Secrets of the Royals: Births, Marriages and Deaths

The story of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's relationship, and a look at the radical choices of Princess Anne, who was the first royal to give birth in hospital and to choose that her children should have no title. There is also the grisly history of Catherine of Valois's corspe, left exposed in her tomb in Westminster Abbey for more than 100 years, and how Henry VIII sent his court painter Hans Holbein around Europe to paint likely brides so that he could choose who his fourth wife would be.

A look at the craftswomen from the Royal School of Needlework who made the lace for Catherine, Princess of Wales's wedding dress, but did not know who it was for until the day of the event. Tudor historian Jackson van Uden explores the suite in Hampton Court Palace where Jane Seymour gave birth to the future Edward VI - and died just 12 days later.

A look at the bond between monarchs and their military forces, a link that has shaped the very history of Britain as for centuries kings traditionally led their armies into battle. The programme also examines the rituals and customs the royals must perform all the time, from the weekly meetings between the monarch and the prime minister, to the Tudor roots of the royals' traditional obsession with grand garden designs.