The Queen’s Dolls’ House: built in the 1920s … showcasing contributions from 1,500 of the finest craftsmen and manufacturers of the day, this was not your average dolls’ house ... ‘there was bathrooms, a garage, cellars, a vault, kitchens, it’s simply the most spectacular dolls’ house anywhere in the world’ … including 700 paintings … real jewellers and goldsmiths … a library the envy of any book club ... no detail was too small … ‘electricity was installed throughout the house’ … proper taps with hot and cold running water … even the cellar is the real deal. ibid.
A palace security breach puts the Queen in peril; we reveal Sandringham’s scandalous past as a playboy prince creates the ultimate party palace; and the world’s most iconic palace suffers a plumbing problem. Secrets of the Royal Palaces s1e4
Set in 20,000 acres of Norfolk countryside, this private kingdom has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs. ibid.
Whitehall was probably the largest palace in Europe and the centre of English royal power. It was also beautiful. ibid.
When the monarchy was restored, the [art] collection continued to grow and today it’s one of the largest private art collections in the world. ibid.
The Queen and Prince Philip spend the winter months at Sandringham and enjoy the freedom the vast estate provides often driving themselves around. However, in January 2019 all that changed when 97-year-old Prince Philip was involved in an accident. Secrets of the Royal Palaces s1e5
At Hampton Court in the fifteenth century nothing could protect the King from himself. Henry VIII was famously celebrated for his skill at hunting and jousting in royal palaces like Hampton Court. ibid.
Brighton Pavilion can be considered a piece of art in itself, a piece of art which Queen Victoria hated. ibid.
Those palaces that can often go unnoticed, built to blend in and to be a place the royals can call home. Across Hyde Park, two miles west of Buckingham Palace, lies a remarkable housing complex brimming with secrets. Royals have occupied Kensington Palace for over three centuries. Secrets of the Royal Palaces s1e6
Windsor Palace: only two works of art were lost in the fire. The blaze took 15 hours to bring under control … In total 115 rooms had been completely destroyed. ibid.
The Royal Family have a palace for every occasion. Windsor: a castle steeped in a millennium of royal history still in use today; Buckingham Palace: the majestic royal home of the monarchy; and then there are private residences like Prince Charles’ country retreat Highgrove. Charles bought the Gloucestershire estate in 1980 and turned it into a family home, an organic oasis. Secret History of the Royal Palaces s1e7
Holyrood: ‘a massive building with enormous buttress-angled turrets and small windows, parapets, it is a castle … all the paraphernalia of a Bram Stoker Gothic novel.’ ibid. Dr Foyle
The hidden palace at the very heart of the monarchy … St James’ Palace is the real seat of royal power. St James’ Palace is also the oldest royal palace in London. It was built in 1532 by England’s most prolific palace builder, Henry VIII. Secrets of the Royal Palaces s1e8
In the south-west corner of the [St James’] palace complex lies this place: Clarence House, London home to Prince Charles. Built in 1825 the house owes its existence and name to another heir to the throne: the Duke of Clarence … The man for the job was the architect John Nash. ibid.
The Tower of London, Hampton Court and Kensington Palace – these three royal palaces tell the story of almost 1,000 years of British monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Princess Diana. They are the jewels in the crown of British heritage. Lucy Worsley’s Royal Palace Secrets, BBC 2021
The Tower is still home to its permanent residents – the Ravens and the Yeoman warders or Beefeaters. ibid.
Besides being a palace and a fortress, the Tower’s mighty walls meant it soon became the most notorious prison in the land … It was a prison for important enemies of the state: you would expect to be looked after rather well. ibid.
Hampton Court, twelve miles south-west of London, was Henry’s favourite home. Like the Tower it proclaimed the monarch’s might and magnificence, but unlike the Tower it wasn’t an impenetrable fortress. ibid.
For much of his [Henry] reign, Hampton Court was a building site. ibid.
A young Victoria led a sheltered life at Kensington [Palace]. ibid.
One of the most famous buildings on the planet. Home to arguably the world’s most famous family. Today it’s the largest private house in the country with an astonishing 775 rooms including a swimming pool, a doctor’s surgery, and a post office. There’s even an ATM in the basement. Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong, Channel 5 2023
Hidden deep in its heart is Buckingham House as it was in 1761. ibid.
Buckingham Palace today has the largest private gardens in the capital – 39 acres with over 1,000 trees and a lake the size of two football pitches. ibid.
A shocking stink that still lurks beneath the palace to this day … 50 feet below there is a river. Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong II
The thieving sisters were put on trial at the Old Bailey … The sisters were eventually acquitted. ibid.
Filth and squalor were rife … The rats were in their element. ibid.
By the time Buckingham Palace arrived in the Victorian era it had been home to the royal family for over eight decades. A procession of kings and queens had already spent a fortune extending and improving the place. Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong III
With a whole new wing added to the front of the palace, of course lots more staff were needed. ibid.
The palace welcomes the Edwardian era with a first-class upgrade. Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong IV
The main east wing at the front had been constructed at the insistence of Queen Victoria. There were six floors in total from the basement to the attic. ibid.
At the start of the twentieth century Buckingham Palace had been in the hands of the royal family for nearly a century and a half. In 1910 the palace welcomed its sixth set of royal residents. Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong V
As the twentieth century advances a young Princess Elizabeth moves into the palace with sister Margaret and their parents. Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong VI