Secrets of the Royals-Births Marriages and Deaths Season 1 Episode 1

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Transcript

00:00Others call it love, but a foresight, it can be both a blessing and a curse.

00:09The Foresights continues Monday at 9. Watch. Stream. On 5.

00:15The future king, William, is ready to reshape the royal family.

00:20I think it's going to usher in a new golden age for the monarchy.

00:23He's got to make it relevant.

00:25How far will he go?

00:26There's going to be a big shake-up.

00:28William, when he becomes king.

00:30Next Saturday at 5 past 9. Watch. Stream. On 5.

00:36Both strong, caring and with an overwhelming sense of duty, what else did they have in common?

00:42Catherine and Queen Elizabeth, a special relationship is at 5 past 9.

00:46Granny First, secrets of the royals. Births, marriages and deaths.

00:52Greatness is seeing my dad smile again.

00:58Great British Stories on 5. Sponsored by Help for Heroes.

01:05My crown, I am.

01:09But still, my griefs are mine.

01:13Still, am I king of those.

01:16Royal births, marriages and deaths have determined the course of British history.

01:22Fire! Fire! Fire!

01:26It's about power. It's about position.

01:29Our history! Our history!

01:33And this power is passed down by line of succession.

01:38Henry was absolutely over the moon.

01:47Bonfires were lit.

01:49Celebrations were had across the city.

01:52The birth of Archie was a major international event because he was in line to the throne.

01:57A royal wedding is a new start.

02:05It's glitz and glamour and optimism.

02:08On the happiest day of his life, the prince was drunk, crying.

02:13Why am I marrying this woman?

02:15Lord Dawson took a syringe and he injected morphine into the king's neck.

02:26This was regicide.

02:27Here in the archives, we can hear these voices.

02:39The hopes wrapped up in a longed-for royal baby.

02:42The fairy tale weddings that end in disaster.

02:45This is where we find the grisly deaths.

02:48This blessed plot.

02:53This earth.

02:56This realm.

03:05The final days and hours leading up to a royal death are usually very private affairs.

03:11Family moments shrouded in mystery.

03:13But for Queen Victoria's death, there are incredible personal diaries written by those who were there,

03:20which give us an almost hour-by-hour account of exactly what happened behind palace walls.

03:27James Reed, Victoria's personal physician, wrote an intimate diary of her last days.

03:34So James Reed was very close to Queen Victoria.

03:37She grumbled to him about everything that she wanted to grumble about.

03:41Sometimes he would say I was the lightning rod to absorb all her tension between her family

03:46because she was always in conflict with her family.

03:49Without his diaries, we would have a rather sanitized account of her dying.

03:56His diaries explain exactly what happens.

03:59We understand the fights between the children

04:01because everybody was in denial about the Queen dying.

04:05And we even have the words of Victoria herself

04:08in the entries she wrote in her own journal.

04:11Now part of the Royal Archives,

04:14the papers of the royal family itself.

04:16Queen Victoria began keeping her diaries

04:19when she was 13 years old in 1832.

04:22And she continued writing the diaries right up until her death in 1901.

04:27She trusted very few people around her.

04:30And it was only really in her diaries that she could confide the full truth of her life.

04:36These sources allow us to reconstruct Victoria's final days in unprecedented detail.

04:42And what they reveal is a squabbling household,

04:45a nation in denial,

04:47and a Queen whose servants she trusted more than her own flesh and blood.

04:51The demise of this great Queen began in the winter of 1900

04:57at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight,

05:00where she'd gone to spend a quiet Christmas with two of her daughters.

05:04Victoria's always in Osborne for the winter, for the Christmas.

05:08Start of the new year, it's bleak weather, it's snowing, it's cold.

05:12It was fairly quiet.

05:13The Prince of Wales was off shooting in the country.

05:16Most of her children were spread around.

05:18Only her two daughters were there.

05:20So it was a fairly sombre place.

05:22Not too much fun.

05:24And there's an entry in Victoria's journal, written at Osborne House,

05:28which gives us an intriguing glimpse into her state of mind,

05:32just three weeks before her death.

05:34This entry is from the 1st of January.

05:37But far from feeling excited about a new year,

05:40and indeed a new century,

05:41she complains that she is feeling so weak and unwell

05:45that I enter upon it, sadly.

05:48She's always been quite resolute, quite upbeat.

05:51But here there's definitely a sense of weariness,

05:55of the world closing in upon her.

05:58It's almost as though she's losing her zest for life.

06:01In fact, the previous 12 months had been tough for the Queen,

06:05who'd been beset by personal tragedy.

06:07She'd had a grim year leading up to the Christmas.

06:12Her daughter had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.

06:16Her daughter was the Dowager Empress of Germany

06:18and mother of the Kaiser.

06:21Her favourite son, Alfred,

06:24had died from throat cancer.

06:26Her grandson, who'd been fighting out in the Bull War,

06:31died on a journey back to England.

06:33And then her closest friend, Lady Jane Churchill,

06:38died on Christmas morning.

06:41And that was her last close friend.

06:45So really, Christmas was a bit grim for the Queen.

06:48Losing so many loved ones had taken its toll.

06:52And a rather mundane detail Victoria also records

06:55gives us a further insight

06:57into not just her melancholy frame of mind,

07:00but her physical frailty.

07:01This entry describes how the Queen spent the day

07:06visiting her local convalescent home.

07:08When she returned to Osborne,

07:10she rested for a while

07:11and was able to take a little more food for her supper

07:14than she had for the last three days.

07:16To be quite frank,

07:17Queen Victoria was notoriously greedy.

07:21So to hear that she didn't have much appetite

07:22is definitely a sign that something was wrong.

07:25And in the last few weeks of her life, in fact,

07:28the Queen was only able to digest baby food.

07:31And as January progressed,

07:35very quickly, Victoria's health started to go downhill.

07:38She has these moments of exhaustion, breathlessness,

07:42and by the 12th of January,

07:45her doctor was getting quite worried.

07:48In an age before the internet,

07:50the palace issued written bulletins

07:52to inform the press of royal news.

