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00:00There will be stories about murders!
00:03Over its thousand years of history,
00:06everyone who's anyone has passed through its gates.
00:09King Richard III!
00:11Captain Howard!
00:12King Henry VIII declared!
00:13My darling Anne,
00:15I 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!
00:43...work 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...
00:52Feeder!
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.
01:03A young resident at the fortress prepares
01:05for a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with Her Majesty.
01:09I've been practising my bow.
01:11Would you like to see my bow?
01:13He's loved.
01:15And we reveal exactly why Henry VIII had his own uncle locked up.
01:19He loved Arthur.
01:21He imprisoned him in a cold, dark cell.
01:24Welcome to the secret world of the Tower of London.
01:35Welcome to His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress,
01:38the Tower of London.
01:40From its earliest days, the Tower has welcomed royalty,
01:44beginning with William the Conqueror in the 11th century.
01:47And it was here in 1078
01:49that he authorised the building
01:50of 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
02:00that King Henry VIII waited very patiently
02:03for bride number two, Anne Boleyn,
02:05the night before her coronation
02:07to become our Queen of England.
02:10Although no longer living at the Tower,
02:12royals still like to pop in.
02:15The late Queen's final visit to the Tower was in 2014,
02:19to see its incredible installation
02:21of almost 900,000 ceramic poppies,
02:24marking the centenary of World War I.
02:28Now, over a decade later,
02:30nearly 30,000 of those flowers
02:32have returned to the fortress
02:34to commemorate the 80th anniversary
02:36of the Second World War.
02:38And after months of hard work,
02:40the Tower's biggest project of the year
02:43is almost ready to be unveiled.
02:47Yeoman jailer Clive Tal
02:49is looking forward to the big day.
02:52People came from right across the world
02:53to see those poppies.
02:54If it's anything like the success of 2014,
02:57it will be amazing.
02:59And word is spreading around the Tower
03:01about who will be coming
03:03for the official opening tomorrow.
03:06The very exciting news is
03:07we now know the VVIP
03:08who's going to be opening the display
03:10and it will be Her Majesty the Queen,
03:12Queen Camilla,
03:13who will come here and do it.
03:14We are super excited about that.
03:16You know, she's a very, very nice lady
03:18and we're all hoping to meet her.
03:20In their long military careers,
03:22many of the beef eaters
03:23have 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
03:31attend the Tower.
03:32The public see the Yeoman walking around
03:34with our swords, our partisans,
03:36our shiny red uniforms,
03:37we've got our medals on.
03:39Tomorrow is particularly special
03:41as it will mark Camilla's first visit as Queen.
03:44Back in 2020, when she was the Duchess of Cornwall,
03:47she and Prince Charles celebrated
03:49the 535th birthday of the Yeoman Warders.
03:53It was a wonderful memory
03:55for Yeoman Warder A.J. Clarke.
03:58We had a lovely group photo,
03:59quite informal actually,
04:01with His Royal Highness stood in the middle.
04:03And A.J. is lucky enough
04:05to have a starring role in tomorrow's visit too.
04:08I will be part of that little guard of honour,
04:12which I'm very excited about.
04:14I'll be opening one of the car doors,
04:16very important job.
04:18So, yeah, really excited about that.
04:22In his office,
04:23Governor of the Tower Brigadier Andrew Jackson
04:26has taken out a unique record.
04:29So, in front of me I have the Tower Visitors books,
04:32one of our pieces of recent history.
04:34This particular one goes back to 2014,
04:37and it records all the special occasions
04:39that have happened here,
04:40and the people and very important visitors that we've had.
04:43The Queen will be adding her name tomorrow.
04:46By the Reich!
04:48As well as her visit,
04:49there's a whole array of spectacular events planned.
04:52This is going to be a really busy day
04:54at the Tower of London.
04:55We have a gun salute.
04:56We then have Her Majesty the Queen
04:59coming 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,
05:07remembering what happened in the Tower
05:09during the Second World War.
05:11Coordinating all this without any hiccups,
05:14with the hordes of daily visitors,
05:16will 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.
05:25The 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,
05:36guarding the Crown Jewels.
05:38So if you look around here, you'll see all these homes.
05:40These are where we live with our families.
05:42So there are 35 of us on duty here,
05:44all of our extended families with us.
