Buckingham Palace

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0:00:14 > 0:00:16In the heart of London sits one of Britain's

0:00:16 > 0:00:19most recognisable buildings.

0:00:19 > 0:00:23Yet its story is one of the least understood.

0:00:34 > 0:00:36Buckingham Palace is a building with a deep hold

0:00:36 > 0:00:38on the public imagination.

0:00:38 > 0:00:41Not only is it the seat of the British monarchy

0:00:41 > 0:00:44and headquarters of royal affairs of state.

0:00:44 > 0:00:47But also, thanks to its famous balcony,

0:00:47 > 0:00:49it's become the national focus for great moments

0:00:49 > 0:00:52of commemoration and celebration.

0:00:58 > 0:01:01But what is now the site of a splendid palace

0:01:01 > 0:01:03was once open countryside.

0:01:12 > 0:01:15Behind the familiar facade lies a building

0:01:15 > 0:01:18with a strange and surprising history.

0:01:20 > 0:01:23Shaped by successive monarchs who all had very different ideas

0:01:23 > 0:01:25of what it should be.

0:01:35 > 0:01:37As royal residences go,

0:01:37 > 0:01:40Buckingham Palace is something of a newcomer.

0:01:40 > 0:01:43The state rooms are less than 200 years old.

0:01:44 > 0:01:49Yet its history is much older and more dramatic than you might think.

0:01:53 > 0:01:57Its rooms are filled with objects that are clues to the character

0:01:57 > 0:02:00of kings and queens past.

0:02:06 > 0:02:10And the art and architecture combine to make a statement

0:02:10 > 0:02:12about Britain's place in the world.

0:02:15 > 0:02:18The Palace as it appears now was designed at a time

0:02:18 > 0:02:22when Britain was the richest, most powerful nation on earth,

0:02:22 > 0:02:24and this was meant to reflect that.

0:02:24 > 0:02:27But for the first monarch who lived on this spot,

0:02:27 > 0:02:29it was little more than a quiet retreat.

0:02:29 > 0:02:31How things have changed.

0:03:23 > 0:03:26Buckingham Palace is the monarch's

0:03:26 > 0:03:28principal state residence.

0:03:30 > 0:03:34And at its heart is a proclamation of royal authority.

0:03:41 > 0:03:45If you had to pick just one room which encapsulates

0:03:45 > 0:03:48what Buckingham Palace represents, it's this one.

0:03:48 > 0:03:53The Throne Room. And you're in no doubt where the seat of power lies.

0:03:53 > 0:03:56The two chairs on a raised dais, one for Queen Elizabeth the Second,

0:03:56 > 0:03:59one for her consort, Prince Philip.

0:03:59 > 0:04:02You might think that the Queen has sat on that seat

0:04:02 > 0:04:04many times during her reign

0:04:04 > 0:04:07and received dozens of heads of state here.

0:04:07 > 0:04:10But you'd be wrong. This room is purely symbolic,

0:04:10 > 0:04:15and she's only sat on that chair the once, at her coronation in 1953.

0:04:24 > 0:04:27In fact, this room is just theatre.

0:04:27 > 0:04:32The canopy has echoes of a medieval lord's Great Hall.

0:04:32 > 0:04:36Dotted around are chairs from previous coronations,

0:04:36 > 0:04:39each one belonging to a different monarch.

0:04:41 > 0:04:43And then framing the whole thing

0:04:43 > 0:04:46is this fabulously ornate arch,

0:04:46 > 0:04:49complete with winged Victories

0:04:49 > 0:04:51holding up swags and medallions.

0:04:51 > 0:04:56It's like something you might find framing a West End stage.

0:05:12 > 0:05:16Today, it's hard to imagine this spot as it was 500 years ago.

0:05:19 > 0:05:23Back then, it was no more than a quiet backwater,

0:05:23 > 0:05:28regularly flooded by a river now long forgotten,

0:05:28 > 0:05:29the Tyburn River.

0:05:31 > 0:05:36Hidden deep beneath the crowded streets, the river still flows.

0:06:03 > 0:06:05This is the River Tyburn.

0:06:05 > 0:06:09It's now channelled through this great Victorian sewer,

0:06:09 > 0:06:12but it still follows its ancient course,

0:06:12 > 0:06:14right beneath Buckingham Palace.

0:06:14 > 0:06:17And it provides a fascinating glimpse into the past,

0:06:17 > 0:06:21because this river made the land above boggy

0:06:21 > 0:06:25and marshy, with pools of smelly, stagnant water.

0:06:26 > 0:06:30Not exactly what you'd call prime royal real estate.

0:06:30 > 0:06:34Until one king decided it might be useful after all.

0:06:37 > 0:06:42Henry VIII, who came to the throne in 1509,

0:06:42 > 0:06:46was a man passionate about the chase - for women and deer.

0:06:49 > 0:06:54For Henry, the swampy land on the banks of the river Tyburn

0:06:54 > 0:06:56was perfect for hunting.

0:07:09 > 0:07:13Henry VIII's love of riding bordered on the obsessional.

0:07:13 > 0:07:17Before he became so grossly fat, he would ride seven days a week,

0:07:17 > 0:07:20wear out eight horses in a day.

