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Inside the Tower of London - Season 8 Episode 5
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00:00There will be stories about murders!
00:04Over its thousand years of history, everyone who's anyone has passed through its gates.
00:10King Richard III.
00:11Captain Howard.
00:12King Henry VIII.
00:13Declared.
00:14My darling Anne, I will love you for the rest of your life.
00:19Cheeky.
00:21And this year, it's non-stop.
00:25With grand commemorations.
00:27Jumping Jiminy's.
00:29At the ancient fortress.
00:31Including a royal visit.
00:33I truly think that Her Majesty will be moved.
00:35We've got a ringside seat to see it all unfold.
00:38Oh my gosh.
00:39While its dedicated staff.
00:41High five!
00:42Yeah!
00:43Work to keep everything on track.
00:45You know this is the key for the toilet, don't you?
00:47No, I'm not feeding you anymore. No.
00:50In this episode.
00:52Beeper!
00:53It's the biggest day of the year for the team,
00:55as the Queen officially opens the tower's poppy installation.
00:58I can't help feeling a little bit nervous about this.
01:01You never know what might happen.
01:02A young resident at the fortress prepares for a once in a lifetime encounter with Her Majesty.
01:08I've been practicing my bow.
01:11Would you like to see my bow?
01:13He's loved him.
01:14No.
01:15And we reveal exactly why Henry VIII had his own uncle locked up.
01:20He loved Arthur.
01:21He imprisoned him in a cold, dark cell.
01:24Welcome to the secret world of the Tower of London.
01:28Welcome to His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London.
01:40From its earliest days, the Tower has welcomed royalty.
01:44Beginning with William the Conqueror in the 11th century.
01:47It was here in 1078 that he authorised the building of his first royal palace and fortress in England.
01:53And through the reigns of some of our most notorious monarchs.
01:58It was at that very archway that King Henry VIII waited very patiently for bride number two, Anne Boleyn,
02:06the night before her coronation to become our Queen of England.
02:10Although no longer living at the Tower, royals still like to pop in.
02:15The late Queen's final visit to the Tower was in 2014, to see its incredible installation of almost 900,000 ceramic poppies, marking the centenary of World War I.
02:28Now, over a decade later, nearly 30,000 of those flowers have returned to the fortress to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Second World War.
02:38And after months of hard work, the Tower's biggest project of the year is almost ready to be unveiled.
02:47Yeoman jailer Clive Tal is looking forward to the big day.
02:52People came from right across the world to see those poppies.
02:55If it's anything like the success of 2014, it will be amazing.
02:59And word is spreading around the Tower about who will be coming for the official opening tomorrow.
03:06The very exciting news is we now know the VVIP who's going to be opening the display.
03:10And it will be Her Majesty the Queen, Queen Camilla.
03:13We'll come here and do it.
03:14We are super excited about that.
03:16You know, she's a very, very nice lady and we're all hoping to meet her.
03:19In their long military careers, many of the Beefeaters have spent time with the royal family.
03:25But nothing beats a visit to the fortress.
03:27Happy birthday.
03:28It's always exciting when one of the royal family attend the Tower.
03:32The public see the Yeoman walking around with our swords, our partisans, our shiny red uniforms.
03:38We've got our medals on.
03:39Tomorrow is particularly special, as it will mark Camilla's first visit as Queen.
03:44Back in 2020, when she was the Duchess of Cornwall, she and Prince Charles celebrated the 535th birthday of the Yeoman Warders.
03:54It was a wonderful memory for Yeoman Warder A.J. Clarke.
03:58We had a lovely group photo.
04:00Quite informal, actually.
04:02With His Royal Highness stood in the middle.
04:04And A.J. is lucky enough to have a starring role in tomorrow's visit too.
04:09I will be part of that little guard of honour, which I'm very excited about.
04:14I'll be opening one of the car doors.
04:17Very important job.
04:18So, yeah, really excited about that.
04:22In his office, Governor of the Tower Brigadier Andrew Jackson has taken out a unique record.
04:29So, in front of me I have the Tower of Visitors book, one of our pieces of recent history.
04:34This particular one goes back to 2014 and it records all the special occasions that have happened here
04:40and the people and the very important visitors that we've had.
04:43The Queen will be adding her name tomorrow.
04:46Fire the right. Fire!
04:48As well as her visit, there's a whole array of spectacular events planned.
04:52This is going to be a really busy day at the Tower of London.
04:55We have a gun salute.
04:57We then have Her Majesty the Queen coming to plant the last poppy as part of the installation.