05:45So in total, probably about 130 people
05:47that 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,
05:55and hence why I haven't got a boyfriend currently.
05:57But my son's bedroom window was just there,
05:58and he looks out into the execution site
06:00when he opens his curtains in the morning.
06:01Hence why he's got a really tidy bedroom.
06:05Hi, buddy. So how was today at school?
06:07What did you do?
06:08So I did some P.E. today.
06:11Yeoman warder Tracey Machin lives in the fortress
06:14with her five-year-old son Harrison.
06:16He's been chosen to play a very special role
06:19in the Queen's visit tomorrow.
06:21Wow, this lot!
06:23He's going to plant one of the final poppies
06:26alongside 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-hmm.
06:38So many.
06:39How do you feel about meeting the Queen?
06:41So exciting.
06:44Are you?
06:45So 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,
06:55especially 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
07:02why 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
07:23has been keeping shtum about his starring role.
07:26I had to keep it as a secret at school.
07:30It's very, very hard to keep, like, secrets
07:35when they're so exciting.
07:38But will all his hard work pay off
07:40when he's face to face with royalty?
07:43He's quite a confident little boy.
07:45He 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
07:51only appropriate answers to any questions she might ask him.
07:55Coming up, will the ravens behave themselves
08:01ahead 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 did slightly have a nightmare
08:12that I was going to come in this morning
08:13and the whole thing would have fallen down.
08:15You have a high five?
08:24Yeah! 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.
08:43As well as the poppies,
08:45the Tower has had another work specially created for the occasion.
08:49As 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.
09:01Simon Armitage will be reading his poem to the Queen,
09:04veterans and other guests tomorrow.
09:07As 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
09:18with the Tower of London.
09:20I think there's more pressure with this poem
09:22than on many others I've written,
09:24partly for the fact that there's been a lot of poetry
09:27about commemoration in relation to war.
09:29Also, I'll be reading the poem in front of the Queen,
09:33so a little bit of pressure there not to fluff my lines.
09:36There's some little voice in my mind saying,
09:39if I get this wrong, I might get my head chopped off.
09:41The poppies have been a source of inspiration
09:47and are at the very heart of Simon's poem.
09:50I started with this list of words,
09:53just walking round, collecting words.
09:56So if you think of the poem as a cake,
09:58these are the ingredients.
10:00Frail, spindly, souls, lost souls, dangly, wiry.
10:06I was thinking of the frailty of the poppy petal.
10:10I 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 is important to the tower's yeoman warders.
10:33They are all veterans themselves.
10:35And many, like Terry Briggs, have family members who fought in World War II.
10:41My great uncle Albert, he served in the Royal Artillery overseas during the Second World War.
10:47He landed on D-Day and he would have gone across on one of the boats.
10:52When he actually arrived on D-Day on the beaches, there 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.
11:06He actually kept some diaries and I've been fortunate enough to have a little read through the diaries and see some of the pictures.
11:15He's talking about walking through these forests with his battalion and coming under fire.
11:21He tried to put a bit of a joke to it, to his wife, but really the truth was it was probably a lot harder and a lot scarier than he actually wrote in the diaries.
11:34This diary has got a great entry and it actually says Germany surrendered 2.41am.
11:42And then the next entry is Winston Churchill 3pm to address the nation.
11:48That momentous event is now marked by VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, every year on the 8th of May.
11:56In 1945, celebrations erupted on the streets of Britain as the nation rejoiced at the end of nearly six years of conflict and the Royal Family greeted the cheering crowds.
12:08The Tower of London was illuminated with floodlights to honour the occasion.
12:13Thankfully, my Uncle Albert, he came home. He 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 very shortly.
12:35It'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.
12:45But 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.
13:02I'm going to be just a bit more like I'm a human sheepdog, and I'm going to shepherd them down into their cages.
13:08Fortunately for Tracey, two ravens are already tucked up for the night, and she's spotted another one.
13:16We've got Edgar up there. Good evening, Edgar. Are you going to come down, buddy?
13:21Come on, Poppet. Are you going to come down?
13:25That's him down on the ground.
13:27It's a nightly game of hide-and-seek for Tracey and her colleagues.
13:32Georgie, do you believe?
13:35But 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. Four 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. This way.