0:07:20 > 0:07:22So he decided to turn the land north of Westminster

0:07:22 > 0:07:26into his own private royal hunting ground.

0:07:26 > 0:07:29And what few residents there were, he slung them out,

0:07:29 > 0:07:32and then he built a brick wall to keep them out.

0:07:38 > 0:07:41In 1532, Henry VIII drained the land

0:07:41 > 0:07:44where Buckingham Palace now stands

0:07:44 > 0:07:47and created a well-stocked deer park.

0:07:50 > 0:07:55Henry often rode here, for hunting, courting and conducting business.

0:08:07 > 0:08:11But years later, one king had different ideas for the park.

0:08:15 > 0:08:18James I didn't cut the finest of figures,

0:08:18 > 0:08:23yet he was fond of the finest of clothes, especially the best silk.

0:08:24 > 0:08:27Always short of cash, James realised that silk,

0:08:27 > 0:08:29a great luxury of the day,

0:08:29 > 0:08:34might be an excellent way to make some serious money.

0:08:37 > 0:08:41On the land that is now the gardens of Buckingham Palace,

0:08:41 > 0:08:45James decided to create a homespun English silk industry

0:08:45 > 0:08:49with the help of a particular tree - the mulberry.

0:08:58 > 0:09:02In 1608, James I had dozens of mulberry trees planted here

0:09:02 > 0:09:04and introduced these...

0:09:05 > 0:09:08Silkworms.

0:09:08 > 0:09:10The idea was to harvest the silkworms' thread

0:09:10 > 0:09:14from the cocoon and use it to spin silk.

0:09:16 > 0:09:18Trouble is, he chose the wrong kind of mulberry tree.

0:09:18 > 0:09:20This, the black mulberry.

0:09:20 > 0:09:23The silkworms just weren't interested.

0:09:30 > 0:09:33Much more successful was the menagerie of animals

0:09:33 > 0:09:35James kept here for his entertainment.

0:09:37 > 0:09:38Exotic birds.

0:09:40 > 0:09:42Camels.

0:09:43 > 0:09:47Even an elephant, who was given a daily ration of a gallon of wine.

0:09:55 > 0:09:59It wasn't until a hundred years later, in 1708,

0:09:59 > 0:10:02that a house was built on the exact spot

0:10:02 > 0:10:04where the Palace now stands.

0:10:04 > 0:10:10Today, all that remains of that house is the name of its owner.

0:10:14 > 0:10:16The Duke of Buckingham.

0:10:16 > 0:10:18Soldier, politician,

0:10:18 > 0:10:21intrepid seafarer,

0:10:21 > 0:10:24but also so disliked at court for his arrogance,

0:10:24 > 0:10:27he was nicknamed "Lord Allpride".

0:10:29 > 0:10:32The Duke was blessed with a rich wife.

0:10:32 > 0:10:35So he leased this land from the crown,

0:10:35 > 0:10:39and on it, built a lavish mansion equal to his ambitions.

0:10:39 > 0:10:42Although not a stone of it is visible today.

0:10:45 > 0:10:48The Duke might have known how to make a big impression,

0:10:48 > 0:10:51but he wasn't too good at settling his debts.

0:10:51 > 0:10:56One day, while the house was being built, the architect took them both up on the roof

0:10:56 > 0:10:58and then threatened to throw them both off

0:10:58 > 0:11:01if the Duke didn't pay the wages he owed.

0:11:01 > 0:11:04Needless to say, the Duke paid up.

0:11:08 > 0:11:11By the 1760s, the house was up for sale.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15The young king, George III, snapped it up

0:11:15 > 0:11:19as the perfect wedding present for his new wife,

0:11:19 > 0:11:22Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

0:11:26 > 0:11:30An aristocratic mansion became the home of the British monarchy.

0:11:33 > 0:11:36This is the official coronation portrait of George III,

0:11:36 > 0:11:39painted around the time he moved into Buckingham House.

0:11:39 > 0:11:41And as was the custom,

0:11:41 > 0:11:43he's in full royal regalia.

0:11:43 > 0:11:48Exquisite gold silks and sumptuous ermine robes.

0:11:49 > 0:11:54But look closely at his face. This is a king who also wanted to be seen

0:11:54 > 0:11:57as good-natured and honest and open.

0:11:57 > 0:12:01A very different character from the previous owner,

0:12:01 > 0:12:02the Duke of Buckingham.

0:12:02 > 0:12:06Where he was showy and flamboyant, George III was serious

0:12:06 > 0:12:10and conscientious, even a little bit priggish.

0:12:10 > 0:12:12He presented Buckingham House to Queen Charlotte

0:12:12 > 0:12:17as a quiet family retreat, away from the hurly-burly of court life.

0:12:26 > 0:12:29'George III was a man of very simple pleasures,'

0:12:29 > 0:12:33so he disliked all the very grand ostentation of the court

0:12:33 > 0:12:36and he much preferred a retired life amongst his family.

0:12:36 > 0:12:40And he also favoured clean-living and a healthy lifestyle,

0:12:40 > 0:12:43so he liked very simple foods.

0:12:43 > 0:12:46There was no roast swan on the table at Buckingham House.

0:12:46 > 0:12:51it was simple mutton, clear soup, vegetables, milk, tea

0:12:51 > 0:12:53and very occasionally a glass of cheap claret.