05:02And in the evening we have the official opening event.
05:05Readings and music remembering what happened in the Tower during the Second World War.
05:11Coordinating all this without any hiccups with the hordes of daily visitors will be an enormous challenge for the team.
05:18Everybody's really excited about it.
05:20It doesn't happen very often.
05:22We've got to make sure everything runs really smoothly.
05:24The Yeoman body will be central to the success of the Royal visit.
05:30After all, the Tower is not just where they work.
05:33They live here as part of their job, guarding the Crown Jewels.
05:38So if you look around here, you'll see all these homes.
05:41These are where we live with our families.
05:42So there are 35 of us on duty here, all of our extended families with us.
05:45So in total, probably about 130 people that actually live in the village.
05:49I talk about living next door to the bloody town.
05:53Some people might find that a little bit scary and hence why I haven't got a boyfriend currently.
05:56But my son's bedroom window was just there and he looks out into the execution site when he opens his curtains in the morning.
06:01Hence why he's got a really tidy bedroom.
06:03Hi, buddy. So how was today at school? What did you do?
06:08So I did some PE today.
06:11Yeoman warder Tracey Machin lives in the fortress with her five-year-old son Harrison.
06:16He's been chosen to play a very special role in the Queen's visit tomorrow.
06:21Wow, that's lot!
06:23He's going to plant one of the final poppies alongside the Queen.
06:28And he's been putting in some practice for the big day.
06:34Can you see how many extra poppies have now been planted, Harrison?
06:37Mm-hm.
06:38So many. How do you feel about meeting the Queen?
06:41So exciting.
06:43Are you?
06:44So I've already polished my shoes.
06:47Amazing!
06:49Good job.
06:50He's very excited about how shiny his shoes are.
06:53He may well tell the Queen that he's polished them, especially for the event.
06:57It's such a huge honour and a privilege to get to do this.
07:00If you speak to any Yeoman warder and you ask us why we wanted to become a Yeoman warder in the first place,
07:04for me, my absolute number one reason was my little boy Harrison.
07:08The fact he would get to grow up living in a castle.
07:11He lives here and now he's getting to do this.
07:13It is so special and I honestly, bursting with pride.
07:17The exact details of the Queen's visit haven't been publicised
07:21and for Harrison, it seems the biggest challenge has been keeping shtum about his starring role.
07:26I had to keep it as a secret at school.
07:31It's very, very hard to keep, like, secrets when they're so exciting.
07:38But will all his hard work pay off when he's face to face with royalty?
07:43He's quite a confident little boy.
07:46He can say anything to the Queen, so fingers crossed.
07:48It is good.
07:49We've been having lots of chats to make sure that he says only appropriate answers
07:53to any questions she might ask him.
07:59Coming up, will the Ravens behave themselves ahead of the Queen's visit?
08:03Oh, that's the wrong direction, dude.
08:05That's it, buddy. This way.
08:07Ah!
08:08And it's the moment of truth for the poppy display.
08:11I'd slightly have a nightmare that I was going to come in this morning
08:13and the whole thing would have fallen down.
08:23Can we have a high five?
08:25Yeah! Nice one. Excellent.
08:28Excitement is mounting at the Tower,
08:30as preparations for the Queen's visit tomorrow pick up pace.
08:3424 hours before the Queen's arrival,
08:37Brigadier Andrew Jackson, Governor of the Tower,
08:40heads to the South Lawn to check the display.
08:44As well as the poppies,
08:45the Tower has had another work specially created for the occasion.
08:50As part of our installation,
08:51we've commissioned the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage,
08:54to write a poem on the theme of the poppies
08:57and on the theme of remembrance.
08:59Simon Armitage will be reading his poem to the Queen,
09:04veterans and other guests tomorrow.
09:08As Poet Laureate, his role is to mark national events.
09:12The laureateship is a royal appointment,
09:15so I suppose there's an automatic connection with the Tower of London.
09:19I think there's more pressure with this poem than on many others I've written,
09:24partly for the fact that there's been a lot of poetry about commemoration
09:28in relation to war.
09:29Also, I'll be reading the poem in front of the Queen,
09:32so a little bit of pressure there not to fluff my lines.
09:36There's some little voice in my mind saying,
09:38if I get this wrong, I might get my head chopped off.
09:45The poppies have been a source of inspiration
09:47and are at the very heart of Simon's poem.
09:51I started with this list of words,
09:53just walking round, collecting words.
