British Royal Family: Documentaries, DVDs, Films and TV shows


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Royalty Close Up will begin on Thursday 4th July, 9.30pm on Sky Arts 1 HD and Sky Go-
Royalty Close Up
 
Video:
Secrets of Henry VIII's Palace- Full Documentary:
"Hampton Court is the ultimate royal pleasure palace — embodying the indulgent and grandiose kingship built by Cardinal Wolsey and developed by Henry VIII. Through its rooms, chart King Henry VIII’s decline from fit young warrior to bloated womanizer and recall the vivid stories of the ladies who became his queens."
Video: Secrets of Henry VIII's Palace | Watch Secrets of the Manor House Online | PBS Video
 
"The Queen's Coronation Festival Gala" BBC One Programme 2013

The Queen's Coronation Festival Gala: BBC One 7pm UK Time
Sophie Raworth and Gareth Malone host highlights of a spectacular gala staged in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen's coronation.

Performers including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, English National Ballet, The Feeling, Katherine Jenkins and Russell Watson are amongst those representing talent from across the UK and the Commonwealth.

With Buckingham Palace providing the stunning back-drop, the event celebrates music, dance and entertainment from throughout the Queen's reign. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0377qtj#
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0377qtj
 
Looking forward to watching this later this evening.
 
BBC One's Queen's Coronation Festival Gala is Now On Live:
tvpc.com - BBC 1

Outside UK Viewers.
 
I love it so far, particularly The Feeling. Love the shots of the family, I get excited when ee see them.
 
Same here, I think it's amazing for events like this to be put on at Buckingham Palace and to have the family enjoying the festivities. Too bad William, Catherine and Harry couldn't attend.
 
RoyalKateDebate ‏@RoyalKateDebate 1h
Tonight at 9.30 on Sky Arts, 'Royalty Close Up', tonight's ep. all about photographing Will, Kate & Harry via @myroyalobsess
 
Rise of public interest in the Plantagenets

the Plantagenets at royalcentral.co.uk

Are the Plantagenets becoming the "new" Tudors on television?
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introduction

The Tudors are most definitely one of, or possibly the, most famous dynasty to rule in England’s history. Thousands of books, novels, radio shows, plays, films and television programmes have been based around the lives, politics, religion and romances of the Tudor age. The period of 1485 to 1603 is one of the most popular periods to teach in history classes in schools and sixth forms across the country, which allows some variation to the heavily modern syllabuses we tend to see in schools. The Tudors certainly include some brilliant ‘characters’ for us to learn about. However, recently the Tudors’ ancestors, the Plantagenets, have taken on a more central role in scholarly and fictional work, which has influenced what has been broadcasted on our television screens more than you may think. - See more at: http://www.royalcentral.co.uk/blogs/are-the-plantagenets-becoming-the-new-tudors-on-television.

Many people I have discussed the Plantagenets with have confessed they retain a lot less knowledge of this dynasty compared to the Tudors. The Plantagenet line began when Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, married Empress Matilda, daughter and heir of Henry I, in 1128. In a nutshell, after Henry I’s death in 1135 a period of anarchy broke out between Stephen I and Matilda as a succession crisis emerged. They finally agreed that if Stephen were to die without issue (which he did), then Matilda and Geoffrey’s son Henry would become the next in line to the throne. The Plantagenet monarchy had begun, and continued for over three centuries later until 1485 with the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.

This vast space of time saw the murder of an archbishop, a crusading king, the sealing of Magna Carta, the Black Death, the Hundred Years War, the expansion of the merchant class and the bloody cousins rivalry between the houses of York and Lancaster, just to name a few events.

It was because of these events that many historians have recently dived back into the archives to discover the truths of this dynamic period which has been typically overlooked in favour of the illustrious Tudor kings and queens. Alongside this, historical novelists such as Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir have also encouraged the publics’ view of the medieval period. The current television production of ‘The White Queen’ based on Gregory’s book series surrounding the Cousins War will undoubtedly persuade some Tudor fans to take a step back in time and look at the monarchs previous to the Tudors. (Gregory’s television series may also turn out to be somewhat more accurate in historical events compared to the BBC’s ‘The Tudors’ which is notorious for glamorising the period and twisting history; although it was good entertainment).

→ Read more at royalcentral.co.uk
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courtesy of Clas Merdin: Tales from the Enchanted Island: King Alfred and the Anglo-Saxons

"King Alfred and the Anglo-Saxons"

In Michael Wood's television debut back in 1980 he focused on Alfred the Great as part of the series In Search Of The Dark Ages. Wood now returns to Alfred in a major three-part television series on BBC Four commencing next Tuesday 6th August at 9.00 pm. King Alfred and the Anglo-Saxons examines the careers of King Alfred the Great, the Lady Æthelflæd, his daughter, and King Athelstan, his grandson and first king of all England.

Alfred the Great, probably the best-known Anglo-Saxon king, reigned 871–899, is famously remembered for burning the cakes. The son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex, Alfred succeeded his three older brothers to the throne in 871. At that time, Danish invaders had conquered much of England, and Alfred struggled to prevent Wessex from succumbing to the same fate.

From his retreat to The Isle of Athelney in the Somerset marshes, Alfred launched the Anglo-Saxon recovery leading to the decisive victory over the Great Heathen Army of Guthrum at the Battle of Edington in May 878. King Alfred went on to establish towns, trade and coinage, reviving learning and literacy, laying the foundations of a single kingdom of 'all the English'.

