Britain's Incredible Royal Architecture | A History Of The Monarchy | Real Royalty

this is Buckingham Palace the official residence of Elizabeth the second the reigning queen of the United Kingdom situated in the heart of England's capital city London it attracts millions of tourists each year drawn to the buildings and monuments that embody the identity of a nation and its heritage and nearby is the most important royal church in the country Westminster Abbey that's witnessed the crowning of thirty-eight kings and queens the first was Elizabeth's distant ancestor William the Conqueror who reigned over these lands almost a thousand years ago the influence of royalty could be seen in every corner of Britain it's left a lasting legacy landscape from castles and cathedrals the grand palaces and monuments then each lie extraordinary tales of battles and executions romance and celebration [Music] the monarchy of England and the United Kingdom is one of the most famous institutions in the world with kings and queens princes and princesses Royal Dukes and duchesses have all played a part in the rich history of royal brick the monarchs of the medieval era held the solemn belief that they were chosen and protected by God but in reality it was guile and military might that determined who ruled his coveted island and for the 11th century King Harald life was one long struggle against those who wish to turn replace him having defeated the Vikings here in the north of England the Saxon King marched his battle weary armies sacked a more formidable Pretender to the throne awaited him unknown Duke destined to become the King of England and best known as William that conquering his massive invasion force had sailed from France and landed here at Pevensey Bay before being led to this field where the famous Battle of Hastings took place in September 1066 Harold Saxon King was slain with an arrow through his eye on this Ridge where William later built an abbey to celebrate his victory once William the Conqueror was crowned king he set about building castles the likes of which had never been seen by the fair struck people of England and many of the ruins of these fortresses can still be seen today William intended such places to instill fear the new order and they rapidly consolidated his oppressive hold of the country within the massive stone walls a terrible death by torture awaited any who opposed the king the anglo-saxon Chronicle a history of the times says of the Normans they filmed the whole land with his castles they were made they fill the castles with devils and wicked men the best known and best preserved is the Tower of London dominating the skyline at the time it served as a symbol of the Kings power within 20 years of the Battle of Hastings 49 major castles have been built by King William's death fortresses were rising up all over the country but less than 100 years later a new dynasty came to the throne and a new King Henry the second an able ruler he set out to unify the land as well as restore law and order despite some tremendous achievements henry is best remembered for a terrible misunderstanding which led to a bloody murder within the walls of England's most important religious building Canterbury Cathedral to reorganize the criminal justice system at the time Henry needed the cooperation of the all-powerful Church as king he was able to appoint his best friend and Chancellor Thomas Becket as the Archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral the highest clerical position in medieval England before long a bitter rift formed between the two and known for a short temper Henry is said to have exclaimed will no one rid me of this troublesome priest taking his outbursts literally four of his Knights took it upon themselves to carry out the Kings wish on the 29th of December 1170 they rode out to the Cathedral where they brutally murdered Becket he was declared a martyr and a saint by the Pope in Rome Henry sought penance for the killing of his friend by walking barefoot through the streets of Canterbury at the Cathedral he prayed while monks beating with branches unfortunately for Henry his problems didn't end there in the years to come there were bitter disputes with his wife and four sons over territory that extended across the seas to Ireland and to France but he was an empire that rapidly collapsed under the rule of his youngest and favorite son John at the turn of the 12th century a largely unpopular King John the first developed a reputation as a spiteful and cruel ruler centuries later he was to become the arch villain in the Robin Hood legends the ultimate blow to his pride must have been when he lost the crown jewels it happened here in the wash one of Britain's largest Esther's [Music] faced with a rampaging French army and rebelling Nobles stories ten of King John's lumbering baggage train crossing these tidal mud flats pack horses and wagons were carrying amongst other things the crown jewels when the waters rushed back in the Royal treasures were swept away leaving the King devastated with his spirit broken John fell ill and died within a week of the incident his body was laid to rest at Worcester Cathedral today the marble top of his tomb is the lid of his original coffin and thought to be the oldest royal effigy in England King John had left the country in a state of chaos and anarchy with London already under French control fairing the crime would now fall into foreign hands John's nine year old son Henry was rushed to Gloucester Cathedral to be made King of England in 28th of October twelve hundred and sixteen it was a quick and simple coronation attended by only a handful of noblemen and bishops and since the actual crown had been lost in the wash by his father a simple gold band was placed on the child's head but poor