09:56So if you think of the poem as a cake, these are the ingredients.
10:00Frail, spindly, souls, lost souls, dangly, wiry.
10:07I was thinking of the frailty of the poppy petal.
10:12I am pleased with this poem.
10:14I hope that it will do the job that it's meant to do,
10:19but really, you know, I can't do anything more for it now.
10:22It will have to live or die by its own devices.
10:26Remembering the sacrifices made in the war
10:30is important to the tower's yeoman warders.
10:33They are all veterans themselves.
10:36And many, like Terry Briggs,
10:38have family members who fought in World War II.
10:42My great-uncle Albert,
10:43he served in the Royal Artillery overseas
10:45during the Second World War.
10:48He landed on D-Day and he would have gone across
10:51on one of the boats.
10:53When he actually arrived on D-Day on the beaches,
10:55there was people being shot and people around him.
10:59It must have been a very horrific sight.
11:02I can't imagine how he must have felt at that time.
11:07He actually kept some diaries,
11:09and I've been fortunate enough to have a little read through the diaries
11:13and see some of the pictures.
11:15He's talking about walking through these forests
11:17with his battalion and coming under fire.
11:21He tried to put a bit of a joke to it to his wife,
11:24but really the truth was it was probably a lot harder
11:27and a lot scarier than he actually wrote in the diaries.
11:30This diary has got a great entry and it actually says,
11:34Germany surrendered 2.41am.
11:39And then the next entry is,
11:40Winston Churchill 3pm to address the nation.
11:44That momentous event is now marked by VE Day,
11:47or Victory in Europe Day,
11:49every year on the 8th of May.
11:52In 1945, celebrations erupted on the streets of Britain
11:56as the nation rejoiced at the end of nearly six years of conflict
11:58and the royal family greeted the cheering crowds.
12:01The Tower of London was illuminated with floodlights to honour the occasion.
12:14Thankfully, my Uncle Albert, he came home.
12:17He was one of the many that survived,
12:19but sadly, probably some of his friends and many, many didn't make it back.
12:24So, we must still remember the sacrifice that they made for us.
12:33All right, folks, we're going to close now shortly.
12:37It's 5.30 and the tower is now closed to the public.
12:42There's lots to do to prepare for the royal visit tomorrow.
12:47But the first job is getting the resident ravens to bed.
12:50This tricky task has fallen to yeoman warder Tracey Machen.
12:55It's the first time by myself, so hopefully they behave.
12:59Knowing these birds, it's going to be anything but simple.
13:03I'm going to be just a bit more like a human sheepdog,
13:05and I'm going to shepherd them down into their cages.
13:09Fortunately for Tracey, two ravens are already tucked up for the night,
13:14and she's spotted another one.
13:16We've got Edgar up there.
13:18Good evening, Edgar.
13:19Are you going to come down, buddy?
13:21Come on, Poppet.
13:22Are you going to come down?
13:26That's him down on the ground.
13:28It's a nightly game of hide-and-seek for Tracey and her colleagues.
13:33Georgie! Jubilee!
13:34But sometimes the only way to coax them back into their cages is with dinner.
13:40Poppy and Chaos have come in by themselves already.
13:43Four down.
13:45Four to go.
13:48So that looks like it's Georgie and Harris.
13:51You two going to come down?
13:55Georgie, come on, follow Harris.
13:58Down you go.
14:00And Tracey knows Jubilee's favourite haunt.
14:04That's it, buddy.
14:06This way.
14:07Down you go.
14:08Good boy.
14:10Oh, man.
14:14After nearly 40 minutes of cat-and-mouse games,
14:18Tracey manages to usher the last couple of ravens into the enclosure for the night.
14:23Good night, buddy. Sleep well.
14:24So the ravens are in bed, Harrison's in bed, and soon it's going to be my turn for a good night's sleep, ready for all of the excitement and activities tomorrow.
14:33It's early morning on the 6th of May, and it's all hands on deck. The tower is being spruced up for a momentous day ahead.
14:51Deputy Governor Anna Kimber is responsible for the smooth running of all the events.
14:57It's a busy day. So we've got the first of three major things that are happening today.
15:02So we're about to go and have a gun salute for the anniversary of the King's coronation.
15:07Then we've got the royal visit from the Queen.
15:10And then we've got a big launch event to launch the pop installation, which is starting this evening.
15:14So from here on in, it's rolling from one to the other to the other. So that's it. We're on the ride now. There's no getting off.
15:23The centrepiece of today's events is the poppy display.