Episode 1 – Alfred Of Wessex, 6 August
The first episode of the series shows Alfred fighting a desperate guerrilla war from the marshes of Somerset leading to the battle at Edington. Filmed on location from Reading to Rome, using original texts read in Old English, and interviews with leading scholars, Michael Wood describes a man who was ‘not just the greatest Briton, but one of the greatest rulers of any time or place’.

Episode 2 – The Lady Of The Mercians, 13 August
The second episode sees Alfred’s children continue the family plan to create a kingdom of all the English. The tale begins with a savage Civil War in a bleak decade of snow and famine, culminating in an epic victory over the Vikings near Wolverhampton in 910. The key figure in this episode is Alfred’s daughter Æthelflæd, the ruler of Mercia. Michael Wood recovers her story from a copy of a lost chronicle written in Mercia in her lifetime. One of the great forgotten figures in British history, Æthelflæd led armies, built fortresses, campaigned against the Danes and was a brilliant diplomat. Her fame spread across the British Isles, beloved by her warriors and her people she was known simply as 'The Lady of the Mercians’. Wood concludes that without her ‘England might never have happened’.

Episode 3 – Æthelstan: The First King Of England, 20 August.
In the third episode, Alfred’s grandson Æthelstan fulfils the family plan and creates a kingdom of all England. Here Wood tells of Æthelstan’s wars, his learning and his lawmaking and shows how he created a national coinage and traces the origin of the English Parliament to the king’s new assembly politics. But there’s also a dark side, with later legends that the king had his brother drowned at sea. In his last desperate struggle, Æthelstan defeated a huge invasion of Danes and Scots in what became known as the Anglo‐Saxon ‘Great War’. Wood argues, Æthelstan was one of the greatest English monarchs, and with his grandfather Alfred, his father Edward and his aunt Æthelflæd, a member of our most remarkable royal family, and ‘even more than the Tudors, the most gifted and influential rulers in British history’.
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Thank you both for this. I'm going to watch it tomorrow. One of my favourite TimeTeam programmes was the "discovery" of Alfred's camp on the Somerset Levels. The statue in Winchester is lovely - albeit victorian in age, style and figure.
 
cepe said:
Thank you both for this. I'm going to watch it tomorrow. One of my favourite TimeTeam programmes was the "discovery" of Alfred's camp on the Somerset Levels. The statue in Winchester is lovely - albeit victorian in age, style and figure.
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Your welcome :flowers:

The statue at Winchester was shown quite a few times in the first episode,it looks splendid.
 
Second episode dealt with Alfred's daughter,Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mericians
and the brief reign of her daughter,Ælfwynn,Lady of the Mercians. Both ladies I knew very little about but now would like to know more.
 
 
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As much as I appreciate and would love to watch these videos, when an abundance of videos are uploaded into a thread, it does tend to freeze up my computer. I had to wait 10 minutes before I could write this reply. My computer is not the newest nor the fastest but for the most part it handles things nicely.

Perhaps it'd be easier on you too to just post the links?

Thanks
 
I just watched it and we didn't really learn anything new. It is true that Andrew and Edward had a much better childhood than Charles and Anne, and Diana definitely changed the way Royal mums raised their children. We knew all this though. Channel 5 are HUGE Monarchists though so they have a lot of royal shows.
 
Molly2101 said:
I just watched it and we didn't really learn anything new. It is true that Andrew and Edward had a much better childhood than Charles and Anne, and Diana definitely changed the way Royal mums raised their children. We knew all this though. Channel 5 are HUGE Monarchists though so they have a lot of royal shows.
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Although I'm not British, I would enjoy seeing some of the royal shows across the pond!
I have seen some documentaries on Youtube about the Royal Family, and about Queen Victoria, Haemophilia in the RF, etc. What are you all's opinions of those?
 
Was watching the DVD of Bertie and Elizabeth tonight, and had a few questions- can you only watch the introduction with the host if you choose introduction from the scene selection, and what are DVD Rom features?
 
roseroyal said:
Was watching the DVD of Bertie and Elizabeth tonight, and had a few questions- can you only watch the introduction with the host if you choose introduction from the scene selection, and what are DVD Rom features?
Click to expand...

Google is your best bet. DVD-Rom features are usually subtitles or audio help.
 
"Queen Victoria and the Crippled Kaiser" Channel 4 Documentary 2013

Queen Victoria and the Crippled Kaiser: Channel 4 Documentary- Sunday, November 17th, 8pm UK Time-

Queen Victoria's grandson, the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, was born with a permanently paralysed arm: a disability considered shameful at the time.

His mother wrote that she was 'haunted' by the idea of him 'remaining a cripple' and insisted that he hide his paralysed arm throughout his life.

Cruel and crude attempts to 'cure' him poisoned their relationship and helped turn the boy, born to unite the Royal families of Britain and Germany, into the man who tore them apart.

Featuring a long-hidden cache of intimate family letters, this documentary reveals this secret story of child cruelty, secret shame and dark, incestuous desires, which begins behind palace doors and ends in the carnage of World War I.

Part of Secret History, which showcases the best in historical journalism.
Queen Victoria and the Crippled Kaiser - Channel 4
 
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