Henry the third it was the beginning of a long and troubled reign it was the warrior king Edward the first who finally brought peace to England once that was done he set out to claim the rest of Britain in 1277 Edward invaded Wales with a massive army forcing the Welsh Prince to surrender to serve as a symbol of English dominance over the Welsh he built a royal seat of power conovan castle proclaimed the Welsh capital conovan was built with grand accommodation intended for future English Royals and it's also here that edward founded the tradition for the title of Prince of Wales to be given to the eldest son of the English monarch one famous story is that a king Edward in order to appease the Welsh had promised a prince born in Wales who did not speak a word of English [Music] keeping his pledge the king produced a son born within these walls who being a baby couldn't yet speak a word of English or any other language for that matter but this wasn't sufficient to stop countless Welsh uprisings it would have prepared for this by building a series of fortresses to encircle and subdue the Welsh as well as protect the new English settlers these castles came to be known as the infamous ring of iron [Music] it was the biggest military building project of medieval Europe culminating in Edwards most ambitious and innovative castle but Maris no expense was to be spared work started in 1295 and continued for 35 years with over three and a half thousand workmen employed at the peak of construction as well as a moat of numerous arrow slits the entrances were protected by hose from which hot oil could be poured over Welsh attackers however the kharsa was never actually completed and what we see today aren't so much ruins as work that was in progress until money simply ran out when the King turned his attention to the wars in Scotland unlike whales the outright conquest of Scotland eluded the elderly came right up until his death near the Scottish border on the way to battle it was a fitting end to one of the greatest military commanders of the Middle Ages [Music] in stark contrast his son and heir Prince Edward of Caernarfon died in a prison cell here at Berkeley castle [Music] more interested in leisure activities than the art of war Edward was deposed by his wife and her lover and held here for five months before his grisly murder in 1327 [Music] although the identity of his assailant was never revealed it said that Edward met his end painfully with a red-hot poker the cell where he's supposed to have been imprisoned and murdered can still be seen along with the adjacent 11 meter deep dungeon which according to legend beckons with Edwards screams every year on September the 21st the murdered King had left a son and heir to the throne Edward the third in whose name his mother the Queen and her lover Roger Mortimer ruled it was here at York Minster that they married Edward at age 15 to 13 year old heiress Philippa for a vast diary the Queen was secretly planning to use the money to fund an invasion force which would overthrow son however the boy had been fond of his ill-fated father little did the scheming couple know Edward would be their undoing just days before his 18th one night in October 13:30 he entered nottingham castle through a subterranean passage and arrested both roger mortimer and the queen who is said to have pleaded fair son have pity on the gentle Mortimer however Mortimer was transported to London and Julie hanged on the site where Marble Arch now stands he was charged with treason as well as the murder of young Edwards father the former King his mother was sent to Castle Rising in Norfolk where she spent the remainder of her life [Music] these are the remains of one of the greatest palace fortresses in England can a worth Castle linked with some of the most important Royals in British history it was the favorite residence of the 15th century King Henry the fifth here in 1414 Henry then aged 28 famously received a curious gift from the French King a box of tennis balls the intention was to openly mark Henry as an immature youth rather than a worthy monarch but the prank was to backfire horribly for the French King Charles the sex it said that the insult incited Henry to lead his army to victory at the notoriously bloody Battle of Agincourt in France which eventually led to Henry's claim to the French throne [Music] but England's glory was to be short-lived by the mid 1400s the country slipped into a massive slump and tensions grew between two powerful royal dynasties the House of York and the House of Lancaster each claimed its right to the throne and for three decades they battled over the crown which passed back and forth between the rivals no less than five times the fighting came to be known as the Wars of the Roses after the emblems that represented the two houses at the center of the fighting were the great military strongholds that were the scenes of numerous battles revolts and sieges and ruins of many of these royal fortresses still stand [Music] the royal castle of bambor rears up on a rocky plateau looking out over the North Sea it was originally built to defend the north of England against the Scots but join the walls of the Roses bamboo served as a key stronghold for the Lancastrians and fiercely resisted wave upon wave of attacks by the Yorkist army of Edward the fourth despite a lengthy siege the medieval castle proved no match for a new generation of weapon the cannon Yorkists bombarded the fortress walls with their great guns and the garrison eventually surrendered Bamber was one of the first castles in England to be defeated by artillery though Henry the six of Lancaster managed to flee the castle its commander was pulled out from under the rubble and executed as a traitor in the following centuries much of pandar castle