Private Lives of the Windsors

In 1918, monarchies surrounding Britain were falling fast, and King George V knew he needed to rebrand if he wanted to hold onto his throne. He changed the family name from the German “Saxe-Coburg and Gotha” to the quintessentially British “Windsor,” and then sent his children out into the world to win over the hearts and minds of the British public. Thanks to newly released diaries and letters of the king’s children, we go behind the royal facade to reveal secrets and untold family dramas.

In the 1920s, the Royal Family survived a surge of populism, but the 1930s presented new challenges. Britain faced economic depression, and criticism of the monarchy was being publicly voiced. The Windsor family’s image became more important than ever. It was time for King George V’s three unmarried sons to settle down and find suitable wives, but things didn’t go according to plan. While Princes Henry and George eventually fell in line, Edward’s relationship with the American divorcee Wallis Simpson would throw the family into crisis.

After years of sturdy, constitutional rule, George V’s death plunged his family into turmoil. Edward inherited the throne only to abandon it to marry a controversial American divorcee. Bertie became a reluctant king, facing the task of winning back the trust of the nation while dealing with threats from abroad. Through never-before-seen letters and diaries belonging to the Windsor children, we reveal the inside stories of sibling divisions and dramas in the years following the abdication and into World War II.

Lord Louis Mountbatten, uncle to Elizabeth II’s husband, Philip, rose from the ranks of minor royal to major player in the British monarchy and military. A bold risk-taker, he led the Royal Navy to major victories in World War II and then oversaw India’s independence from Britain. But through it all, he had his sights on getting as close to the throne as he could, a goal that made him many enemies, inside and outside the Royal Family. Through rarely seen personal letters, we track the milestones of his life, up to his assassination in 1979.

Before Elizabeth II’s reign, Britain was considered a stuffy, conservative, and old-fashioned country. That image would soon change, not so much because of the queen, but because of her royal rebel of a sister, Margaret. Follow the life of the original "paparazzi princess," from playful child to party girl to torchbearer for the modern monarchy. We’ll detail how her rebellion against the constraints of her position led to a life of scandalous excess, infidelity, and divorce... but also revolutionized both the Royal Family and Britain itself.

Since 1923, the Queen Mother had been at the center of royal power as a wife, mother, queen, and family matriarch, and she continued to play a part in the Windsor dynasty until her death in 2002. Over the decades, she led a nation through war, struggled with being demoted in the royal pecking order, and clashed time and again with her son-in-law, Prince Philip. But through it all, she employed her charm, wit, and determination to remain close to the center of power and firmly in the hearts of the British public.