07:54and Sir James was convinced

07:56the Queen would want her subjects to know about her health.

07:59He asks the Prince of Wales,

08:01shall I put in something?

08:03And Prince of Wales says,

08:05no, definitely not.

08:06So this is going on till the 18th of January.

08:10Reid is getting more and more worried.

08:12And he says,

08:13we need to put out something.

08:14So this very bland statement is put out saying,

08:18the Queen is not in her full health.

08:21In fact,

08:22we now know Victoria had just four days left to live.

08:26Sir James knew the Queen was dying,

08:29but absolutely everybody refused to acknowledge

08:32that she was not going to recover.

08:34It was a situation

08:35that Sir James felt needed to be remedied.

08:38So he began secretly

08:39to contact those he felt should be told.

08:42The first person he does want to inform

08:44is actually the Kaiser,

08:46the Queen's grandson.

08:49Kaiser Wilhelm II

08:50was the Emperor of Germany.

08:52And there was no love lost

08:53between him and Victoria's children,

08:55his aunts and uncles.

08:57The Kaiser had told Reid,

08:59the family will block me when she dies.

09:02Please let me know when she is poorly.

09:04Kaiser had once called the Prince of Wales

09:06an old peacock.

09:07And he had also referred to

09:11the Queen's daughters as the petticoats.

09:14They weren't fond of him,

09:15he wasn't fond of them.

09:16But such a high profile

09:17and unexpected visit

09:19was bound to cause a public stir.

09:22Much excitement in London.

09:23The Kaiser has arrived.

09:25He's quite a figure.

09:26You know,

09:27some are fond of him,

09:28some don't like him.

09:29Whatever.

09:30But he's excited the press.

09:32But before the Kaiser

09:33had even managed to get to Osborne,

09:35unbeknownst to the now curious journalists,

09:37the Queen suffered

09:39what was believed to be

09:40a series of strokes.

09:42In the face of this new crisis,

09:44Victoria's children began

09:46to descend on Osborne House.

09:48The family were all summoned

09:49to come to Osborne House.

09:52And following them

09:53were a bunch of journalists

09:55who began to camp

09:56outside the gates.

09:58And the press bulletins

10:00over the next 48 hours

10:01reveal Victoria's final days

10:03were nothing less

10:04than a roller coaster.

10:07Initially,

10:08Victoria defied expectation.

10:10But within eight hours,

10:12it was a very different story.

10:14By midnight that day,

10:16her condition was

10:17Reed is convinced

10:19that she's not going

10:20to make it through the night.

10:21He's now called a team of doctors

10:23and they're all looking

10:24after the Queen,

10:25who was drifting

10:27in and out of consciousness.

10:29But as dawn broke,

10:30the Queen again defied the odds.

10:32So here we go again.

10:33It's like a constantly

10:34swinging pendulum.

10:35But by the evening

10:38of Monday the 21st of January,

10:40it was clear

10:41the end was in sight.

10:42It's a very stressful night

10:44for Reed.

10:45And finally that bulletin

10:46has to go out.

10:47That Queen is deteriorating.

10:49It is actually happening.

10:52As the moment

10:53of Victoria's death

10:54drew nearer

10:54and whilst the press waited,

10:56we now have astonishing detail

10:58about her final hours.

11:01By now,

11:01Queen Victoria had been moved

11:03to a little divan bed.

11:04She's having trouble

11:05breathing.

11:06There's an oxygen mask

11:07on her.

11:08The room was packed.

11:09Her daughter,

11:10Princess Beatrice,

11:11was telling the Queen

11:12who was there.

11:14I mean,

11:14they were all devoted

11:15to their grandmother

11:16or their mother.

11:17I mean,

11:17they were really fond of her.

11:19She's a good granny.

11:21There is this din

11:22in this room

11:23because all the household

11:24is there.

11:25They are weeping.

11:26Kaiser,

11:27he will not move.

11:28He's standing

11:29on the right side

11:30of the bed.

11:30He says,

11:31this is my place.

11:32And he actually props her up

11:34so she can breathe.

11:34The Queen remained conscious

11:36throughout this

11:37even though she couldn't speak.

11:40So James Reed

11:40was feeling her pulse.

11:42She suddenly became alert

11:43and she stared

11:44at a picture on the wall

11:45which was the entombment

11:47of Christ.

11:52And then,

11:53a few moments later,

11:55she died.

11:58Reed notes the time

12:00and then the Prince of Wales,

12:02he gets up

12:02and he closes her eyes.

12:05Suddenly,

12:06it's all quiet.

12:07It's over.

12:09It's the end of an era.

12:17Coming up,

12:18the funeral of a queen

12:20that broke royal precedent.

12:21She didn't want

12:23to be embalmed.

12:24She didn't want

12:25black

12:25and she didn't want

12:27a hearse.

12:28And a storm

12:29that threatened

12:30to disrupt

12:30an autumn wedding.

12:32There's a thunderstorm

12:33and Her Majesty

12:33walks in

12:34and the tree goes flying.

12:36My head be it.

12:37Every bride and groom

12:49want every aspect

12:50of their big day

12:51to be perfect.

12:52From the dress

12:53to the cake.

12:55But with the entire country

12:56tuning in,

12:57royal weddings mean

12:58it's not just family

12:59and friends

13:00who are watching.

13:03And on the 12th of October,

13:052018,

13:06when Princess

13:07Eugenie

13:08was due to marry

13:09her long-term boyfriend

13:10Jack Brooksbank

13:11at St George's Chapel,

13:12Windsor,

13:13every detail

13:14was under scrutiny.

13:15When the public

13:16watch a royal wedding,

13:17they are paying

13:18into a fairy tale,

13:21a vision of what

13:22life and love

13:23should and could

13:24be like.

13:26And one of the

13:27most important elements

13:28is the flowers.

13:30I was very honoured

13:31to be asked

13:31to be part of

13:32Her Royal Highness

13:33Princess Eugenie

13:34and Jack's wedding

13:36ceremony

13:36at Windsor Castle.

13:39Both Her Royal Highness

13:40and Jack

13:41were very involved

13:42with the whole look

13:43of the whole ceremony.

