Secrets of the Royal Palaces, Season 5
PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):
Mondays, June 9-30, at 10 PM
Tuesdays, June 10-July 1, at 3 PM
Saturdays, June 14-July 5, at 1 PM
Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):
Saturdays, June 14-July 5, at 7 PM
British royal palaces are significant symbols of national identity, history and power. They also serve as settings for history-making events and personal triumphs and tragedies. Across four episodes, Season 5 reveals royal stories both new and old.
Through the lens of magnificent architecture and lavish decor, royal experts and historians share new insights and little-known details about the royal family. This season features revelations concerning assassination attempts, thefts, King Charles’ coronation, the infamous “Squidygate” phone call between Princess Diana and James Gilby, Queen Victoria’s scandalous statue of Prince Andrew, a Russian spy’s extended stay at Buckingham Palace, and the rush to Balmoral during Queen Elizabeth’s final hours.
Additionally, the series explores palaces located abroad, including the summer palace in Malta, where Queen Elizabeth happily began her marriage with Prince Phillip and is now in serious disrepair. The series also features visits to the Palace of Versailles, the Imperial Palaces in Tokyo, and Istana Negara in Malaysia, highlighting that palace intrigue extends beyond British borders.
Love and Marriage
Includes the “Squidgygate” phone recording of Princess Diana at Sandringham Palace with James Gilbey in 1992, and the ensuing mystery around who was really behind the phone call leak. Also Queen Elizabeth II’s 1988 stay at the Palace of Madrid, Queen Victoria’s scandalous statue of Prince Albert, a look at Queen Victoria’s revolutionary white wedding gown at St. James’ Palace, and a glimpse of Charles and Camila’s secret Welsh getaway estate, Llwynywermod.
Private Life
Recounts the royal family’s desperate race to Balmoral Castle during Queen Elizabeth’s final hours, William I the Conqueror’s odorous burial in St. Stephen’s Abbey in Caen France, an exploration of Prince Edward’s enviable Bagshot Park estate, and the quest to discern the full extent of the 1943 Greville Bequest—a remarkable collection of jewelry and personal items bequeathed by philanthropist Margaret Greville.
Royal Scandals
Details the art scandal of the forged masterpieces in King Charles’ Dumfries House, and the 1986 Charles and Diana vacation to Marivent Palace in Spain— an effort to not only improve relations between the two countries but also the frosty marriage. The episode also recounts a failed 2023 assassination attempt on Elizabeth II in Windsor Castle, and a 2021 theft of valuable items from Buckingham Palace by a member of staff.
Royal Duty
Includes the controversy around Russian spy Anthony Blunt’s long stay at the Palace in the 80s, and the revelation that Blunt had performed a secret mission retrieving incriminating evidence linking Queen Elizabeth’s family with the Nazis. Also, the tumultuous history of the Scottish Crown Jewels, Diana’s ascent to fashion icon status with her “Black Sheep” jumper, and Princess Kate’s first international speech and hibiscus Alexander McQueen gown at Istana Negara in Malaysia.