0:12:53 > 0:12:58One 18th century satirist said that a leg of mutton

0:12:58 > 0:13:00and his wife were the chief pleasures of his life.

0:13:04 > 0:13:07Buckingham House was too ornate,

0:13:07 > 0:13:10just too flash for George III's tastes.

0:13:10 > 0:13:15So he decided to remove the elaborate gates,

0:13:15 > 0:13:18the Neptune fountain,

0:13:18 > 0:13:21and even the statues on the roof.

0:13:25 > 0:13:29It ended up more elegant vicarage than royal palace,

0:13:29 > 0:13:33described by one observer as dull, dowdy but decent.

0:13:35 > 0:13:38Yet inside, there was no mistaking the royal presence.

0:13:38 > 0:13:41George III covered the walls with pictures

0:13:41 > 0:13:43from the royal art collection.

0:13:45 > 0:13:48Most impressive was an enormous picture, by Anthony Van Dyck,

0:13:48 > 0:13:50of Charles I.

0:13:52 > 0:13:54A very different sort of king to George.

0:13:55 > 0:13:59When Charles I had it commissioned of himself,

0:13:59 > 0:14:03this was saying, "Here I am, Monarch/God.

0:14:03 > 0:14:05"All powerful."

0:14:05 > 0:14:08In reality, he was small and bandy, wasn't he?

0:14:08 > 0:14:12Yes. Unimpressive, distinctly unimpressive,

0:14:12 > 0:14:15but what you pay an artist for is to make something

0:14:15 > 0:14:18recognisably your image, but a lot better.

0:14:18 > 0:14:21And in this case, the techniques

0:14:21 > 0:14:23are a low viewpoint,

0:14:23 > 0:14:27an action shot, so it looks like as if it's punching a hole in the wall

0:14:27 > 0:14:30and creating this dramatic effect that Charles I,

0:14:30 > 0:14:34looking like an emperor, is thundering into the room

0:14:34 > 0:14:36on a charger.

0:14:36 > 0:14:39Which really, I think, suggests the painting

0:14:39 > 0:14:41more as an act of propaganda drama

0:14:41 > 0:14:45rather than as a nice elegant composition within a frame.

0:14:45 > 0:14:49So if Charles was collecting, in a sense, to self-aggrandise

0:14:49 > 0:14:52and to make a statement about himself, whereas George III

0:14:52 > 0:14:55was collecting because he thought

0:14:55 > 0:14:57that's what a king should do, because he loved art?

0:14:57 > 0:15:01Yes. He would never have commissioned an image of himself

0:15:01 > 0:15:06as flamboyant and theatrical as this.

0:15:06 > 0:15:10I think in selecting this painting to hang at Buckingham House,

0:15:10 > 0:15:13he would have been thinking much more in terms of the reputation

0:15:13 > 0:15:17of Van Dyck as kind of the founding father of English painting

0:15:17 > 0:15:20and as the supreme exponent of elegance.

0:15:23 > 0:15:27George III saw it as part of his royal duty to promote the arts,

0:15:27 > 0:15:31and in 1768 he founded the Royal Academy,

0:15:31 > 0:15:33to encourage the work of British artists.

0:15:42 > 0:15:45He was also fascinated by technology,

0:15:45 > 0:15:48and collected all sorts of scientific instruments.

0:15:51 > 0:15:54This looks like an exquisite miniature Roman temple,

0:15:54 > 0:15:57but it's actually an astronomical clock.

0:15:57 > 0:16:00Made for George III, to be displayed here at Buckingham House.

0:16:01 > 0:16:03George III loved science, and he loved gadgets,

0:16:03 > 0:16:04so this is perfect for him,

0:16:04 > 0:16:07because in its way it's trying to measure

0:16:07 > 0:16:09life, the universe and everything.

0:16:09 > 0:16:13Here, for example, you have got a 24-hour clock,

0:16:13 > 0:16:16and then in the centre, cities around the world,

0:16:16 > 0:16:20so you can see the different times in those cities.

0:16:20 > 0:16:23And then round here, we've got a map of the heavens,

0:16:23 > 0:16:25as seen above London.

0:16:37 > 0:16:42On this side, we've got a tidal dial which shows high and low tides,

0:16:42 > 0:16:46at ports not just around Britain, but around the world.

0:16:48 > 0:16:53And then finally, here we've got the solar system and the planets,

0:16:53 > 0:16:56such as they were known at the time, with the Sun at the centre.

0:17:03 > 0:17:07George was eager to learn about the very latest in science and art

0:17:07 > 0:17:08from all over Europe.

0:17:15 > 0:17:18Yet surprisingly, he hardly travelled at all.

0:17:23 > 0:17:25George III's world was in some ways a very small one.

0:17:25 > 0:17:29He didn't travel very much beyond the courts,

0:17:29 > 0:17:32and so he didn't even leave Britain.

0:17:32 > 0:17:35But he wanted to understand the wider world,

0:17:35 > 0:17:39and that meant collecting information and items from abroad.

0:17:39 > 0:17:43And so he used agents in places like Italy

0:17:43 > 0:17:46to purchase art he could bring back and add to his own collections.

0:17:51 > 0:17:55Not long after he moved in here, the King heard about

0:17:55 > 0:17:59an incomparable hoard of artwork up for sale in Venice.