13:45And with an October date,

13:47the couple chose

13:48an autumnal theme.

13:49It was mid-autumn

13:51and there was

13:52the perfect time

13:53to bring in

13:54all these beautiful

13:55autumnal British flowers,

13:56foliages and trees

13:57and all in keeping

13:59with autumn.

14:00On the day before

14:01the wedding,

14:02after months

14:03of planning,

14:04Rob and his team

14:05were finally allowed

14:06inside the castle gates

14:07to turn this royal

14:09floral vision

14:10into a stunning

14:11regal reality.

14:13But such a historic

14:14building posed

14:15some rather unique

14:16challenges.

14:17You're not allowed

14:18to put any nails

14:19or structures

14:21as such

14:21that might damage

14:22the building.

14:23We had to come up

14:24with using lots

14:25of sandbags

14:26to secure the trees,

14:28tying them back

14:28with ropes

14:29to the staircase

14:30handrail,

14:30you know,

14:31because you can't do

14:33any damage

14:33to a building

14:34like that.

14:34But at the same time,

14:35we deal with

14:36the royal family.

14:37You don't want

14:37anything to start

14:39flying on the day

14:40and injuring anybody.

14:42So that was

14:43quite a stressful

14:44period of,

14:47yeah,

14:47making everything secure.

14:49The result

14:50was a stunning array

14:51of autumnal blooms

14:53fit for a princess.

14:55And the focal point

14:56were full-size

14:57liquid amber trees

14:59framing the entrance

15:00to the chapel.

15:01We brought in

15:02these massive big trees

15:03to place on the staircase

15:04to get that big impact.

15:06We had oak leaves,

15:08we had hydrangeas,

15:09lots of dahlia,

15:10so it was a whole

15:12abundance of autumnal.

15:14With everything in place,

15:16it seemed as if

15:17nothing could possibly

15:18go wrong.

15:19But as Rob was doing

15:20his final touches,

15:22there was one ominous

15:23sign of something

15:24he couldn't control.

15:27It was so windy

15:28and the weather

15:29was like,

15:30dodgy,

15:31like,

15:31was it going to rain,

15:32was it going to stay dry,

15:34so sleepless nights.

15:37And later that night,

15:38the forecast

15:39didn't bode well.

15:43One of the year's

15:44biggest storms,

15:45Storm Callum,

15:46was about to hit

15:47British shores.

15:49An autumn wedding

15:50is very romantic

15:51in theory,

15:52a little bit risky

15:53in practice.

15:54You are battling

15:55that great British character,

15:58the weather.

15:59That will rule

16:00over everything.

16:01As the day of the wedding

16:04dawned and the first

16:05guests made their way

16:06to the beautifully

16:07decorated chapel,

16:08Storm Callum

16:09was making his presence

16:11felt.

16:12It was extremely grim,

16:14very windy,

16:15not great

16:16if you've got

16:18full-sized trees

16:19parked outside

16:20your wedding party.

16:22as the royal guests

16:24finally arrived,

16:25with nearly 4 million

16:26people watching

16:27across the UK.

16:29For Rob,

16:30it wasn't just

16:30his reputation

16:31at stake.

16:32One strong

16:33gust of wind

16:34could spell

16:35absolute royal disaster.

16:37My husband and I

16:39were very lucky enough

16:40to be invited

16:41to the export ceremony

16:42and I was shaking

16:43like that

16:44and said to my husband

16:45what's wrong with you?

16:46I went,

16:47have you seen

16:48these doors outside?

16:49It's blowing.

16:50I went,

16:50you've made sure

16:51everything is secure

16:52but you still,

16:53if there's a thunderstorm

16:54and Her Majesty

16:55walks in

16:56and the tree goes flying,

16:58might have been it.

17:00But as the bride

17:00made her way

17:01down the aisle,

17:03any major incident

17:04seemed to have been averted.

17:06Thank God

17:06to our guardian angels

17:07looking after us.

17:09Everything went

17:09very smoothly.

17:11People still say to me,

17:12why do you get nervous?

17:13You've done this

17:13for over 40 years

17:14and of course

17:15you get nervous.

17:16I think that's only normal

17:17when you're dealing

17:18with something like this,

17:19you know,

17:19where the whole world

17:20is watching.

17:22You know,

17:22it's a huge privilege.

17:24The bride and groom

17:24were over the moon

17:26and that's what we want.

17:27CHEERING

17:28AND APPLAUSE

17:36The British monarchy

17:39isn't usually associated

17:41with big surprises.

17:42It stands for tradition,

17:44stability,

17:45a tried and trusted port

17:47in any storm.

17:50But by the mid-1960s,

17:52as Queen Elizabeth

17:53was about to give birth

17:54at Buckingham Palace

17:55to her fourth child,

17:56there were surprises

17:57in abundance.

17:59And the first

18:00involved the pioneering monarch

18:01throwing off the shackles

18:03of royal birthing tradition

18:04and deciding to embrace

18:06the changing times.

18:09There was something

18:10very unusual

18:12and unorthodox

18:13about the birth

18:13of Prince Edward,

18:14which is that Prince Philip

18:15was indeed present.

18:17That's shockingly modern,

18:19newfangled behaviour

18:20for the royal family.

18:22The Queen had been reading

18:23some women's magazines

18:25which were suggesting

18:26that in fact

18:27it would be a good idea

18:28for these ancillary objects

18:30called the fathers

18:31to be present

18:32at the birth

18:33of their own children.

18:34So there he was,

18:36Prince Philip,

18:37in the room.

18:38Worst having your husband

18:40at your side

18:40during labour

18:41might not sound

18:42like cutting-edge progress,

18:43it was a big shift

18:45for this royal couple.

18:47For her fourth son,

18:48Edward,

18:49this was a complete change.

18:51The first child,

18:53Prince Charles,

18:55Prince Philip

18:55had no interest

18:57in staying there.

18:59He went off

18:59to play squash

19:00and he just said,

19:01let me know

19:02when it happens

19:03and I'll come back.

19:05I think men

19:06at one point

19:07would be very scared

19:08of seeing something

19:09like that

19:10and still are perhaps.