15:27For project manager Ali Richardson, in charge of installing the poppies, it is a culmination of months of hard work.
15:34I have to say I'm a little bit nervous. I did slightly have a nightmare that I was going to come in this morning and the whole thing would have fallen down.
15:42But I think that was just my anxiety rather than anything else. It's been a very intense couple of months. It looks amazing. I'm very pleased with it.
15:49The Queen will be adding to the installation later.
15:52The poppy that she planted is up on my desk. I've got to just make sure that the stem is not too dirty.
15:59OK, perfect. Thank you so much.
16:01It's also the biggest day of the year for historic Royal Palace's media and PR manager.
16:05Someone's on their way.
16:07Sophie Lemonyen.
16:09Today's press day for the poppies opening. So big day. We've got nearly 100 media coming, so it's going to be pretty busy.
16:16Fab. So are you able to help with royalties? Is that OK? Brill. So Channel 5 through there.
16:22Didn't sleep a lot last night, but really exciting now because we've been working on this for months and just really excited to unveil it to media and see what they think.
16:31Running a press event as the tower prepares for a royal visit poses some potential problems.
16:37We've got lots of live broadcast today, so that comes with its own challenges. In the morning, we've got the leaf blowers on, the lawn mowers, everything like that, getting us ready for today.
16:46And then from nine o'clock, we'll have the public here as well. So it's going to be busy.
16:51Lots going on, lots of different noise, so hopefully everyone can just kind of work around it. So that's the bit that makes me a bit nervous.
16:57Yeah, is that all good?
17:01Despite the extraordinary events happening today, the tower is open to the public as usual.
17:07The details of the Queen's visit have been kept under wraps, so lots of the visitors streaming through the gates have no idea that royalty will be in their midst.
17:16Yeoman Warder AJ is already in position on the causeway.
17:21Excuse me, can you just move to the side for me? Thank you, my love.
17:25Got a lot going on at the Tower of London. This is the start of the celebrations of today.
17:28By coincidence, the Queen's unveiling of the poppy display falls on the same day as the anniversary of her and King Charles' coronation.
17:38A gun salute is taking place to celebrate. The tower place hosts around six of them a year to commemorate important state occasions.
17:46My favourite part is actually watching the guns come in.
17:50The salute, fired from three ceremonial guns, is carried out by the Honourable Artillery Company, one of the oldest regiments in the British Army.
18:01So that's the master gunner.
18:04So he's going to go up to the King's house. He's going to meet up with the dignitaries.
18:10Guns are just forming up now and then it's just waiting for the clock.
18:14So we're well on time, which is nice.
18:16So this is the anticipation part now where we're just waiting for everybody to be in place and the master gunner will be coming down.
18:27The guns will be fired precisely to time.
18:31So these are the timekeepers that are just marching on now.
18:35Each will have a watch. So at one o'clock the first round will go on the bang of Big Ben.
18:40As one o'clock draws nearer, the senior figures take their positions.
18:47So on parade now is the constable of the tower, the governor, the deputy governor and Roger, our Padre.
18:54So now they're all formed up. They're the official officers of the tower.
18:59The guns are prepared for the first round.
19:02Everybody's just making sure that air defence are in. Last check of the earplugs.
19:07They each lift their arm to show clear.
19:12So they're making sure the guns are safe to fire.
19:14The arm is up. Number one gun. Fire.
19:19That's the first round.
19:21They've picked up the round. They show that it's a blank.
19:25Number two gun. Fire.
19:27They then cut off the charge and push it into the gun barrel.
19:30Gun barrel is sealed.
19:32And then number three gun. Arm up. Fire.
19:36And it runs like clockwork.
19:39This will continue now every ten seconds until the 62 guns have been fired.
19:4421 rounds from the city.
19:4721 rounds for the occasion.
19:49And then 20 rounds of the Tower of London as a gift.
19:52This is just part one of a very exciting three-part day for us here at the Tower of London.
20:09So part one. Box ticked. Ready to head off now. Get changed. Ready for part two. For the extravaganza of Her Majesty.
20:18Coming up. Final countdown to the Queen's arrival. Will it all go to plan?
20:23We'll just roll with whatever hits us and keep our fingers crossed.
20:26And it's time for Harrison's big moment.
20:29Do you think you're going to be able to stand nice and still?
20:32Yes.
20:33Yeah? It's tough, isn't it?
20:34It's a very busy day at the Tower of London. A gun salute to mark the King's coronation has thrilled the visitors.
