Inside Windsor Castle

Edward VII, formerly a playboy prince, transforms Windsor into his ultimate party palace. JJ Chalmers finds out all about his shindig of the century that saw 8000 revellers on the East Lawns and ended up with people pocketing castle cutlery as souvenirs.

As the First World War rages, the castle saves the day when the Royal Family need a rapid rebrand.

Windsor plays a little known but pivotal role in a royal romance that would shake the monarchy to its very foundations between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Not only did the pair have a love nest on the Windsor Estate, but it was here, after just 325 days on the throne, the King announced to the world in his abdication broadcast that he had chosen the woman he loved over the crown.

Just a few short years later, the castle once again protects the monarch – this time sheltering a young Princess Elizabeth during the Second World War. But what did a teenage Elizabeth get up to at Windsor? Raksha Dave reveals the late Queen's racy side!

Xand Van Tulleken, JJ Chalmers and Raksha Dave look at Elizabeth II's time in the castle after becoming queen, when the residence needed a full makeover to become the perfect family escape to the country. JJ Chalmers puts his apron on to discover what the castle kitchens were cooking up for the monarch in the 1970s, and the team examines the impact of the fire in 1992.

Windsor Castle entered the new millennium with a bang - and brought a fresh start for Queen Elizabeth II and the castle she loved. The 21st century also brought new challenges for Windsor from a threat unlike anything it had seen in its 1,000-year history - the Covid-19 pandemic. This episode recalls the late queen's lockdown routine at the castle and her final journey to Windsor upon her death.