was restored and rebuilt in the Wars of the Roses gunpowder proved to be a force able to ravage almost any stronghold here at anak Castle the Lancastrian earl of northumberland surrendered to the Yorkists after watching just seven cannonballs hit his massive walls today this magnificent castle might seem familiar it stands in as Hogwarts Academy in the early Harry Potter films it's in the background join Harry's first flying lesson on his broomstick anok remains the family home of the Dukes of Northumberland making it one of the largest inhabited castles in Europe only the mighty harlot castle on the west coast of Wales managed to hold out until the bitter end against the House of York surrendering after a seven-year siege the longest siege in the history of Britain one likely reason it was able to resist being taken for so long was because the waters back in the 15th century may have actually lapped the cliffs on which the castle sits there's not only added protection but also naval supplies to get to Harnack by boat but the most extraordinary thing about the siege was that the castle was defended by just 40 men against an army of a thousand English soldiers they became known as the men of Harlech inspiring a famous song that still a national rallying point for the Welsh today this last battle consolidated the reign of the Yorkist King Edward the fourth there were no further rebellions after Edwards restoration to the throne and the Lancastrian line had virtually been extinguished the only rival left was Henry Tudor who was living in exile it wouldn't be until Edward the fourth death in 1483 that England's monarchy would once more be plunged into turmoil [Music] this grand medieval ruin is Ludlow castle set in the picturesque English county of Shropshire it's now best known for outdoor Shakespeare plays as well as its annual Food and Drink Festival held in the grounds but join the Wars of the Roses this fortified Royal Palace was the principal seat for the House of York it was also where Edward the fourth twelve-year-old son and heir the Prince of Wales was being raised and educated when word reached Ludlow of the King's death it critted a chain of events that ultimately led to the mysterious disappearance of the Prince and his younger brother something that has forever intrigued historians the story of the princes in the tower [Music] they had been under the protection of their uncle Richard Duke of York who was to escort the boy King and his brother to London for the coronation but the crowning never took place since their uncle wanted the throne for himself the boys were staying here at the Tower of London while it was declared that the princes were in fact illegitimate making the rightful heir their uncle Richard soon after the two young princes was seen playing outside the tower this was the last recorded sighting of the boys before their disappearance it was widely believed that they were murdered by their uncle the newly crowned Richard the third who came to be known as the hunchback king but his reign lasted only two years before the re-emergence of the House of Lancaster and his exiled enemy Henry Tudor the final and dramatic confrontation between the two houses of York and Lancaster took place on August the 22nd 1485 in central England this flag marks the Battle of Bosworth Field 15,000 men fought for the future of England one side was 32 year old King Richard the third and the other Henry Tudor aged 48 Henry having rallied an army of 5000 soldiers who still outnumbered two to one he also knew that a victory wasn't enough only the death of Richard would present him as the new one engagement was fierce and accounts tell of richard fighting bravely and even coming within a swords length of henry before finally being surrounded and slain his crown was taken from his dead body and placed on Henry Tudor's head for claiming him King Henry the seventh his victory heralded the new dynasty of the Tudors a hundred and seventeen year reign which brought enormous change to the country as well as great wealth and power but if the new King Henry the seventh thought he'd have a peaceful time when he came to the throne he was mistaken powerful English Lords control vast areas of the country which dominated the landscape many things a heuristic rhotic families had had their castles and estates taken into royal hands following their defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field Henry at no shortage of enemies throughout his 24-year reign plots rebellions and pretenders to the throne to deal with executions comedy but despite these properties and we started at the shooters we'll be good at the concentration of power in the hands of the dynasty he died in 1509 and succeeded by his son Henry the eighth he was under Henry England will become a second as a result there was a decline of castles and the first flowering of great Tudor houses that were designed for comfort rather than defense this can be seen at Compton minutes in the English county of Warwickshire one of the first great Tudor houses it was built by William Compton a boyhood friend of Henry the eighth who gave him an old nearby castle [Music] William tore it down and incorporated much of the original in his new house which is how it kept a constant look the roof line has a Tudor trademark that can be seen on countless houses throughout the period fantastic chimneys in all shapes sizes and designs King Henry the eighth's stayed many times at Compton when AIDS and his bedroom window still has the Kings coat of arms in stained glass but there was one house being built that was so opulent an audacious that it even made the King envious a house that was to be the new home of His Eminence Cardinal Wolsey after Henry the eighth he was the most powerful man in the land and the King's