14:06Down you go. Good boy.
14:10Oh, man!
14:13After nearly 40 minutes of cat-and-mouse games, Tracey manages to usher the last couple of ravens into the enclosure for the night.
14:22Good night, buddy. Sleep well.
14:25So 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.
14:32It'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.
14:50Deputy 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.
15:01So 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 poppy 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. We're 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.
15:35I 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.
15:41But I think that was just my anxiety rather than anything else.
15:44It'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.
15:53The poppy that she's planting 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.
16:06Sophie Lemonyen.
16:08Today'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.
16:17Fab. So are you able to help with voices? Is that OK? Well, 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.
16:29Running a press event as the tower prepares for a royal visit poses some potential problems.
16:36We'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.
16:45And then from nine o'clock, we'll have the public here as well. So it's going to be busy.
16:50BBC. Lots 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.
16:55Yeah, it's all good. Despite the extraordinary events happening today, the tower is open to the public as usual. The details of the Queen's visit have been kept under wraps.
17:10So 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.
17:19Excuse me, can you just move to the side for me? Thank you, my love.
17:24Got a lot going on at the Tower of London. This is the start of the celebrations of today.
17:29By 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.
18:00So 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. Each will have a watch.
18:36So at one o'clock, the first round will go on the bang of Big Ben.
18:39As one o'clock draws nearer, the senior figures take their positions.
18:46So 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.
18:58The guns are prepared for the first round.
19:02Everybody's just making sure that air defence are in. Last check of the earplugs.
19:06They each lift their arm to show clear.
19:12So they're making sure the guns are safe to fire.
19:15The 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.
19:34And it runs like clockwork.
19:38This 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.
19:50And then 20 rounds at 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.
20:10So part one, box ticked. Ready to head off now. Get changed. Ready for part two. For the extravaganza of Her Majesty.
20:13Coming up. Final countdown to the Queen's arrival. Will it all go to plan?
20:14We'll just roll with whatever hits us and keep our things crossed.
20:16And it's time for Harrison's big moment.
20:17Do you think you're going to be able to stand nice and still?
20:18Yes.
20:19Yeah?
20:20It's tough, isn't it?
20:21It's a very busy day at the Tower of London. A gun salute to mark the King's coronation has thrilled the visitors.
20:28As the crowd disperses, most of them are unaware that the best is yet to come. Royalty is on its way.
20:36Yeoman warder A.J. is poised to welcome Queen Queen Queen.
20:41The Queen's arrival is a very busy day at the Tower of London.
20:44It's a very busy day at the Tower of London.
20:46A gun salute to mark the King's coronation has thrilled the visitors.
20:49As the crowd disperses, most of them are unaware that the best is yet to come.
20:53Royalty is on its way.
20:54Yeoman warder A.J. is poised to welcome Queen Camilla.
20:59It all starts with my job, making sure the car door is open.
21:02It's very exciting.
21:04I'm a little bit nervous, actually.
21:06There 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.
21:18A.J.'s boss, Yeoman jailer Clive Tal, has some last-minute tips.
21:22Would you do it 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 shut, and then they've salute it straight away.
21:30And just held it to the clear.
21:32And then we look at each other and just go, down.
21:35Shut the doors, move off.
21:36People will think, you're only opening a car door. It's not just about opening the car door. It'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.
22:00We 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.
22:20It's really exciting and it sort of brings everyone together.
22:28It's half past two.
22:30The tower is now on the final countdown to the Queen's arrival.
22:35We 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.
22:45We've got press all over the place wanting to cover this really amazing visit.
22:51And 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.
23:03We've had a little practice where it goes into the ground so that you're already prepared.
23:07So do you think if the Queen has any trouble, you're going to be able to help her show what to do?
23:11Yeah.
23:12Because I already planted one before.
23:16I've been practising 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?
23:31Yeah.
23:32Yeah?
23:33It's tough, isn't it?
23:36That's very good still standing.
23:38Good job.
23:41From the most junior member of the welcoming party to one of the most senior, the nerves are kicking in.
23:48Deputy Governor Anna is going over some last minute details.
23:52So final checks for the Queen's visit.
23:55The 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.
24:00We've got some veterans coming, one of whom will present a poppy to Her Majesty and the other will present a poppy to Harrison till they say 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.