0:17:59 > 0:18:02After a bit of wheeler-dealing, he paid 20 grand for the lot,

0:18:02 > 0:18:04and had it shipped over to England.

0:18:04 > 0:18:08There were Italian landscapes, domestic scenes,

0:18:08 > 0:18:11but most importantly of all, no less than 50 paintings

0:18:11 > 0:18:14by the celebrated Italian artist Canaletto,

0:18:14 > 0:18:18the biggest collection of his work anywhere in the world.

0:18:18 > 0:18:23This is one of his, a view of the magical city that made him famous.

0:18:52 > 0:18:55In George III's day, this was the place to come

0:18:55 > 0:18:58if you wanted the best of art, and at a good price.

0:19:13 > 0:19:15When George III was still a boy,

0:19:15 > 0:19:19Venice was one of Europe's most romantic destinations,

0:19:19 > 0:19:22home of art and culture.

0:19:22 > 0:19:25It was a key stop on what was known as the Grand Tour,

0:19:25 > 0:19:29when the British aristocracy would travel around the cities of Europe

0:19:29 > 0:19:32to see great architecture and great paintings.

0:19:32 > 0:19:35Though, like some British tourists today,

0:19:35 > 0:19:39they often broadened their horizons in rather less noble ways.

0:19:43 > 0:19:46Venice was renowned for its ladies of easy virtue,

0:19:46 > 0:19:51and many a cultural traveller was distracted by the fleshy delights

0:19:51 > 0:19:53of Venetian parties.

0:19:57 > 0:20:02But by the 1760s, when George III was moving into Buckingham House,

0:20:02 > 0:20:05Venice was in the doldrums.

0:20:06 > 0:20:10Trade and banking were depressed, visitor numbers down.

0:20:11 > 0:20:14The great patrons of Venice were in need of money -

0:20:14 > 0:20:16a perfect time for any British collector

0:20:16 > 0:20:18to pick up some art on the cheap.

0:20:22 > 0:20:26George III's artistic envoys knew where to look.

0:20:27 > 0:20:29The Palazzo Mangilli Valmarana was home

0:20:29 > 0:20:31to the British consul, Joseph Smith.

0:20:34 > 0:20:37He was one of the greatest art collectors,

0:20:37 > 0:20:39the Charles Saatchi of his day.

0:20:58 > 0:21:02When Joseph Smith lived here, these walls were crammed with paintings

0:21:02 > 0:21:06that he'd commissioned from up-and-coming Venetian artists.

0:21:06 > 0:21:09It became the in thing for visiting British aristocrats

0:21:09 > 0:21:12to pull every string and use every family connection

0:21:12 > 0:21:16to try and get an invite here so they could admire the collection

0:21:16 > 0:21:20and then maybe buy a little something to take home.

0:21:29 > 0:21:34But Joseph Smith fell on hard times and needed cash,

0:21:34 > 0:21:36so he sold the lot to George III.

0:21:37 > 0:21:43Along with an impressive hoard of books, antiques and coins were

0:21:43 > 0:21:46paintings by great masters like Vermeer.

0:21:48 > 0:21:50Best of all were the paintings

0:21:50 > 0:21:53by Venice's greatest living artist, Canaletto.

0:22:00 > 0:22:05He captured the magic of the city in brilliant detail.

0:22:07 > 0:22:10All the colourful characters of Venetian life were here.

0:22:16 > 0:22:19More than 50 of Canaletto's paintings would end up

0:22:19 > 0:22:20in the hands of George III,

0:22:20 > 0:22:26still today the largest collection of Canalettos in the world.

0:22:30 > 0:22:34George took his duties as King seriously,

0:22:34 > 0:22:36whether as patron of the arts

0:22:36 > 0:22:39or ensuring a sound education for the royal offspring.

0:22:41 > 0:22:44But his ideas about discipline didn't always go down well

0:22:44 > 0:22:47with his 15 children.

0:22:49 > 0:22:51All of George's children were subject to

0:22:51 > 0:22:54very strict schooling and education.

0:22:54 > 0:22:58The boys were required to study from about seven in the morning

0:22:58 > 0:23:03until eight at night, and without any sort of respite or break, really.

0:23:03 > 0:23:09George instructed the tutors to instil great discipline in them

0:23:09 > 0:23:11and rebuke the first sign of laziness,

0:23:11 > 0:23:15and one of the princesses reported that she'd seen her two brothers

0:23:15 > 0:23:16being held down by their tutors

0:23:16 > 0:23:18so that they could be whipped like a dog.

0:23:18 > 0:23:21But George's attempts to pass on

0:23:21 > 0:23:23his ideas of morality and modest living failed.

0:23:25 > 0:23:30Perhaps it's hardly surprising that the King's eldest son rebelled.

0:23:30 > 0:23:34Whereas George III was frugal to the point of stinginess,

0:23:34 > 0:23:37his son, the future George IV,

0:23:37 > 0:23:41indulged in every excess to exhaustion.

0:23:41 > 0:23:44And as for this portrait, well, it's distinctly flattering,

0:23:44 > 0:23:47because when it was painted, the Prince was actually obese.