19:12But, you know,

19:13he'd moved

19:14with the times

19:15and he held her hand

19:17and he talked to her

19:18and he was absolutely

19:20amazed by it.

19:22Prince Philip,

19:23I suspect,

19:24would have been

19:25as keen on this.

19:27I don't think

19:27he would have needed

19:28any encouragement.

19:29He was very much

19:30a sort of pioneer

19:31so I suspect

19:32that was as much

19:33down to him

19:34as down to the Queen.

19:36But the decision

19:36for Philip to be

19:37at the arrival

19:38of his son

19:39wasn't the only surprise

19:40with this royal birth.

19:42In fact,

19:42Prince Edward

19:43arrived a week

19:44before his due date

19:45on the 10th of March,

19:461964

19:47and his parents-to-be

19:49had no idea

19:50they were even

19:51expecting a boy.

19:53Prince Edward,

19:54it was thought

19:55that he was going

19:56to be a girl

19:56because he was

19:58a very small baby

20:00so she obviously

20:00had a very small bump

20:02and the projections

20:03that the child

20:04was going to be

20:04rather small,

20:05I think he was

20:05about five or six pounds

20:06and so there was

20:07a sort of surprise

20:08that this small bump

20:10was actually a boy

20:11and not a girl.

20:14The excitement

20:15in Buckingham Palace

20:16was reflected

20:17by the whole nation

20:18that the Queen

20:18was safely delivered

20:19of a son

20:20at 8.20 that evening.

20:22With Edward,

20:23Philip and Elizabeth

20:24had finally completed

20:25their family

20:26and in another break

20:28with the Norm,

20:29this happy moment

20:30was captured

20:31in an extraordinary photo

20:32taken soon after

20:33Edward's birth.

20:35To see a Queen

20:37sitting up in bed

20:38whether she has

20:39or hasn't

20:40just given birth

20:41is amazingly intimate

20:44and even quite shocking.

20:47Traditionally,

20:47we are used to seeing

20:48Queens and Kings

20:49in full state regalia

20:51being extremely formal.

20:53Suddenly,

20:54we're in their bedroom

20:56and they might be wearing

20:57pearls and makeup

20:58but they're also wearing

20:59their actual nightie.

21:01It's an amazing view

21:03into ordinary

21:05royal domestic life.

21:07The images after

21:09the birth of Edward

21:10softens that image

21:11of royalty

21:11and we see

21:13the Queen

21:14as wife

21:15and mother.

21:17Of course,

21:17that's one of the things

21:18that is so striking

21:20about the late Queen's reign

21:21that she grew up

21:22from being

21:23a young married woman

21:25right through

21:25to being a mother,

21:26grandmother

21:27and great-grandmother

21:28during her reign

21:29and that's a really

21:30important means

21:31by which I think

21:31people are connected

21:32with her.

21:33Most royal weddings

21:44are times of happy celebration

21:45and a reminder to us all

21:47what it feels like

21:48to be young

21:49and in love.

21:51But in the late 18th century,

21:53there was one princely groom

21:54who was very definitely

21:55not looking forward

21:56to getting hitched.

21:58The most chaotic

21:59and scandalous

22:01royal wedding in history

22:02has got to be that

22:04of George Prince of Wales,

22:06future George IV

22:07and his cousin,

22:09Caroline of Brunswick.

22:11It was an arranged marriage

22:13and it looked great

22:14on paper

22:14but it was

22:15the most disastrous

22:17blind date in history.

22:20In 1795,

22:22the whole country

22:23is waiting for a royal wedding.

22:25George has got to get married.

22:26He's the heir.

22:28George has been given

22:29a long list of possible

22:31Protestant princesses

22:33to marry

22:33and he rather said,

22:35well, any might do.

22:37Caroline was said to be

22:39pleasant, attractive,

22:41reasonably well-educated

22:43and could speak

22:44a little bit of English

22:44so perfect.

22:47Caroline comes over

22:48from her German principality,

22:50a very tiring trip

22:51on rough seas

22:52and they meet

22:53for the first time

22:54in the palace.

22:56Caroline

22:57cuts this

22:59and George

23:00receives her

23:01and then he raises her up.

23:04A look of total

23:06horror

23:07spreads over his face.

23:10He immediately

23:10dashes away

23:12out of the room

23:13looking for Brandy

23:15and saying

23:15he must go to mother.

23:16Princess Caroline

23:19left in the room

23:20says,

23:22by God,

23:23is he always so fat?

23:24He looks nothing

23:25like his portrait.

23:26Well,

23:27George was a bit large.

23:29From this

23:30inauspicious beginning,

23:33things just

23:34get worse.

23:37Three days later,

23:38they are wed

23:39at the Chapel Royal

23:40in St. James's Palace.

23:41was going to be

23:43the great

23:44grand royal wedding

23:45of the future king.

23:47The great

23:48and the good,

23:49the aristocrats

23:50are there

23:50and yet

23:51the wedding

23:52is nothing

23:53short

23:53of a catastrophe.

23:56George

23:56staggered

23:57up the aisle

23:58totally drunk.

24:00When he gets

24:01to the altar,

24:02he actually

24:02starts crying.

24:04He has a look

24:05of torment

24:05on his face.

24:08George

24:08was overwhelmed

24:09with misery

24:10and that's

24:11because

24:12he was

24:12already married.

24:21Coming up,

24:22the forbidden

24:23wedding of

24:23England's

24:24bigamous king.

24:25Poor old

24:26Mrs. Fitzherbert.

24:27Her marriage

24:27was deemed illegal

24:28and she had to

24:29watch her husband

24:30marry someone else.

24:32And the astonishing

24:33final journey

24:34of a beloved

24:35queen.

24:36It was so impressive

24:37because it was

24:3811 miles

24:39of battleships

24:40and cruisers

24:42top to toe

24:43lined across

24:44the Solon

24:44and as the queen's

24:46coffin went past

24:47they were firing

24:48their minute guns.

24:56On the 22nd of

24:58January 1901,

25:00Queen Victoria's

25:01death was announced

25:02to a shocked world.