24:15With 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.
24:27You never know what might happen.
24:38The Union standard is lowered.
24:40And the royal standard is raised, indicating the presence of the monarch.
24:47The 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.
25:04It'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.
25:13But I was very close to Her Majesty, and she looked absolutely fabulous.
25:17On arrival, the Queen meets the tower's senior figures and an honour guard of yeoman warders.
25:34Before taking in the 30,000 ceramic poppies that pour across the lawn.
25:40I think how much the Queen will be blown away by the poppies.
25:42No 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 standstill, Harrison meets Her Majesty.
25:59She'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 so that the entire installation is complete.
26:12The Queen receives a poppy from Henry William Rice, a veteran who served as a signalman in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
26:21Today 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. They mustn't.
26:39As the lucky tower visitors look on, poet laureate Simon Armitage reads his specially commissioned poem in retrospect.
26:50So the poem begins, the world asks a great deal of the poppies, insist they carry the wounds of war and shoulder the weight of remembrance.
27:00Such flimsy, wavering plants. We painted their flowers the colour of blood. But for all their spindly roots, frail stalks and papery petals, as easily smudged as a butterfly wing.
27:15They nod and they nag, reminding us not to forget, flagging a red alert as their crumpled petals unfold. So rightly, the poppies ask a great deal of the world.
27:29the poppies ask a great deal of the world.
27:30.
27:36.
27:42.
27:48.
27:52.
27:53.
27:54.
27:54.
27:55.
27:56It's time for Harrison's big moment.
28:04He plants his poppy alongside the Queen's.
28:10Looks like all that practice has paid off.
28:18With the final two poppies in place,
28:21it's time to record the occasion in the Tower's visitor's book.
28:26The 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
28:38and 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.
28:47She wore the most beautiful dress and I will say
28:50she had the most amazing gloves that had poppies on them.
28:54The royal visit had not been widely publicised,
28:57so some people got an extraordinary surprise with their tower ticket.
29:02The kids were very excited, cheering her name.
29:05But not only that, she continued around
29:07and carried on for the rest of the crowd, which was absolutely fabulous.
29:11Visitors just turning up at the Tower of London today
29:13to be part of this great occasion.
29:15So, yeah, well done, everybody.
29:18And it's mission accomplished for Harrison.
29:21I think she saw my shiny shoes.
29:25And now free to wiggle around to his heart's content.
29:28I just feel really honoured and privileged that we've got to do this.
29:31And I honestly, I'm beaming from kind of ear to ear, really,
29:35and I know we are all going to remember this and treasure it for such a long time.
29:38So, we planned this really well and it went perfectly.
29:44Everything went to plan.
29:46Yeah, I love it when things come together like that.
29:54The Tower of London attracts thousands of visitors a week
29:58and they come from all over the world.
30:01How are you from?
30:02Um, Colorado.
30:03Oh, what a great place, Colorado.
30:06Yes.
30:06Denver?
30:07Denver.
30:08I got extremely drunk in Denver one day.
30:11Where are you from?
30:12Australia.
30:12Oh, wow.
30:13Where are you from?
30:14Canada.
30:14Canada.
30:15Where are you from?
30:16Bucknell.
30:17Oh, fabulous, yeah.
30:17Bucknell.
30:18So, 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,
30:24but there's one story in particular that they come here for,
30:27and that's the execution of Anne Boleyn.
30:30So, our first victim in 1536 was Queen Anne Boleyn,
30:35second wife of King Henry VIII.
30:37He asked her to look to her left,
30:38and as she brought her head back to the centre...
30:41Well, 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
31:01to his rejected second wife.
31:03The head did not realise it be detached from the body.
31:07This contradictory act, showing mercy to his wife
31:11just as he had her executed, was typical of Henry VIII,
31:15and his ruthlessness meant that even his most beloved relatives
31:19could find themselves locked in the tower.
31:22Henry VIII's uncle, Arthur Plantagenet,
31:25was one such victim of the king's unpredictable behaviour.
31:30The king was close to his uncle, Arthur, from a very early age.
31:38Henry grew up hardly knowing his father, the king,
31:41who was very distant.
31:42Now, Arthur was almost like a replacement father figure
31:45for the young Henry, and a very inspiring role model.
