
42:06very privileged to end my working life here at the Tower of London I'm gonna miss this place and the people
42:18it's been amazing
42:25next time there's a new deputy governor in town but how would she cope with her first major event
42:40actually I'm quite nervous I've been warned about the baits and they're quite slippy the fortress
42:46brings back its famous poppies for a new dramatic VE Day Memorial the tower has stood for a thousand
42:53years we can't be the ones who cause any damage to it and the archaeology team are on the hunt for a
43:00lost treasure this dig could rewrite the tower map
43:30you
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