Private Lives of the Monarchs

We explore two of the most important relationships in her private life - with her husband Prince Albert, with whom things may not have been quite as they seemed; and her eldest son Edward, who she came to utterly despise.

Hampton Court and Whitehall Palace provide the backdrops for a man besotted by sensuality who presided over a court obsessed by sex. A 24-hour pox doctor was constantly on call.

It turns out that Henry VIII was a bit of a prude, and shocked by the worldliness of Anne Boleyn; he had decent table manners, contrary to his image. The kings life eventually had to be adapted to accommodate his ever-increasing weight.