20:47As the crowd disperses, most of them are unaware that the best is yet to come.
20:52Royalty is on its way.
20:55Yeoman warder AJ is poised to welcome Queen Camilla.
20:58It all starts with my job, making sure the car door is open. It's very exciting. I'm a little bit nervous actually.
21:05There is a protocol to open the door.
21:08I've got to salute Her Majesty and make sure that she's fully clear of the vehicle before we close the door.
21:15So we don't trap any fingers, toes or dresses.
21:18AJ's boss, Yeoman jailer Clive Tal, has some last minute tips.
21:23Would you do that?
21:24When I saw somebody do it the other day on the internet, they just went like that.
21:27Open the door, nice and sharp, and then they just threw it straight away and just held it to the clear.
21:32And then we look at each other and just go, down, shut the doors, move off.
21:37People think, you're only opening a car door. It's not just about opening the car door.
21:42It's opening the car door for Her Majesty the Queen.
21:44The bars around the Queen's visit has reached the gift shop, where Emily Costello is restocking the shelves.
21:55So on days like today when we have a royal visit, we're definitely going to be selling more of our crown items.
22:01We have the snow globes as well with some of the replica crowns, socks with all of our crown prints.
22:06Anything that's sort of directly related to the royal family is going to be really, really popular on a day like today.
22:11We get lots of people obviously from the UK coming to visit, but we do get a lot of wonderful tourists from overseas.
22:17So lots of American tourists. Everybody wants a piece of the royal family.
22:21It's really exciting and it sort of brings everyone together.
22:23It's half past two. The tower is now on the final countdown to the Queen's arrival.
22:34We have about 25 minutes left until Her Majesty arrives.
22:39I can see huge amounts of activity going on around the tower.
22:43The young warders are just about to practice their honour guard.
22:46We've got press all over the place wanting to cover this really amazing visit.
22:50And anticipation is also building for Harrison as his big moment draws near.
22:57I'm feeling very, very, very excited because I'm going to plant a poppy with the Queen.
23:04We've had a little practice where it goes into the ground so that you're already prepared.
23:08So do you think if the Queen has any trouble, you're going to be able to help her show what to do?
23:13Because I already planted one before.
23:16I've been practicing my bow.
23:18Absolutely.
23:19Would you like to see my bow?
23:21I'd love to.
23:23But Harrison's biggest challenge is going to be resisting the urge to wriggle about.
23:28So do you think you're going to be able to stand nice and still?
23:31Yes.
23:32Yeah? It's tough, isn't it?
23:36That's very good still standing. Good job.
23:39It's tough.
23:41From the most junior member of the welcoming party to one of the most senior, the nerves are kicking in.
23:49Deputy Governor Anna is going over some last minute details.
23:51So final checks for the Queen's visit.
23:54The south lawn is quite heavily cabled for when the poppies light up later so we just need to make sure there are no trip hazards.
24:01We've got some veterans coming, one of whom will present a poppy to Her Majesty and the other will present a poppy to Harrison to lay.
24:07So they're a really important part of the visit.
24:11And then, yeah, we'll just roll with whatever hits us and keep our fingers crossed.
24:16With minutes until the Queen arrives, the tension is rising.
24:20I can't help feeling a little bit nervous about this because, you know, everything is running smoothly now, but you never know what might happen.
24:29The Union standard is lowered, and the Royal standard is raised, indicating the presence of the monarch.
24:46The Queen's motor gate pulls into the tower.
24:51AJ is ready, poised to open the Queen's door.
24:56But unexpectedly, Her Majesty is sitting on the other side.
25:03It's a last-minute adjustment, and AJ's big moment slips from her grasp.
25:09Yeah, so I did open the car door, but the Queen did not exit my side.
25:12But I was very close to Her Majesty, and she looked absolutely fabulous.
25:24On arrival, the Queen meets the tower's senior figures and an honour guard of yeoman warders.
25:31Before taking in the 30,000 ceramic poppies that pour across the lawn.
25:39I think Her Majesty the Queen will be blown away by the poppies.
25:43No matter where you go and how you look at this display, you are moved.
25:48And I do truly think that Her Majesty will be moved.
25:51Sporting impeccably shiny shoes and trying his hardest to stand still, Harrison meets Her Majesty.
25:57She'll be planting the last of the poppies with young Harrison.
26:02So another very proud moment.
26:04Our youngest tower resident, with Her Majesty the Queen planting the last two poppies,
26:08so that the entire installation is complete.