25:03It was a seismic event

25:05not only for the

25:06country but for the

25:07empire.

25:08It was announced

25:09in the theatres

25:09and all the

25:10performance of plays

25:12and musical concerts

25:13all stopped

25:14and the audiences

25:15poured out

25:16onto the streets.

25:18After a reign

25:18that had lasted

25:19over 63 years

25:21it was a moment

25:22the nation

25:23would never forget.

25:24It was the end

25:25of an era

25:26and nobody

25:27knew what life

25:29was like

25:29without Queen Victoria

25:30sitting on the throne.

25:31In 2022

25:33when another of

25:35Britain's longest

25:35reigning monarchs

25:36Elizabeth II

25:38passed away

25:39the preparations

25:41for her funeral

25:41had been worked out

25:43in detail

25:43years beforehand

25:45but for Queen Victoria

25:46it couldn't have

25:48been more different.

25:49Nobody knows

25:50exactly what to do.

25:52They are not prepared.

25:54They are not prepared

25:55in Windsor.

25:56The government

25:56is not prepared.

25:57It's like the Queen

25:58would live forever

25:59was just what

26:00everyone felt.

26:01The last royal funeral

26:02for a monarch

26:03had taken place

26:04in 1837

26:05when William IV

26:06Queen Victoria's

26:08uncle died.

26:10Up to that time

26:10royal funerals

26:12were private affairs.

26:13They took place

26:14at night

26:14in the confines

26:16of Windsor Castle

26:17and they were lit

26:19by candlelight.

26:20There were no

26:20public there

26:21no great ceremony

26:23or anything like that.

26:24But Victoria

26:25had other ideas.

26:27The Queen

26:27left a detailed note

26:29of what she wanted

26:31to happen.

26:32She didn't want

26:33to be embalmed.

26:34There was to be

26:35no lying in state.

26:37She didn't want

26:37black

26:38and she didn't

26:39want a hearse.

26:41And far from being

26:42the private funeral

26:43of her predecessor

26:44Victoria wanted

26:45the whole nation

26:46involved.

26:47She wanted

26:48a full

26:49military

26:49state funeral

26:51and she wants

26:52it to be

26:52a white funeral.

26:54There'd never been

26:55a full military

26:56state funeral

26:56for a monarch.

26:58The last

26:58military funeral

27:00state funeral

27:00was for

27:02the Duke of Wellington

27:03nearly 50 years

27:04earlier.

27:06Again

27:06there was nobody

27:07around who helped

27:08organize that.

27:08They were all dead.

27:10And they were suddenly

27:11faced with this fact

27:12that this is what

27:13the Queen wants.

27:14But with no

27:15preparations in place

27:17and only 10 days

27:18to organize

27:18a grand state funeral

27:20with an unprecedented

27:21color scheme

27:22time was tight.

27:24I think it took

27:25everybody by surprise.

27:27It was just

27:27utter chaos.

27:30And one of the

27:31most pressing

27:31tasks was preparing

27:33the white funeral

27:34pool needed to lie

27:35over Victoria's

27:36coffin.

27:37But with no

27:37advanced warning

27:38it proved almost

27:39impossible to find

27:40anyone who they

27:42felt could produce

27:43it in time.

27:44But Queen Victoria's

27:45daughter Helena

27:46was absolutely

27:47convinced that

27:48there was a group

27:48of women who

27:49would be more

27:50than able to rise

27:50to the challenge.

27:51the ladies of

27:53the Royal School

27:53of Needlework

27:54of which she

27:55was patron.

27:57The story goes

27:57that there was

27:58no company

27:59that would be

28:00able to do

28:00the funeral pool

28:01in the time frame

28:02that there was.

28:04Princess Helena

28:04said no,

28:05her school

28:06could produce

28:06it for them.

28:08To make the

28:08task quicker

28:09the team chose

28:10particular techniques

28:11to produce a

28:12stunning pool

28:13in record time.

28:14The design on

28:16the funeral pool

28:17had coats of arms

28:19in each of the

28:19four corners

28:20and then on the

28:21top of the funeral

28:22pool was a cross.

28:23So with a tight

28:24deadline we look

28:25at a technique

28:25known as a plique

28:26which is applying

28:27fabric to fabric

28:28and then the details

28:30are put in with

28:31embroidery.

28:32Records tell us

28:33that they had

28:34about 48 hours

28:35so they had a team

28:36of approximately

28:3745 women

28:38who were brought

28:39in and they

28:40worked a continuous

28:4121 hours in order

28:43to complete

28:44in the time.

28:46The finished

28:46effect would have

28:47been absolutely

28:48stunning,

28:49would have just

28:49caught any sunlight

28:51and it would have

28:51just looked beautiful.

28:54With the funeral

28:55pool complete

28:56the next challenge

28:58was getting the

28:59Queen's Coffin

28:59from Osborne House

29:00on the Isle of Wight

29:01to London

29:02for her funeral.

29:04The Queen's Coffin

29:05was taken down

29:06on a carriage

29:07to a very small

29:08yacht called

29:09the Alberta

29:09tiny little thing

29:10and it began

29:12a procession

29:13across the Solon.

29:14As this great

29:15monarch's coffin

29:16sailed the short

29:17distance to the

29:18mainland,

29:19Victoria's body

29:20was accompanied

29:20by a magnificent

29:22array of 40

29:24battleships.

29:25It was so

29:26impressive

29:26because it was

29:2811 miles

29:29of battleships

29:30and cruisers

29:31and they were

29:32top to toe

29:33lined across

29:35the Solon

29:35and as the

29:36little Alberta

29:37went past

29:38they were firing

29:39their minute guns

29:40so it was very

29:41moving.

29:44An orchestra

29:45was playing

29:46Chopin's Funeral March

29:48as the Queen

29:48slowly made her way

29:50to Portsmouth.

29:52The strains of the music

29:54could be heard

29:54from the South Downs

29:55where onlookers

29:56gathered to watch

29:57this incredible

29:58spectacle.