closest advisor as a result he was able through patronage and corruption to become immensely rich and build one of the grandest palaces ever seen in England Hampton Court in this enormous house he could entertain on a lavish scale it rivaled Henry's court and it angered the king walls his eventual downfall came when he failed to persuade the Pope in Rome to grant Henry a divorce from his first wife because she couldn't present him with a son as he felt power slipping from his hands Wolsey offered the king his house Henry took it and eventually had Wolsey arrested but he died before Henry could execute him the woman who Henry desired and wanted to marry was an Berlin she was to become the second of Henry's six wives and the mother of the future Queen Elizabeth the first it's likely she was born here replicating Hall in the East of England hands eventual marriage to the king had been engineered by her family and powerful friends who stood to gain from her becoming Queen they had seen how Henry looked at her and increasingly desired her this relationship was to cause one of the biggest upheavals in English history the break with the Pope in Rome and a new English religion but marriage to Henry was to eventually cast Anne Burrell in her head when like his first wife she failed to present the king with the son in London she was tried for adultery incest and treason and executed here at the Tower of London blindfolded and kneeling upright in the French manner the executioner shouted where's my sword to distract her and then severed her head in one blow [Music] these are the ruins of Fountains Abbey in the north of England it's not ruined through the collect but because Henry the eighth ordered its destruction when Henry sought a divorce in order to marry Anne Boleyn he was refused by the powerful Catholic Church when in a defiant act the marriage went ahead the Pope in Rome excommunicated Henry such that his soul will be condemned to hell the result was a bitter confrontation between Henry and the Roman Catholic Church Henry saw his opportunity to take all the church treasure in 1539 the king's men approached fountains abbey in yorkshire and forcibly looted the monastery and then left the buildings to demolition gangs for nearly 1,500 years England had been a Catholic country Henry destroyed that over his simple desire for a pretty young girl and a male heir to succeed him what became known as the dissolution of the monasteries followed with the destruction of 800 large religious buildings monasteries like Whitby Abbey in the north of England had grown very rich and powerful over the centuries in 1540 they lost everything where monks resisted this desecration they were often cruelly put to death as a gruesome reminder to others not to resist the king the Kings defiance of the Pope created waves across Catholic Europe France and Spain supported by Rome threatened to force England back into the bosom of the true faith fearing an invasion Henry the 8th began a building program to strengthen coastal defenses on the island Linda's farm off the coast of Northumberland the stones from a nearby ruined Abbey went to build a new style of castle on a rocky crag the castle how converted into a house is more of a small military fort and one of the reasons for this change was the development of artillery which meant the end of the old-style fortresses like batma castle it's sheer size made it an easy target for cannon fire it meant a new design of castle was needed these would be low-lying more compact and as a result difficult to see and hit and rebuilt 20 of them along the south coast facing France along the English Channel deal castle is a superb example these forts used powerful new cannon to destroy an enemy before they landed on the beach they also had the ability to defend an attacked from land the design is in the shape of two clover leaves one larger than the other this pattern creates a hundred and forty-five openings for cannon and firearms this was a castle built purely for defense and not for living in in fact the castle was so efficient that it took only one officer and 24 soldiers to run it two more to two castles that still survived were built to protect Falmouth Harbor in the southwest of the country which was an important to naval port sent moor's castle on the east side and Pendennis castle on the west they were both capable of blowing an enemy ship out of the water if you tried to enter the harbor all along the south coast there are examples of these impressive thoughts Henry the eighth's rain also marked the birth of English naval power in 1540 he built the first naval dock in Britain at Portsmouth and it's been home to the Royal Navy ever since its Tudor heritage can still be seen in the fortresses that guarded these waters [Music] Southsea castle is situated on a headland outside the harbour entrance as this was a perfect position to protect the harbour from any invading ships the River Thames was also a key location for shipbuilding given Henry's fascination love of warships he'd frequently visit the documents not far from his favorite Palace at Greenwich the Tudor palace was demolished in the 17th century the old royal naval college now stands on the site that was originally the birthplace of both Henry and his daughter Elizabeth [Music] in 1558 Elizabeth the first became Queen of England she dominated the age and become one of England's most successful and loved monarchs [Music] but as a Protestant Elizabeth like her father Henry the eighth became the enemy of Catholic Europe which included elements of Scotland [Music] these rare shooter fortifications near the border at barrack upon tweed show how determined Queen Elizabeth was to prevent a possible Scottish invasion the threat came from Elizabeth's cousin who lived here at Holyrood palace in