26:11The Queen receives a poppy from Henry William Rice,
26:15a veteran who served as a signalman in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
26:20Today meeting the Queen makes me rather proud, actually.
26:27And don't forget, this can only happen because I've survived.
26:33People giving their lives up, they know they will never be forgotten.
26:39They mustn't.
26:40As the lucky tower visitors look on, poet laureate Simon Armitage reads his specially commissioned poem in retrospect.
26:51So the poem begins,
26:52The world asks a great deal of the poppies, insist they carry the wounds of war and shoulder the weight of remembrance.
27:02Such flimsy, wavering plants.
27:05We painted their flowers the colour of blood,
27:08But for all their spindly roots, frail stalks and papery petals,
27:12As easily smudged as a butterfly wing.
27:16They nod and they nag, reminding us not to forget,
27:21Flagging a red alert as their crumpled petals unfold.
27:26So rightly, the poppies ask a great deal of the world.
27:42It's time for Harrison's big moment.
28:04He plants his poppy alongside the Queen's.
28:07Looks like all that practice has paid off.
28:19With the final two poppies in place,
28:22It's time to record the occasion in the tower's visitor's book.
28:29The poppy installation has now been officially opened by Queen Camilla.
28:34She was really impressed by what's been created here with the poppy installation.
28:39And the fact that we're trying to remember the resilience of people and places.
28:43It was so exciting to see Her Majesty up close and personal as she wore the most beautiful dress.
28:49And I will say, she had the most amazing gloves that had poppies on them.
28:54The royal visit had not been widely publicised, so some people got an extraordinary surprise with their tower ticket.
29:01The kids were very excited, cheering her name.
29:05But not only that, she continued around and carried on for the rest of the crowd, which was absolutely fabulous.
29:11Visitors just turning up at the Tower of London today to be part of this great occasion.
29:16So yeah, well done everybody.
29:17And it's mission accomplished for Harrison.
29:22I think she saw my shiny shoes.
29:25And now free to wiggle around to his heart's content.
29:29I just feel really honoured and privileged that we got to do this.
29:32And I honestly, I'm beaming from kind of ear to ear really, and I know we are all going to remember this and treasure it for such a long time.
29:37So we planned this really well, and it went perfectly. Everything went to plan. Yeah, I love it when things come together like that.
29:48The Tower of London attracts thousands of visitors a week, and they come from all over the world.
30:01Where are you from?
30:03Um, Colorado.
30:04Oh, what a great place, Colorado.
30:06Yes.
30:07Denver?
30:08Denver.
30:09I got extremely drunk in Denver one day.
30:11Where are you from?
30:12Australia.
30:13Oh, wow.
30:14Where are you from?
30:15Canada.
30:16Buckle.
30:17Oh, fabulous, yeah.
30:18Buckle.
30:19So you've got quite a big tower from there, isn't it?
30:20Yes, that's true, yeah.
30:22The Tower always draws the crowds, but there's one story in particular that they come here for, and that's the execution of Anne Boleyn.
30:31So our first victim in 1536 was Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII.
30:38He asked her to look to her left, and as she brought her head back to the centre...
30:42Well, there was something quite unusual about Anne's execution,
30:45and that's that she was beheaded with a sword rather than an axe.
30:50Well, this was considered quite a privilege to be beheaded by a sword,
30:54because it was a more dignified way to die.
30:57So it was seen, actually, as a parting gift by Henry VIII to his rejected second wife.
31:04The head did not realise it be detached from the body.
31:06This contradictory act, showing mercy to his wife just as he had her executed, was typical of Henry VIII.
31:16And his ruthlessness meant that even his most beloved relatives could find themselves locked in the Tower.
31:22Henry VIII's uncle, Arthur Plantagenet, was one such victim of the King's unpredictable behaviour.
31:31The King was close to his Uncle Arthur from a very early age.
31:34Henry grew up hardly knowing his father, the King, who was very distant.
31:43Now, Arthur was almost like a replacement father figure for the young Henry,
31:47and a very inspiring role model.
31:49He was charismatic and very sporty, athletic.
31:53And they were qualities that Henry definitely tried to copy as he was growing up.
31:58And there's this very famous portrait of Henry,
32:01where he's looking every inch the sporty king with his muscular calves,
32:06which he was very proud of, always showed them off in white tights, apparently.
32:10So it seems that he grew up in the image of his uncle, Arthur,
32:16and that he also really was very affectionate towards him.
32:20There's an account here of Henry describing Arthur as being the gentlest heart living.