30:00There are lots of

30:01descriptions about this

30:02about how moving

30:03it was

30:03and they remarked

30:05how tiny

30:06her coffin

30:06looked on the

30:07Alberta

30:08and the boat

30:09was tiny

30:10with these huge

30:11great battleships

30:12with all the sailors

30:14standing to attention

30:15as it went past.

30:17For two hours

30:18the might of the

30:19largest navy

30:20in the world

30:21stood in solemn

30:22respect for their

30:23commander-in-chief.

30:25It's all very quiet

30:27with the sun setting

30:28the rest of the royals

30:29are all there

30:30and they all kneel down

30:31and there are people

30:32on the shore watching

30:33and it's very impressive

30:35and very sad sight.

30:37Everyone is moved

30:38by this farewell

30:39that, you know,

30:40of the Queen's coffin

30:41being carried

30:42from this little island

30:44that she loved

30:44back to the mainland.

30:47As the day

30:48of the funeral dawned

30:50London was alive

30:51with visitors

30:52from across the country

30:53who'd all flocked

30:54to witness

30:55their great Queen's

30:56final journey.

30:59Anybody who had houses

31:00or shops on the route

31:01they began to sell

31:03space on their balconies

31:05but they were selling them

31:06for ridiculous amounts

31:08of money.

31:08A seat in the corner

31:09of a balcony

31:10cost the equivalent

31:11today of about

31:13£3,000.

31:14But perhaps the view

31:15was worth the money

31:16as this was one

31:18of the most incredible

31:19sights London

31:20had ever witnessed.

31:22Despite the bitterly

31:24cold weather

31:24it's estimated

31:25that a million people

31:26lined the streets

31:27to watch.

31:29Military bands played

31:30and over 40 members

31:31of royalty were present

31:33from all over Europe.

31:35It was a magnificent

31:36royal spectacle

31:38and a tribute

31:39to a monarch

31:39who throughout

31:40her lifetime

31:41had held a fragile

31:42Europe

31:43and world

31:44together.

31:46Her funeral was

31:47described as

31:48the epitome of empire.

31:50The 40 kings,

31:51dukes,

31:52princes walking

31:52behind her.

31:54You know,

31:54Franz Ferdinand

31:55of Austria

31:56within a few years

31:57he's going to be

31:58assassinated.

31:59It's going to lead

32:00to the First World War.

32:01He is there

32:02in that procession.

32:03Edward VII,

32:03the king,

32:04and he's there.

32:06Kaiser is there.

32:07And within a few years

32:08all going to be at war.

32:10It is incredible

32:11when you think

32:12of what she held together

32:14and how quickly

32:15it's all going to

32:17fall apart.

32:17The Kaiser,

32:19Victoria's grandson

32:20who'd held her

32:21so gently

32:21as she died,

32:23would,

32:23in just over a decade,

32:25be leading Germany

32:26against the nation

32:27she'd ruled.

32:29The soldiers

32:30so proudly pulling

32:31their empress's coffin

32:32would be facing

32:33death themselves

32:34at the hands

32:35of German troops

32:36in the trenches

32:37of World War I.

32:39It's the height

32:40of empire

32:40and also,

32:41as I see it,

32:42the beginning

32:43of the end

32:43of empire

32:44because it's

32:45going to break apart,

32:46empires are going

32:47to fall,

32:48boundaries are going

32:48to be changed.

32:49The whole world

32:50is going to change

32:51and this woman

32:51who,

32:53at age 81,

32:54was holding things together,

32:55her death

32:56means it's the end.

33:08Not every royal marriage

33:10is destined

33:10for a happy ever after,

33:12but usually the wedding,

33:13at least,

33:14has the air

33:15of a fairy tale.

33:16But in 1795,

33:18the nuptials

33:19of the Prince of Wales,

33:20later George IV,

33:21to Caroline of Brunswick,

33:23were nothing short

33:24of a catastrophe.

33:26On the happiest day

33:28of his life,

33:28the Prince was drunk,

33:30overwhelmed,

33:31crying,

33:32why am I marrying

33:33this woman?

33:34And that's because

33:35he was already married,

33:38so now,

33:39he was getting married

33:40again,

33:41which,

33:42strictly speaking,

33:43is bigamy.

33:46Why did this

33:46disastrous marriage

33:47go ahead?

33:49A decade before

33:50the wedding,

33:51George had been in love

33:52with Maria Fitzherbert.

33:54She was a Catholic widow

33:55and she was very virtuous

33:56and she refused to marry him,

33:59so he tried everything

34:00to persuade her

34:01she wouldn't have it.

34:03In the end,

34:04George said he was

34:04on his deathbed

34:05and it was his dying wish

34:07that she married him

34:08and there was a clergyman

34:09waiting around

34:10just in case.

34:11And when poor

34:12Mrs Fitzherbert said,

34:13of course,

34:13it's your dying wish,

34:14of course we will marry,

34:16George married her

34:17and then said

34:18he felt an awful lot better.

34:20Mrs Fitzherbert was shocked,

34:22but she did love George

34:23very sincerely.

34:25But there was just one problem.

34:27It was a totally illegal marriage.

34:30As the heir to the throne,

34:31George could not marry a Catholic,

34:33but also,

34:34there was the Royal Marriages Act

34:36of 1772

34:37and this said that

34:38royal marriages

34:39had to be approved

34:40by the sovereign

34:41and there's no way

34:42that his father,

34:43the king,

34:43would have approved it.

34:44So George had broken the law

34:47in these two respects

34:48and yet George treated her

34:51as a wife.

34:52I mean,

34:52the royal family knew

34:53they were married

34:53but turned a blind eye

34:55and George adored her.

34:57Yet as he grew older,

34:59he needed a legitimate heir

35:01to carry on the monarchy

35:02and he had gigantic debts.

35:06And the king and the government

35:07said to him,

35:08if you want those paid off,

35:10you have to get married.

35:12There's a wonderful cartoon

35:13by James Gilroy

35:14called Lover's Dream

35:15and George,

35:16he's lying in bed

35:17imagining Princess Caroline

35:19and behind him

35:20is everything he's leaving,

35:22gambling,

35:23the women

35:23and he's dreaming

35:25of his future.