31:49He was charismatic and very sporty, athletic.
31:53And they were qualities that Henry definitely tried to copy
31:57as he was growing up.
31:58And there's this very famous portrait of Henry
32:01where he's looking every inch,
32:03the sporty king with his muscular calves,
32:06which he was very proud of,
32:07always 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
32:24as being the gentlest heart living.
32:28But in 1540, Arthur ended up locked in the tower
32:32by his nephew, the king.
32:35How did Arthur Plantagenet go from being beloved uncle
32:38to tower prisoner?
32:44Coming up, the tower resident
32:46proving more popular than the Beefeaters.
32:49So she's got 1,465 followers.
32:53I've only got 432.
32:55And how rushing his admin
32:57landed Henry VIII's trusted uncle in the tower.
33:00He doesn't like paperwork.
33:02And for Arthur personally, this will have fatal consequences.
33:08It's been an action-packed day at the tower.
33:13Both the Queen's visit
33:14and then the gun salute went without a hitch.
33:18Yeoman warder A.J. Clarke
33:19is heading home for a break.
33:23That's it.
33:23Her Majesty's gone.
33:25I'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, ticked that box.
33:38Now for the main event this evening
33:40where we've got 300 VIPs
33:42and the veterans that are coming to listen to us
33:44tell stories about the tower at war,
33:47get the band of the Royal Marines.
33:48So we've got a musical extravaganza
33:50and everything going on tonight.
33:51So, yeah, very, very busy day,
33:54but the team have pulled it off.
33:56So far, so good.
33:57But the regular day job
34:00isn'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,
34:08is called the Beecham Tower.
34:10You'll see the arch window.
34:11That top floor is our state prison.
34:13It's where we kept all our state prisoners.
34:16One of the tower's prisoners
34:18was Henry VIII's much-loved uncle,
34:20Arthur Plantagenet.
34:22He was previously a key figure in Henry's court.
34:25I have here an incredible archive of documents
34:30that rather proves he's taking his duties very, very seriously.
34:34And yet, just two years from now, he'll be arrested.
34:37So what on earth goes wrong?
34:40In 1540, Uncle Arthur's loyalty to Henry
34:44appeared to be rewarded,
34:46when from his home in Calais,
34:48he was invited to Windsor to be made an earl.
34:50So you can imagine he gladly accepted,
34:54set sail across the Channel with a happy heart.
34:57But it soon became obvious
34:59it had all been a ruse
35:00just to get Arthur over to England.
35:03And then he found out
35:05that a different fate awaited him.
35:08Not only would Arthur not become an earl,
35:12he was locked up in the tower
35:13on suspicion of treason.
35:16His supposed crime
35:18was conspiring against Henry
35:20to hand territory to his enemies,
35:22including the Pope in Rome.
35:24But was this really the act of betrayal it appears to be?
35:29Given everything we know about how loyal he was to Henry,
35:33it doesn't quite fit
35:34that he would suddenly turn on his nephew
35:36and try to conspire against him
35:39with his public enemies number one,
35:41it just doesn't add up.
35:43Arthur's fatal blunder
35:45was being careless with his paperwork
35:47and granting a passport
35:49to someone conspiring against Henry.
35:51There's evidence here
35:52that Arthur didn't always pay close attention
35:55to the administrative nature of his role.
35:59And in fact, one of his agents reports,
36:01I have seen passports
36:03which your lordship hath signed and sealed,
36:06wherein is written,
36:07as you tender our pleasure,
36:09reciting the same words
36:11over two or three times.
36:12His agent is actually writing to him saying,
36:14look, please pay a bit more attention
36:16when you're signing all of these many documents
36:18that cross your desk.
36:21But for this particular passport,
36:23he really should have paid closer attention
36:25because he's just given free reign
36:27to someone who's plotting against the king.
36:30And for Arthur personally,
36:32this will have fatal consequences.
36:35And these consequences
36:37would soon be played out
36:38within these very walls.
36:43OK.
36:44I'll make a picture of him.
36:45Of course, yeah.
36:45Part and parcel of being a yeoman warder
36:48is posing for snapshots.
36:50Big smile.
36:51You're very welcome.
36:52Welcome.
36:52I was hoping someone would ask me for a picture.