0:23:47 > 0:23:49One MP described him as,

0:23:49 > 0:23:55"From head to foot, a flaccidity of muscle and rotundity of outline."

0:24:02 > 0:24:07The Prince of Wales was a man of huge appetites, as is shown by his girth.

0:24:07 > 0:24:10Of course, as George IV tended to do

0:24:10 > 0:24:12in other aspects of life, he overdid it.

0:24:12 > 0:24:14He gave even gluttony a bad name.

0:24:16 > 0:24:21From about the age of 40 onwards, he was beginning to fray at the edges,

0:24:21 > 0:24:22and my God, what edges they were.

0:24:22 > 0:24:25I mean, covering almost everything that he sat upon.

0:24:28 > 0:24:31Once George had escaped the stifling restraints

0:24:31 > 0:24:34of family life in Buckingham House,

0:24:34 > 0:24:39he decided to create a rival palace of pleasure just half a mile away.

0:24:46 > 0:24:50There was nothing anywhere in the country to touch Carlton House

0:24:50 > 0:24:52for luxury and extravagance.

0:24:52 > 0:24:55Many of its most sumptuous furnishings are

0:24:55 > 0:24:57in Buckingham Palace today.

0:25:01 > 0:25:04The name of this street is really all that's left

0:25:04 > 0:25:07of the much-admired Carlton House.

0:25:07 > 0:25:08If it were still here today,

0:25:08 > 0:25:13it would be one of Britain's most exquisite architectural gems.

0:25:20 > 0:25:22We can get a sense of its splendour

0:25:22 > 0:25:24from a set of watercolours painted at the time.

0:25:28 > 0:25:31George never tired of redecorating the interiors

0:25:31 > 0:25:35or buying ever more furniture to fill them.

0:25:37 > 0:25:41His grand receptions and fetes were the talk of London.

0:25:47 > 0:25:51Just to give you an inkling of quite how opulent it was,

0:25:51 > 0:25:54at one supper for 3,000 guests,

0:25:54 > 0:25:58there was a single table the entire length of the building,

0:25:58 > 0:26:01incorporating a stream all the way along it,

0:26:01 > 0:26:03with live goldfish - imagine!

0:26:09 > 0:26:13For years, George had carried out the duties of his ailing father.

0:26:15 > 0:26:20By the time the King died in 1820, George was nearly 60.

0:26:25 > 0:26:29George IV was now the ruler of the rapidly-expanding British Empire,

0:26:29 > 0:26:31and he wanted a palace to reflect that power.

0:26:33 > 0:26:35St James's, he thought, was too dingy.

0:26:35 > 0:26:38Carlton House was clearly much more impressive,

0:26:38 > 0:26:40but it had never been big enough for George.

0:26:40 > 0:26:43And, thanks to his endless alterations,

0:26:43 > 0:26:45it was now structurally unsound.

0:26:46 > 0:26:50So, after all he'd spent on it, with its exquisite interiors,

0:26:50 > 0:26:52he just pulled it down.

0:26:56 > 0:27:01Nearly 30 years of building works were reduced to rubble

0:27:01 > 0:27:03in just a few months -

0:27:03 > 0:27:06an abrupt end to such a celebrated building.

0:27:08 > 0:27:11But George had grander ambitions in mind.

0:27:11 > 0:27:16He would reinvent Buckingham House as a palace that would outshine

0:27:16 > 0:27:18even Carlton House.

0:27:18 > 0:27:23And the man he chose for the job was architect John Nash.

0:27:25 > 0:27:30So began one of the most productive and scandalous building partnerships

0:27:30 > 0:27:32in London's history.

0:27:34 > 0:27:37George IV begged the Government for money

0:27:37 > 0:27:40to reinvent his childhood home.

0:27:40 > 0:27:42He managed to coax ?150,000 out of them

0:27:42 > 0:27:45for what he called repairs and improvements.

0:27:45 > 0:27:48But pretty soon, it was clear that George had no intention

0:27:48 > 0:27:50of sticking to the budget.

0:27:50 > 0:27:52He and his architect John Nash transformed

0:27:52 > 0:27:56what had been a quiet royal retreat into a grand palace.

0:27:58 > 0:28:00Today, that palace is hidden.

0:28:00 > 0:28:02From the front, what you see is a later addition

0:28:02 > 0:28:03in white Portland stone.

0:28:05 > 0:28:07But come behind the facade.

0:28:13 > 0:28:15You'll discover the palace that Nash created,

0:28:15 > 0:28:19in beautiful yellow Bath stone.

0:28:19 > 0:28:23This is the original open front of Nash's palace,

0:28:23 > 0:28:26designed in the classical style with columns and pediments.

0:28:26 > 0:28:28And above it, heroic friezes

0:28:28 > 0:28:33celebrating Britain's victory over Napoleon at land and at sea.

0:28:38 > 0:28:42But perhaps he saved the best for where you'd least expect to find it.

0:28:45 > 0:28:49This is the loveliest view of Buckingham Palace,

0:28:49 > 0:28:52in my humble opinion - from the garden.

0:28:52 > 0:28:56And here you can see Nash's redesigned facade in all its glory.

0:28:58 > 0:28:59The warm yellow stone,

0:28:59 > 0:29:04the perfect regal semicircular bow in the middle,

0:29:04 > 0:29:07and on either side, tasteful classical symmetry.