Edinburgh in Scotland she was Mary Queen of Scots and stood to succeed to the English throne should Elizabeth died childless as a Catholic Mary considered herself the rightful queen of England and as a result she and Elizabeth became bitter enemies but he would be Mary whose plight would end in tragedy under suspicion of her intention to overthrow Elizabeth Mary was abducted by Scottish Nobles and held in the island castle on loch leven with the help of a jealous son who was smitten by her beauty she was secretly rode to safety where she rallied her supporters for one last battle she lost and fled across the border to England hoping from Mercy from her cousin and bitter rival Elizabeth she was to be disappointed and over the next 18 years was held prisoner in a succession of northern castles including Bolton in Northumberland where she lived for a year while her fate was being decided finally after accusations of plots against Elizabeth she was put on trial and executed it said that when Mary's executioner asked for forgiveness she replied I forgive you with all my heart for now I hope you should make an end to all my troubles with her throne secure Elizabeth power and prestige grew but curiously she was also noted for her careful spending the Queen built no palaces for herself instead eminent households like in Gaston in Essex and Burley in Cambridgeshire would be granted the honor of inviting the Queen and her massive entourage lavish entertainment was always expected and the costs were vast but many Nobles begged off the pleasure of her stay for fear of bankruptcy others saw it as an opportunity to boost their social status and built grand houses specifically for the occasion [Music] like Kirby Hall largely designed to entice the Queen but after spending a fortune on expensive glass and fine gardens she never came today Kirby Hall lies in ruins the family simply couldn't maintain the upkeep and eventually lost their wealth to gambling and the house was left to rot it since become an historic site and the formal garden has been restored for Elizabeth the threat of an invasion from Europe continued to loom large in the horizon the Spanish king saw the Protestant Elizabeth as a heretic with the Pope's blessing and a martyr of a hundred and thirty ships set sail from Spain for England in the summer of 1588 [Music] when the fleet was first sighted off sant michael's mount in cornwall a fire was lit on the church roof to signal an invasion visible for miles a rapid succession of similar beacons were lit alerting not only the naval bases but also Elizabeth in London that England was about to be attacked the response was swift and decisive and proved disastrous for the slow and cumbersome Spanish Armada which was no match for the small and maneuverable English ships moreover a vicious storm drove the Spanish into the dangerous waters of the Penton further Scotland where looming cliffs and rocks waited thought that up to 20,000 Spanish sailors and soldiers died failed invasion has gone down in history as one of the worst ever naval disasters [Music] however it was a celebrated victory for Elizabeth and one that defined England as one of the most powerful nations of the Tudor Age when the Queen died in 1603 the age of the absolute rule of the monarch died with her because a new part was emerging in London that rejected that came all Queen's divine right to rule this is the Palace of Westminster just as it is today it was in the 17th century the seat in parliament it was their role to pass laws and raise taxes for the monarch but soon anger and resentment grew amongst the wealthy and influential politicians that made up the assembly their issue was over the frequent abuse of power exercised by Elizabeth's successors it ultimately led to the Civil War of 1642 resulting in the beheading of Charles the first [Music] Monarchy removed his son or a sec Charles was forced to flee for his life he famously sought refuge at Baskerville hiding first in a tree which is now known as the royal oak and then spending the night in the Attic of the house Charles then traveled on in disguise by other safe houses before escaping to France after an 11-year spell of England as a republic Parliament decided to restore the monarchy will be it in a much weaker form the age of the Monarchs absolute power was over but with the restoration came a new era of architecture inspired by the great royal buildings of Europe like some Paul's Cathedral in London Charles had returned as king to public acclaim and in his air of optimism he was determined to match the grandeur of anything he'd seen in Europe Western accent he commissioned the undisputed genius Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild the Gothic sand Paul's Cathedral our trip was burnt down from the Great Fire of London in 1666 [Music] the taste for the new proved irresistible for the Royals and when Protestant William and Mary came to the throne from the Netherlands following the removal of Charles's Catholic brother James from the throne they employed Wren to extend Hampton Court in the new Dutch style they produced no heir nor did the next monarch Mary's sister Queen Anne and as a result the crown passed to the next closest relative who came from the House of Hanover in Germany this led to four Kings named George and over a hundred years of what has become known as the Georgian period and nothing typifies this era more than the city of both this was the most fashionable place to besiege on much of the 18th century and most members of the royal family spent time here taking the waters for their health as well as enjoying the social life the city is a Georgian creation and adopted the classical style of ancient Rome which dominated this period great curving terraces were built into the hillside and even included