32:28But in 1540, Arthur ended up locked in the Tower by his nephew, the King.
32:35How did Arthur Plantagenet go from being beloved uncle to Tower prisoner?
32:44Coming up, the Tower resident proving more popular than the Beefeaters.
32:49So she's got 1,465 followers. I've only got 432.
32:55And how rushing his admin landed Henry VIII's trusted uncle in the Tower.
33:00He doesn't like paperwork. And for Arthur personally, this will have fatal consequences.
33:06It's been an action-packed day at the Tower.
33:13Both the Queen's visit and then the gun salute went without a hitch.
33:18Yeoman warder A.J. Clarke is heading home for a break.
33:22That's it. Her Majesty's gone. I'm tired, hot, a bit sticky.
33:27But a nice glass of juice will sort me out.
33:30So today has been a very busy day.
33:32Three things to do.
33:33Gun salute, done, ticked.
33:35Her Majesty the Queen's visit, done that, tick that box.
33:38Now for the main event this evening where we've got 300 VIPs and the veterans that are coming to listen to us tell stories about the Tower at War, get the band of the Royal Marines.
33:48So we've got a musical extravaganza and everything going on tonight.
33:51So yeah, very, very busy day, but the team have pulled it off. So far, so good.
33:58But the regular day job isn't over for the Yeoman warders just yet.
34:03This must rank as the world's most famous prison complex.
34:07This building behind me, the tower is called the Beecham Tower.
34:10You'll see the arch window. That top floor is our state prison.
34:13It's where we kept all our state prisoners.
34:16One of the tower's prisoners was Henry VIII's much-loved uncle, Arthur Plantagenet.
34:22He was previously a key figure in Henry's court.
34:27I have here an incredible archive of documents that rather proves he's taking his duties very, very seriously.
34:34And yet, just two years from now, he'll be arrested. So what on earth goes wrong?
34:40In 1540, Uncle Arthur's loyalty to Henry appeared to be rewarded, when from his home in Calais, he was invited to Windsor to be made an Earl.
34:51So you can imagine he gladly accepted, set sail across the Channel with a happy heart.
34:57But it soon became obvious it had all been a ruse just to get Arthur over to England.
35:03And then he found out that a different fate awaited him.
35:09Not only would Arthur not become an Earl, he was locked up in the tower on suspicion of treason.
35:16His supposed crime was conspiring against Henry to hand territory to his enemies, including the Pope in Rome.
35:24But was this really the act of betrayal it appears to be?
35:28Given everything we know about how loyal he was to Henry, it doesn't quite fit that he would suddenly turn on his nephew and try to conspire against him with his public enemies number one.
35:41It just doesn't add up.
35:43Arthur's fatal blunder was being careless with his paperwork and granting a passport to someone conspiring against Henry.
35:51There's evidence here that Arthur didn't always pay close attention to the administrative nature of his role.
35:58And in fact, one of his agents reports,
36:01I have seen passports which your lordship hath signed and sealed, wherein is written,
36:07as you tender our pleasure, reciting the same words over two or three times.
36:12His agent is actually writing to him saying, look, please pay a bit more attention when you're signing all of these many documents that cross your desk.
36:19But for this particular passport, he really should have paid closer attention because he's just given free reign to someone who's plotting against the king.
36:30And for Arthur personally, this will have fatal consequences.
36:35And these consequences would soon be played out within these very walls.
36:42OK.
36:44I'll make a picture of you.
36:45Of course, yeah.
36:46Part and parcel of being a yeoman warder is posing for snapshots.
36:50Big smile.
36:51You're very welcome.
36:52Welcome.
36:53I was hoping someone would ask me for a picture. I've been waiting all day for that opportunity.
36:57But there's another smaller and more furry tower resident who is proving just as popular with the public.
37:03What's this here?
37:04Yeoman warder Emma Roussel's cat, Nixie, has become quite the tower attraction.
37:10After arriving two years ago, she's settled in happily.
37:14And her online following is growing by the day.
37:18I'm not sure how many followers she's got, actually. Let's have a little check.
37:21Uh...
37:22So she's got 1,465 followers.
37:25I wonder how many I've got.
37:27I've only got 432.
37:30That's disappointing.
37:32Clearly she's a well-liked cat.
37:35Nixie lives the life many cats would dream of.
37:39Unlimited human attention and nearly 12 acres in which to hunt, to her heart's content.
37:45But she's not the first feline at the tower.
37:48Emma is on her way to meet Keeper of the Armouries, Emma Maudsley,
37:52to discover the intriguing history of cats at the fortress.
