‘Victoria’ fans will want to see ITV’s new Buckingham Palace documentary
A new documentary about Queen Victoria and Buckingham Palace will air next week.
The one-hour programme will reveal how Queen Victoria transformed Buckingham Palace from an unloved, unfinished and unfurnished building into the home of Monarchy.
Hosted by Trevor McDonald and Julie Etchingham, Victoria’s Palace will feature extensive access to the royal residence in London – including spaces such as the Palace kitchens that the public doesn’t normally get to see.
The pair will discover how Buckingham Palace was dramatically redesigned by Victoria and Prince Albert, exploring how their innovations are still used by the Royal Family today.
The official synopsis reads: “Victoria turned Buckingham Palace into one of the most famous buildings in the world, and the Palace has been shaped by her passions. She loved to dance and Julie learns how she and Albert created Buckingham Palace’s enormous Ballroom, decorating it in a riot of colour.
“She was also a Queen who believed in large-scale dining and Trevor discovers that the current Palace kitchens were built by Victoria to replace an earlier kitchen on top of a sewer!
“A new Palace wing was built to house Victoria and Albert’s growing family. The film also offers insight into Buckingham Palace’s famous balcony – a deceptively simple idea that permanently changed the way the Royal Family are seen on days of national celebrations.
“Historians Dr Amanda Foreman and Dr Annie Gray and Royal Collection curators guide Trevor and Julie around the most important spaces, which are brought back to life with breath-taking visual effects. But there are also personal revelations as well.
“At Kensington Palace, Julie learns how Victoria was shaped by her isolated childhood, while Victoria’s own drawings, letters, childhood dolls and fancy-dress ballgowns (preserved in the Royal Collection) provide insights into her different roles as monarch, diplomat, wife, and mother.”
Queen Victoria fans can view many items seen in the programme in a new exhibition at Buckingham Palace, London this summer.
The exhibition will be open from Saturday 20th July until Sunday 29th September.
Victoria’s Palace will be shown at 9pm on Monday 13th May on ITV and will then be available to watch online on the ITV Hub in the UK.
The documentary has been scheduled for the night after the season finale of Victoria, which airs on Sunday on ITV.
All three seasons of Victoria are available on DVD on Amazon.