the circus which was an idealized version of the Colosseum in Rome this classical style dominated the new Georgian houses being built in which form many of today's finest country houses this was a period of great prosperity where fortunes were made as the British Empire began to expand around the world [Music] and with great wealth the future George the fourth had no trouble spending it on extravagant buildings this is the Royal Pavilion at Brighton the fantasy Indian style pleasure palace with its onion domes and minarets is a lasting testament to the self-indulgence of one of the most unpopular monarchs in British history he built the pavilion as a retreat from London here in the coastal town of Brighton he was one away from the scrutiny of parliamentarians who viewed his extravagance and decadent lifestyle as a mark of social injustice and a waste of public money particularly at a time when Britain was at war with Napoleon in France but in London we see another side of the Prince Regent he was passionate in his patronage of arts and architecture and many of his achievements can still be seen today in many of the Capitals landmarks like Regions Park and the rebuilding and enhancement of the British Museum the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace which his father had bought from the Duke of Buckingham in 1761 but a new era was ushered in on the 20th of June 1837 when a young 18 year old girl was woken at 6:00 a.m. in Kensington Palace to be told that she had become Queen her name was Victoria she later married a cousin from Germany with whom she'd fallen in love as a girl Prince Albert of saxe-coburg and Gotha as a passionate reformer he was to influence many parts of London and was deeply committed to public causes the world-famous Royal Albert Hall which opened its doors in 1871 was part of his vision to promote culture and education it's situated alongside a whole host of renowned institutions colleges and museums that he commissioned there collectively and affectionately known as Albert openness [Music] and just to the north of the Albert Hall lies the highly ornate Albert Memorial erected a short while after the princes sudden and unexpected death from typhoid in 1861 aged only 42 grief-stricken Queen Victoria never recovered from the loss of her husband she spent increasing periods at Balmoral in Scotland Albert had designed and closely supervised the construction of this grand baronial style castle to serve as their summer residence and it was here that Victoria began to depend on a local servant John Brown who became one of her closest companions during her long period of mourning after her husband's death Queen Victoria reign for a further 40 years a period marked by a great expansion of the British Empire she spent her last days here on the Isle of Wight but Osborn house that had been once again designed by her long departed husband Victoria died in 1901 as the longest-serving female monarch in history a rain of over 63 years [Music] in 1932 it was here at the royal residence of Sandringham the Victoria's grandson George v started the Christmas Day tradition of broadcasting to the Empire he had abandoned his father's German surname saxe-coburg and Gotha in favor of the more English sounding name of Windsor it was considered the best thing to do given the anti-german sentiment at the time [Music] and it's the House of Windsor that's reigned over the United Kingdom since 1917 many royal events have marked this period not least the abdication of the current Queen Elizabeth uncle Edward the eighth because he wished to marry an American divorcee and the stammering address given by Elizabeth's father George the six made famous in the 2010 film The King's Speech from the site of the old Wembley Stadium in 1952 Elizabeth was the 38th monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey almost 900 years after her distant ancestor William the Conqueror and most recently in 2011 the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was watched by hundreds of millions of people worldwide and we end our story of Royal Britain at the medieval palace whose name was adopted by the present royal family Windsor Castle [Music] as the Queen's preferred weekend home it's the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world where today over 500 people live and work it's here that the present monarchy is truly linked with its past with a history going back almost a thousand years originally built by William the Conqueror after his invasion of England it's been a royal residence ever since and the final resting place of ten monarchs including any of the AP that is favorite Queen Jane Seymour Elizabeth the first entertained dignitaries here and for a while it was even used by parliamentarians join the English Civil War as a prison to hold Charles the first before his beheading the extravagant George the fourth rebuilt the castle at vast expense and it was the refuge for the royal family joined the bombing campaigns of World War two and after centuries of trials and tribulations this great castle continues to thrive a fitting place to end this story of royal bring you [Music]

Channel: Real Royalty

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Keywords: history, full documentary, documentaries, full length documentaries, documentary, tv shows - topic, documentary movies - topic, bbc documentary, channel 4 documentary, history documentary, documentary history, british history, kings and queens, princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses, murder, politics, execution, crown, england, prince andrew interview, prince william and prince harry, princess diana, the queen, the crown, the crown season 3

Id: 6IxKwgA32FI

Length: 51min 54sec (3114 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 10 2020