37:56I have a black cat, Nixie.
37:59I know she likes the mouse around the tower.
38:02Have you got any evidence of, kind of, cats being here at the Tower of London?
38:06Yes, absolutely.
38:07Particularly this letter, which relates to the Second World War,
38:11about whether they should continue feeding the cats that were on the staff of the...
38:17On the staff?
38:18Yes.
38:19Of Tower Armouries.
38:20Before the Second World War, cats were actually on the tower's payroll
38:25to keep vermin at bay.
38:27But when the Tower Armouries were given over to the military during the war,
38:31the role of the cats came into question.
38:34They said, do we still need the cats?
38:37Are the cats going to get the sack?
38:38Well, that's the risk!
38:39And so this is January 1941.
38:41I meant to reply before to your inquiry about the cat's allowance.
38:46The cat is kept to keep down the rats and mice.
38:49As the services of the cat are still needed,
38:51I see no reason for the discontinuance of the allowance.
38:55Would it be rife with vermin back then?
38:57I think they would have had a field day with the catering that was going on
39:02in the White Tower, feeding soldiers in that space.
39:05So having a cat there, I think, was crucial.
39:07May they long continue to be at the Tower of London.
39:10In the 1500s, rats were the least of Arthur Plantagenet's worries.
39:16His slap-dash approach to paperwork had led his nephew,
39:20Henry VIII, to lock him in the tower and charge him with treason.
39:24We know that Arthur was brought to what was described at the time
39:29as a very narrow cell inside the tower,
39:33which was so different to the luxury he'd have been used to
39:36as a favoured member of Henry's court.
39:39And as well, Arthur was a very old man by this time,
39:44so it can't have been good for his health
39:46and it must have been utterly terrifying.
39:49But despite ruthlessly imprisoning his uncle in the tower,
39:53Henry's changeable nature came into force again.
39:58So I have here a really intriguing record of a gift
40:02that Henry gave his uncle Arthur in March 1541.
40:07A large gown of damask furred with black coney.
40:12Well, this was really quite a lavish gift.
40:16This is coney, which is rabbit fur.
40:18It's incredibly soft, very warm.
40:21And damask was one of the most expensive, luxurious fabrics that you could find.
40:27It tended to be used for items of royal dress.
40:31So clearly, giving him a gift like this suggests Henry hasn't altogether lost the affection for Arthur
40:40that he's held all that time.
40:42And does it also suggest that in his heart, Henry knows full well that Arthur isn't guilty?
40:50Nevertheless, rumours began circulating that he was in danger of being executed.
40:57In the end, Arthur Plantagenet did die in the tower.
41:02But it's not by execution.
41:04In 1542, Henry decides to pardon his old uncle to order his release from the tower.
41:12It seems, though, that all this was just too much for poor old Arthur.
41:17There's a contemporary quote that says,
41:20In other words, Arthur's heart gave out, he had a heart attack, and he died upon receiving this news,
41:34which seems so tragic when he's on the brink of freedom.
41:38The shock of the pardon proved to be more than Arthur could take.
41:43He was buried in the chapel of St. Peter Advincular at the tower, but he was never given a headstone.
41:49I think, in a way, this is completely typical of Henry's contradictory attitude towards his once beloved uncle.
41:59He loved Arthur, he imprisoned him, he kept him in a cold, dark cell, he sent him rich gifts.
42:07He pardoned him, but then it seems, in death, he wanted him to be completely forgotten.
42:13Next time, the tower hosts veterans from World War II for a special anniversary.
42:24It would help the wind just dives down a little bit, but, yeah, they're a whole generation.
42:30Seeing the veterans front and centre, it was just really, really emotional.
42:34A new recruit takes on the ultimate tower test, learning the Beefeater Tour.
42:39It's quite tough to drag a thousand years of history into my head.
42:42If you can't pass the test, you can't stay at the Tower of London.
42:46And it's a big day for the new ravens, as they're allowed out of their cages for the first time.
42:52Are they going to take to the public? Are they going to take to the other ravens? Are they going to get lost? You know, there's so many questions.
43:02And you can see that next Thursday at 8.
43:05Has the cost of living left you facing no-frills festive fun this year?
43:09A luxury Christmas for less, how to do it has the tips, brand new tomorrow at 8.
43:14Coming up, join Dermot and the gang for a Thanksgiving NFL big game night,
43:18as the Dallas Cowboys host the Kansas City Chiefs live next.
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