0:29:16 > 0:29:18Perhaps it's a shame that Nash's best handiwork is

0:29:18 > 0:29:21hidden at the back.

0:29:21 > 0:29:24On the other hand, anyone who wants to see more of Nash's vision

0:29:24 > 0:29:26doesn't have far to look.

0:29:32 > 0:29:34John Nash left his signature all over London.

0:29:35 > 0:29:37From churches

0:29:37 > 0:29:40to theatres

0:29:40 > 0:29:43to sweeping terraces.

0:29:47 > 0:29:49Throughout George IV's reign,

0:29:49 > 0:29:52Nash gradually transformed Buckingham House

0:29:52 > 0:29:55into the now-renamed Buckingham Palace.

0:30:01 > 0:30:04The new State Rooms were designed to receive dignitaries,

0:30:04 > 0:30:08and impress upon them a suitably inspiring image

0:30:08 > 0:30:10of Britain's place in the world.

0:30:18 > 0:30:20In one room after another,

0:30:20 > 0:30:26Nash created a virtuoso display of dazzling interior design.

0:30:41 > 0:30:45Unfortunately for Nash, George IV was a very hands-on client.

0:30:45 > 0:30:48And Nash despaired that, every time they met,

0:30:48 > 0:30:52George insisted on new additions and alterations.

0:30:52 > 0:30:56The vision for the Palace got bigger and bigger,

0:30:56 > 0:30:58and the budget just spiralled out of control.

0:31:09 > 0:31:13The King's constant revisions made Buckingham Palace

0:31:13 > 0:31:16one of the most difficult commissions of Nash's career.

0:31:20 > 0:31:22How did Nash respond to that?

0:31:22 > 0:31:25Did Nash think that George IV was in one sense the client from hell

0:31:25 > 0:31:29because he kept changing all the time, or did Nash just think,

0:31:29 > 0:31:31"Yes, more is better"?

0:31:31 > 0:31:34The sense that one gets, and it is only a sense,

0:31:34 > 0:31:36is that they both were old men,

0:31:36 > 0:31:39they'd not long to live, either of them...

0:31:39 > 0:31:41Nash was 73, wasn't he, at this stage?

0:31:41 > 0:31:43Yes, and the King was in decline,

0:31:43 > 0:31:44and they must have just said,

0:31:44 > 0:31:48"Let's do this, because it's what we want to do."

0:31:48 > 0:31:50And I think Nash thought,

0:31:50 > 0:31:52"Here is the opportunity to create my masterpiece,

0:31:52 > 0:31:56and he didn't really care too much about the small print.

0:31:56 > 0:32:01And it's a fantastically theatrical performance of a room, isn't it?

0:32:01 > 0:32:04It is. He was the great theatre architect.

0:32:05 > 0:32:08How would you describe Nash's style?

0:32:08 > 0:32:09It's a classical style,

0:32:09 > 0:32:13but it doesn't really stick to the rules of classical architecture.

0:32:13 > 0:32:18He was a very eclectic, pick-and-mix sort of classical architect.

0:32:18 > 0:32:21So, the little crowns in this kind of sunburst on the doors,

0:32:21 > 0:32:23does that come from anywhere?

0:32:23 > 0:32:26Well, again, I think it is an invention of Nash,

0:32:26 > 0:32:30and it's a highly suitable sort of festive motif for Buckingham Palace,

0:32:30 > 0:32:32which I don't think occurred anywhere before.

0:32:32 > 0:32:35It's almost like a firework, isn't it,

0:32:35 > 0:32:38with a crown appearing in the sky. Very celebratory.

0:32:45 > 0:32:48One of the most surprising rooms in Buckingham Palace,

0:32:48 > 0:32:53one not open to the public, is known as the Centre Room.

0:32:53 > 0:32:56It's decorated in George's favourite Oriental style.

0:33:07 > 0:33:12Most of the treasures in this room came from the Royal Pavilion in Brighton,

0:33:12 > 0:33:18George's seaside retreat where he entertained his mistresses.

0:33:18 > 0:33:20With the help of his favourite architect John Nash,

0:33:20 > 0:33:24George transformed the Pavilion into an exotic fantasy.

0:33:24 > 0:33:28Britain had never seen anything like it.

0:33:30 > 0:33:35Eventually, the finest of the pieces from Brighton ended up here

0:33:35 > 0:33:36in Buckingham Palace,

0:33:36 > 0:33:39an eccentric reminder of George's lifelong passion.

0:33:42 > 0:33:46George IV's nursery room was decorated with Chinese latticework.

0:33:46 > 0:33:49So it would have been one of the first things he saw

0:33:49 > 0:33:51when he was a baby, and from then on, he was hooked.

0:33:51 > 0:33:56As an adult, he avidly bought up exotic objects from the east

0:33:56 > 0:33:58at a time when no-one else was really interested.

0:33:58 > 0:34:01But people came and saw the King's collection of chinoiserie,

0:34:01 > 0:34:05as it's called, and were suitably impressed and wanted to copy him.

0:34:05 > 0:34:07And so, George singlehandedly sparked

0:34:07 > 0:34:10a new wave of Oriental fashion.