36:54I've been waiting all day for that opportunity.
36:57But there's another smaller
36:58and more furry tower resident
37:00who is proving just as popular with the public.
37:03What's this here?
37:04Yeoman warder Emma Roussel's cat, Nixie,
37:08has become quite the tower attraction.
37:11After arriving two years ago,
37:13she's settled in happily.
37:14And her online following is growing by the day.
37:18Not sure how many followers she's got, actually.
37:20Let's have a little check.
37:21So she's got 1,465 followers.
37:25I wonder how many I've got.
37:28I've only got 432.
37:30That's disappointing.
37:32Clearly she's a well-liked cat.
37:34Nixie lives the life many cats would dream of.
37:39Unlimited human attention
37:41and nearly 12 acres in which to hunt,
37:43to her heart's content.
37:45But she's not the first feline at the tower.
37:49Emma is on her way to meet
37:50Keeper of the Armouries, Emma Maudsley,
37:53to discover the intriguing history of cats at the fortress.
37:57I have a black cat, Nixie.
38:00I know she likes the mouse around the tower.
38:02Have you got any evidence of cats being here at the Tower of London?
38:06Yes, absolutely.
38:07Particularly this letter,
38:09which relates to the Second World War,
38:11about whether they should continue feeding the cats
38:15that were on the staff of the...
38:18On the staff?
38:18Yes, of the tower armouries.
38:21Before the Second World War,
38:23cats were actually on the tower's payroll
38:25to keep vermin at bay.
38:28But when the tower armouries were given over
38:30to the military during the war,
38:31the role of the cats came into question.
38:35They 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.
38:42I meant to reply before to your inquiry
38:44about 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,
38:52I 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
39:00with the catering that was going on in the White Tower,
39:03feeding 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.
39:09In the 1500s, rats were the least of Arthur Plantagenet's worries.
39:17His slap-dash approach to paperwork
39:19had led his nephew Henry VIII to lock him in the tower
39:22and 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.
39:50But 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.
40:08A 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,
40:25luxurious fabrics that you could find.
40:28It tended to be used for items of royal dress.
40:32So clearly, giving him a gift like this suggests
40:34Henry hasn't altogether lost the affection for Arthur
40:39that he's held all that time.
40:41And does it also suggest that, in his heart,
40:46Henry knows full well that Arthur isn't guilty?
40:50Nevertheless, rumours began circulating
40:53that he was in danger of being executed.
40:56In 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,
41:09to order his release from the tower.
41:12It seems, though, that all this was just too much
41:15for poor old Arthur.
41:17There's a contemporary quote that says,
41:20receiving so great a pressure of joy,
41:23his heart was overcharged therewith.
41:26In other words, Arthur's heart gave out.
41:29He 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 Advincula at the tower,
41:47but he was never given a headstone.
41:49I think, in a way, this is completely typical
41:53of Henry's contradictory attitude towards his once-beloved uncle.
41:58He loved Arthur, he imprisoned him,
42:02he kept him in a cold, dark cell, he sent him rich gifts.
42:07He pardoned him, but then it seems, in death,
42:10he wanted him to be completely forgotten.
42:18Next time, the tower hosts veterans from World War II
42:22for a special anniversary.
42:24It would help if the wind just dies down a little bit,
42:27but, you know, they're a tough old generation.
42:30Seeing the veterans front and centre,
42:32it was just really, really emotional.
42:35A new recruit takes on the ultimate tower test,
42:38learning the Beefeater Tour.
42:39It's quite tough to drag 1,000 years of history into my head.
42:43If you can't pass the test,
42:44you can't stay at the Tower of London.
42:46And it's a big day for the new ravens,
42:49as they're allowed out of their cages for the first time.
42:52Are they going to take to the public?
42:53Are they going to take to the other ravens?
42:55Are they going to get lost?
42:57You know, there's so many questions.
43:01And you can see that next Thursday at 8.
43:04Has the cost of living left you facing
43:07no-frills festive fun this year?
43:09A luxury Christmas for less.
43:11How to do it has the tips.
43:12Brand new tomorrow at 8.
43:14Coming up, join Dermot and the gang
43:15for a Thanksgiving NFL Big Game Night
43:18as the Dallas Cowboys host the Kansas City Chiefs live next.
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