Inside Windsor Castle

In this episode, we discover how Windsor today is a bit like an upmarket housing Estate, with Charles and Camilla in the castle itself and Kate and William and Prince Andrew and Fergie residing in the grounds. You can hardly move for Royals when it comes to the Windsor Estate.

We turn back the clock to discover how the castle transformed from humble beginnings as a defensive tower, to become the palace of one of the most indulgent monarchs in history – Henry VIII, and then his daughter Elizabeth I. Under Henry's tenure there were outrageous goings-on in the King's Windsor bedroom as Henry paid secret visits to his mistress, Anne Boleyn.

We become intimately acquainted with Tudor royal protocol, finding out about the duties of a surprising member of castle staff: the Groom of the Stool, who dealt with the King's toilet habits.

We discover how when Elizabeth I moved in she introduced some of the latest trends to Windsor and spent a fortune modernising.

We discover King Charles' simple Windsor mealtime preferences and exactly what was eaten by the gluttonous Henry hundreds of years earlier when they expected nothing less than a staggering 40 dishes a day, ranging from the more familiar game and venison, to roasted peacock, swan, and even beaver's tails.

Xand van Tulleken, JJ Chalmers and Raksha Dave examine what is like to actually live in Windsor Castle, with the inside scoop on what the royals get up to, from King Charles' military workouts to the Princess of Wales' A. JJ tucks into breakfast to find out if a full English would do for George III, while Raksha roots out the horrors hidden in Queen Charlotte's royal hairdo.

The most in-love couple in royal history move into the castle – Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. After honeymooning at Windsor they fall in love with the place, almost as much as with one another and decide to make it their family home. As the man of the house, obsessed with all things new, Albert drags the castle into the 19th century, including updating it with a modern sewer system and 139 flushable toilets.

Xand Van Tulleken tries out the Victorian facial fashion fad that had the queen all a flutter at Windsor, while JJ Chalmers reveals the surprising castle tradition that spread across the world.

But Victoria and Albert's relationship comes to a tragic end at Windsor when the Queen's husband dies aged just 42. As Victoria plunges into deep mourning, living as a near recluse at the castle, she is nicknamed the Widow of Windsor. And it seemed nothing could pull the Queen out of her sorrow… or could it? Raksha Dave finds out.

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.