35:26It's all very romantic

35:27but really his dream

35:28is of bags of gold.

35:30So George

35:31was marrying Princess Caroline

35:33for money.

35:35Poor old Mrs. Fitzherbert.

35:37Her marriage was deemed illegal

35:38and she had to watch her husband

35:40marry someone else.

35:42Well,

35:42perhaps it was some consolation

35:44that he cried

35:45all the way through the ceremony.

35:48George died in 1830,

35:5035 years after his disastrous marriage.

35:54He had a miniature

35:55of Mrs. Fitzherbert

35:57around his neck,

35:59the only woman

36:00he ever truly loved.

36:01coming up,

36:07the intimate photo

36:09capturing a queen

36:10after death.

36:12The Victorians

36:12had a completely different

36:14relationship with death

36:15than we do

36:16and death photography

36:17was a hugely popular

36:19tradition at the time.

36:20as Victoria's body

36:30made its way

36:30to St. George's Chapel

36:31at Windsor,

36:33what mourners

36:33weren't aware of

36:34was that within her coffin

36:36were precious objects

36:38she'd left precise instructions

36:39to be buried with,

36:41objects that she was determined

36:43to keep secret,

36:44even from her own children.

36:46If this coffin had fallen,

36:49heaven forbid,

36:50and the contents spilled out,

36:52there would have been

36:52so much shock and horror

36:54in her family

36:56and the court

36:56because nobody had

36:58any idea

36:59what Victoria was

37:00smuggling in

37:01with her.

37:01It was her secret.

37:03In the week

37:08before her funeral,

37:10an astonishing photo

37:11of the dead queen

37:12was taken,

37:13showing her lying

37:14in her open coffin.

37:17The Victorians

37:18had a completely

37:18different relationship

37:20with death

37:20than we do

37:21and death photography

37:22was a hugely popular

37:24tradition at the time.

37:26This is an image

37:27that is not necessarily

37:29meant to be distributed

37:30publicly.

37:31The person who

37:32supposedly took this

37:33was an artist

37:34who often worked

37:35from photography

37:36to then transpose

37:37that to paint.

37:38So this is almost

37:39a preparatory sketch

37:41in a way.

37:42But of course

37:42what it gives us now

37:43is a remarkable record

37:45of that moment.

37:47And the photo

37:48gives a fascinating

37:49insight into how

37:50Victoria wanted

37:51to be dressed

37:52for burial.

37:53Rather than wearing

37:54the somber

37:55mourning clothes

37:56she'd favoured

37:57since the death

37:57of her beloved

37:58husband, Albert,

38:00her choice of coffin

38:01attire

38:01was quite a surprise.

38:04This queen

38:05who had worn black

38:07for half her life

38:08wanted now

38:09to be in white

38:10with her wedding veil

38:12on her face.

38:13She says that she's

38:14now going to meet

38:15Albert in heaven

38:16so she's going

38:17as a bride to him.

38:20And so they put

38:20on a white gown

38:22for her

38:22and her wedding veil

38:23covers her face.

38:25But it wasn't just

38:26what Victoria wanted

38:27to wear

38:28that gives us

38:29such an intimate glimpse

38:30into the woman

38:31behind the crown

38:32but the objects

38:33she'd asked

38:34to be buried with.

38:36After her death

38:37she had given

38:38her personal instructions

38:39to Mrs. Stark

38:40who was her dresser

38:41and these were

38:42about what was going

38:43to be with her

38:44in her coffin

38:45and there's a long list.

38:48As well as trinkets

38:49from her daughters

38:50and family photos

38:51she also requested

38:53that a rather curious

38:54physical reminder

38:55of the man she'd spent

38:57the past 40 years mourning

38:59accompany her

39:00to her grave.

39:01She had numerous objects

39:02relating to Albert

39:03but most significant

39:04was a plaster cast

39:05of his hand.

39:06This was not a new item

39:08she'd had it made

39:08during his lifetime

39:09and had reportedly

39:11taken it to bed

39:12with her every evening.

39:14This was a way

39:15for the Queen

39:15to stay close

39:16to her husband.

39:17She missed his touch

39:18and it would slip

39:20under her pillow

39:21at night

39:21and she would sleep

39:22alongside it.

39:23And here it was

39:24entering the coffin

39:25with her even following

39:26her to the grave

39:27this evocation

39:28of the man

39:29who'd been missing

39:29from her life

39:30for so many decades.

39:32As far as the world knew

39:33Queen Victoria's

39:34entire life

39:35had been defined

39:36by her love

39:37of Prince Albert

39:38and her intense grief

39:40after his premature death

39:41aged only 42.

39:44But in fact

39:45as well as the request

39:47she left with her dresser

39:48Mrs. Tuck

39:49Victoria also left

39:50secret instructions

39:52her family knew

39:53absolutely nothing about

39:54which reveal

39:56a rather different

39:57love story.

39:59Victoria leaves

39:59a secret will

40:00and it goes to

40:01James Reed

40:01who's her physician

40:02and he is the person

40:04who then receives

40:05these instructions

40:05and it makes total sense

40:07that she would select

40:08Reed for this.

40:09He's someone who's

40:09very close to the royal body

40:10in the run-up to the death

40:12and in the immediate

40:13days afterwards.

40:14He has access to the coffin

40:15and he can enact

40:17these last requirements

40:18of hers.

40:20And the highly confidential items

40:22Victoria asked Reed

40:23to place with her

40:24for all eternity

40:25had to be included

40:26in strictest confidence

40:28because of who

40:29they once belonged to.

40:31There are other items

40:32in there that you might

40:34not expect

40:34and a lot of these

40:35relate to John Brown.

40:37John Brown

40:38had been Queen Victoria's

40:40devoted servant

40:41who looked after her horses

40:42at Balmoral

40:43for over 30 years

40:45before his death

40:46in 1883.

40:48John Brown was a ghillie

40:49and became the Queen's

40:51constant companion

40:52and he was elevated

40:55to a status

40:56that no one

40:57quite understood

40:58and eased her out

41:00of her mourning

41:01for Prince Albert.