0:34:16 > 0:34:20At that time, the sovereign was

0:34:20 > 0:34:23the apex of the world of fashion and of the aristocracy,

0:34:23 > 0:34:27so that there wasn't this vast difference that you get today

0:34:27 > 0:34:31with the rock stars on the one hand, the influences of Hollywood,

0:34:31 > 0:34:35the highly-commercialised world of clothes fashion, et cetera,

0:34:35 > 0:34:37all of which has sort of broken off

0:34:37 > 0:34:40into different compartments these days.

0:34:40 > 0:34:44But in those days, they were embodied in a single person, George IV,

0:34:44 > 0:34:47and nobody has pulled off that achievement better.

0:34:52 > 0:34:55But for every connoisseur who admired George's taste,

0:34:55 > 0:35:00there were far more people outraged by his extravagance.

0:35:00 > 0:35:05He took no notice, and his spending spree continued unabated.

0:35:11 > 0:35:13Take this cabinet, for example.

0:35:13 > 0:35:15As a statement of wealth,

0:35:15 > 0:35:19it's the 18th-century equivalent of a Ferrari in your drive.

0:35:19 > 0:35:21And these decorations are made from pietra dura.

0:35:21 > 0:35:25In Italian, that means "hard stone". It's one of George's favourites.

0:35:25 > 0:35:27And it's exactly that.

0:35:27 > 0:35:33Brightly-coloured stones carefully crafted into three-dimensional fruit

0:35:33 > 0:35:39so ripe and juicy, you can almost taste them.

0:35:39 > 0:35:42And the story behind it is even more fascinating.

0:35:42 > 0:35:45It once belonged to a famous French opera singer,

0:35:45 > 0:35:47Marie-Josephine Laguerre.

0:35:47 > 0:35:49She must have been a great beauty,

0:35:49 > 0:35:53because she had an unending stream of wealthy lovers,

0:35:53 > 0:35:58and she would ask for, and get, the most fabulous presents.

0:35:58 > 0:36:00She died at the age of 28.

0:36:00 > 0:36:06She had indulged in every excess. She was no doubt exhausted.

0:36:13 > 0:36:15This cabinet is just one of dozens of French pieces

0:36:15 > 0:36:18George IV collected.

0:36:18 > 0:36:20He adored all things French -

0:36:20 > 0:36:24in particular, anything that was made for the court at Versailles.

0:36:37 > 0:36:42This curious-looking vase is one of the rarest and most delicate objects

0:36:42 > 0:36:43George ever collected,

0:36:43 > 0:36:45but it has a very practical purpose,

0:36:45 > 0:36:48to solve a rather indelicate problem.

0:36:49 > 0:36:51It's a potpourri vase,

0:36:51 > 0:36:55in the shape of a boat, with its tall mast

0:36:55 > 0:36:58and fragile rigging here.

0:36:58 > 0:37:01And it was made by the fine French porcelain company Sevres

0:37:01 > 0:37:05in the 1750s, for the mistress of Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour.

0:37:05 > 0:37:09And she probably kept it in her bedroom in the Palace of Versailles,

0:37:09 > 0:37:10and with good reason.

0:37:10 > 0:37:14Because if you were to step back in time to the rooms in Versailles,

0:37:14 > 0:37:18you'd find that they... Well, they stank.

0:37:19 > 0:37:22Sanitation left a lot to be desired, and everyone would walk around

0:37:22 > 0:37:25with a locket filled with perfume around their necks

0:37:25 > 0:37:28to try and mask the stench.

0:37:28 > 0:37:31And this would be filled with sweet-smelling lavender

0:37:31 > 0:37:36and rose petals, to try and make the palace a bit less rank.

0:37:43 > 0:37:45George IV also commissioned art.

0:37:50 > 0:37:55Antonio Canova was the most prolific and famous sculptor of the day,

0:37:55 > 0:37:59especially good at heroic images of power and passion.

0:38:06 > 0:38:11This imposing statue by Canova is supposed to show George's prowess

0:38:11 > 0:38:13in war and in love.

0:38:13 > 0:38:19And here you have Mars, god of war, being tamed, if you like,

0:38:19 > 0:38:22by Venus, the goddess of love.

0:38:22 > 0:38:28And even though it's hard marble, it looks wonderfully soft and fleshy.

0:38:30 > 0:38:37And then just here is this beautiful tender spot, a tiny erotic space,

0:38:37 > 0:38:42carved out between the two curves, male and female.

0:38:46 > 0:38:49When George commissioned this, it was meant to represent

0:38:49 > 0:38:53the pacifying victory of Britain over the warlike Napoleon.

0:38:53 > 0:38:55But you could also read it in another way.

0:38:55 > 0:38:56Because in Greek legend,

0:38:56 > 0:38:59Mars and Venus had a scandalous adulterous affair,

0:38:59 > 0:39:03and that brings its meaning rather closer to home.

0:39:03 > 0:39:05Because by this time, George had had five mistresses

0:39:05 > 0:39:08and a string of illegitimate children.

0:39:16 > 0:39:20The chandeliers that light Nash's rooms were made for George IV

0:39:20 > 0:39:23by the English glassmakers Parker and Perry.

0:39:24 > 0:39:27They're cut from the finest leaded-glass crystal

0:39:27 > 0:39:29to give the maximum sparkle.