41:03In the wake

41:04of Albert's death

41:05Victoria had withdrawn

41:06from the world

41:07to the Scottish Highlands

41:09to mourn

41:09and it was there

41:11at Balmoral

41:11that Brown lifted her

41:13out of her sadness.

41:15In the decades

41:16in which Victoria

41:17withdrew from society

41:18she became

41:19incredibly close

41:20to Brown.

41:21There were rumours

41:22that their relationship

41:23transcended

41:24the usual servant-mistress

41:26relationship

41:26and her children

41:28in particular

41:29found this

41:29incredibly difficult.

41:30They found him

41:31to be uncouth

41:32and to behave

41:32in a way

41:33that really overstepped

41:34the boundaries

41:35of the place

41:36that he held

41:37in society.

41:38But Victoria

41:38didn't see it like that.

41:39She had great affection

41:40for him.

41:41After Victoria's death

41:42had her children

41:43known of their mother's

41:44secret instructions

41:45to read relating

41:46to the man

41:47they so disliked

41:48they would have been horrified.

41:51They loathed John Brown

41:52and the Prince of Wales

41:54in particular

41:55went round

41:56and destroyed

41:57anything connected

41:58with John Brown

41:59after the Queen died.

42:00He would have nothing

42:01to do with John Brown.

42:02In fact,

42:02there was a statue

42:03I think it was in Osborne

42:05which he had smashed down.

42:07One of the first acts

42:08he did.

42:10Little did the Prince

42:11know that as he was

42:12trying to obliterate

42:13all traces

42:14of one of his mother's

42:15closest confidants

42:16John Reed

42:18was discreetly placing

42:19some of Brown's

42:20most treasured possessions

42:21in Victoria's coffin

42:23itself

42:24on her secret instruction.

42:26She wanted a photograph

42:28of John Brown

42:30placed in her left hand

42:31and she wanted

42:33a lock of John Brown's hair

42:35and she would like

42:36to have his handkerchief

42:37in the coffin.

42:39She requested

42:40that her wedding engagement ring

42:42from Albert

42:43be moved

42:43from her left hand

42:44to her right

42:45and instead

42:46on her wedding finger

42:47her ring finger

42:48she had John Brown's

42:49mother's wedding ring

42:50placed there.

42:51He always wore

42:53his mother's wedding ring.

42:54It was the dearest thing

42:55he possessed.

42:57All of these items

42:58in the coffin

42:59were kept secret

42:59by a blanket of flowers

43:01that were placed on top

43:02so anyone coming

43:02to see the body

43:03including her children

43:04of course

43:04would not have seen

43:06this secret arrangement

43:07of memorabilia

43:08that Victoria

43:09had so desperately

43:10wanted in there.

43:11So the royal family

43:12had no idea

43:13of what she was

43:15carrying with her

43:15when she died

43:17so that is

43:17Victoria's little secret.

43:19Reed had faithfully

43:21carried out the instructions

43:22his queen had left him

43:23and it was only

43:24with the publication

43:25of his diaries

43:26in 1986

43:2785 years after

43:29Victoria's death

43:30that what he

43:31and Mrs. Tuck

43:32had done for her

43:33finally came to light.

43:35She had a realistic view

43:37about how difficult

43:38her family were

43:38and her children

43:39and their bickering

43:40and their arguing

43:41and I think

43:42she trusted them.

43:44I think she trusted them

43:45completely

43:45more than she trusted

43:47her family.

43:48Victoria's final wishes

43:49and death

43:50shed a whole new light

43:51on the royal love story

43:53that appeared

43:54that appeared

43:54to define her life.

43:55It's remarkable

43:56because we have

43:58this narrative

43:59of Victoria

44:00and Albert

44:01this golden couple.

44:02They're the ultimate

44:03Victorian love story

44:04and they were

44:05the aspiration

44:05for so many other

44:06couples in this period

44:07and yet we have

44:09this whole other

44:10version of Victoria

44:11years after Albert's died

44:12finding love again

44:15potentially

44:15and making a life

44:17for herself

44:17a life of which

44:18those around her

44:20did not approve.

44:22Clearly she held

44:23John Brown

44:23in enormous affection

44:25and to even

44:27take the risk

44:29of asking for

44:29these intimate items

44:31to be buried

44:32with her

44:33without her

44:34children's knowledge

44:35shows how much

44:36affection she had

44:37for John Brown.

44:39Worst Queen Victoria

44:41is remembered

44:41as one of Britain's

44:42most powerful

44:43and influential monarchs

44:45who presided

44:46over the empire

44:46at its height.

44:47her coffin

44:49reveals what to her

44:50had mattered most.

44:53Throughout history

44:53there's always

44:54that difficult tension

44:56between the monarch

44:57and the person

44:58who they are in public

45:00and who they are

45:00in private

45:01but in Victoria's case

45:03the list of items

45:04and the fact that

45:05they make their way

45:05into the coffin

45:06is an autobiography

45:07of her own making.

45:12Royal births

45:13marriages

45:14and deaths

45:14remind us

45:16that behind the pomp

45:16and ceremony

45:17lies a family

45:18just like any other

45:19with tensions

45:20secret passions

45:22and simple human love.

45:24From Victoria's

45:25final wishes

45:25to be buried

45:26with memories

45:27of those she cared for

45:28to George IV's

45:29disastrous public marriage

45:31under the immutable

45:32golden crown

45:33there always lies

45:35a fallible human heart.

45:38Births, marriages

45:38and deaths

45:39are so important

45:40because the royals

45:41are our soap opera.

45:43we want to see

45:44love

45:44we want to see

45:45funerals

45:46all the finery

45:47with a little bit

45:48of passion

45:49and scandal

45:49thrown in.

45:50And Secrets of the Royals

45:56continues next Saturday

45:57at five past eight.

45:59If Royal Walls

46:00could talk

46:00what would they say?

46:02Discover Secrets of the Royal Palaces

46:04stream now on five.

46:06Coming up

46:07their bond

46:07was about more than just

46:08passing down the baton.

46:10Catherine and Queen Elizabeth

46:11a special relationship

46:12is next.

46:13The Royal Palaces

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