0:39:31 > 0:39:32The thing that strikes me

0:39:32 > 0:39:35as you walk from room to room in Buckingham Palace is

0:39:35 > 0:39:39it's just one fabulous chandelier after another.

0:39:39 > 0:39:43And presumably, anyone coming here could be in no doubt that

0:39:43 > 0:39:45someone who had chandeliers like this was

0:39:45 > 0:39:48not only fabulously wealthy, but obviously very important.

0:39:48 > 0:39:51Yes, I mean they are absolutely a status symbol,

0:39:51 > 0:39:53the sort of peak of opulence, really.

0:39:53 > 0:39:56I know it's a bit prosaic, but when I look at them,

0:39:56 > 0:39:59I can't help thinking, the nightmare of cleaning them!

0:39:59 > 0:40:01Well, it's true. They do have to be dusted,

0:40:01 > 0:40:03so we have this cunning device.

0:40:03 > 0:40:06I wondered if you wanted to have a go at lowering the chandelier.

0:40:06 > 0:40:09It's very high-tech, you just have to press the button.

0:40:09 > 0:40:10This isn't going to be

0:40:10 > 0:40:13one of those Only Fools And Horses moments, is it?

0:40:13 > 0:40:16CHANDELIER SQUEAKS

0:40:16 > 0:40:18And you can see it when it moves like that,

0:40:18 > 0:40:21you can get an idea of the shimmering light

0:40:21 > 0:40:24and how it must have looked with candles burning.

0:40:24 > 0:40:28Fantastic little squeaky noise. Oh, it's just stopped.

0:40:28 > 0:40:30And will it...? Oh, there it is again!

0:40:30 > 0:40:34And will it... It won't just keep going?

0:40:34 > 0:40:36No, it stops just before it gets to the floor, don't worry!

0:40:36 > 0:40:38It's very carefully organised!

0:40:38 > 0:40:41And I presume if you were sitting underneath it as a guest,

0:40:41 > 0:40:45occasionally you would get a little splat of hot wax on your shoulder?

0:40:45 > 0:40:50Well, I suspect you might have done. The idea of the candle branches,

0:40:50 > 0:40:53they have these little drip pans and they were designed to catch

0:40:53 > 0:40:55the hot wax, but nevertheless,

0:40:55 > 0:40:58I suspect that some ladies may have got hot wax on their lovely dresses.

0:40:58 > 0:41:01Gosh, look! Amazing to see it at our level.

0:41:01 > 0:41:04I know, really close up, the detail.

0:41:04 > 0:41:06And it gives you a real idea of the size of it,

0:41:06 > 0:41:08rather than being right up above you.

0:41:08 > 0:41:10And just the engineering that's gone into it.

0:41:10 > 0:41:13So you have got this style here, with the two drops

0:41:13 > 0:41:14and then the longer drop.

0:41:14 > 0:41:17And then you've got this sort of balloon-shaped glass. Yes.

0:41:17 > 0:41:19And these are the bigger droplets?

0:41:19 > 0:41:22Exactly, and then all the little saucers and everything has been cut.

0:41:22 > 0:41:24These are little crowns at the top?

0:41:24 > 0:41:29Yes, and I think that these arms are supposed to represent sceptres,

0:41:29 > 0:41:31so it was obviously very specifically royal.

0:41:31 > 0:41:35They make this amazing tinkle, as well. Yes.

0:41:35 > 0:41:37And what came next? Was it gas?

0:41:37 > 0:41:41A lot of the palace was converted to gas, but in fact the chandeliers, I think,

0:41:41 > 0:41:44went straight from candles to electricity.

0:41:44 > 0:41:46The gas light would have given off a lot of heat.

0:41:46 > 0:41:49The candles did too, actually, and Queen Victoria,

0:41:49 > 0:41:52quite often in her diary, she writes about some party that she has given,

0:41:52 > 0:41:54saying, "It's terribly hot,"

0:41:54 > 0:41:56and that was because of the candles burning.

0:41:56 > 0:41:59The manpower involved in maintaining a chandelier like this was huge,

0:41:59 > 0:42:02and we have descriptions of a party George IV gave,

0:42:02 > 0:42:05describing the number of staff,

0:42:05 > 0:42:08and he had 30 people just to keep the candles lit.

0:42:08 > 0:42:11It's not an understatement, is it, this chandelier?

0:42:11 > 0:42:15It's just excess in every way, but in the most beautiful taste.

0:42:15 > 0:42:18Yes. It's very easy to laugh at George IV for gilding everything,

0:42:18 > 0:42:20but when you see something like this

0:42:20 > 0:42:23and you realise everything would have been flickering

0:42:23 > 0:42:25in this amazing candlelight, it gives you an idea of

0:42:25 > 0:42:28what he was trying to achieve in his interiors.

0:42:28 > 0:42:31It just must have been amazing to see.

0:42:38 > 0:42:41Building works on the palace dragged on

0:42:41 > 0:42:43through the final years of George's reign.

0:42:45 > 0:42:49By the time he died in 1830, costs had more than quadrupled.

0:42:53 > 0:42:55As soon as the King was dead,

0:42:55 > 0:42:59his ever-obedient architect John Nash was hauled before the courts

0:42:59 > 0:43:02to explain the stupendous overspend.

0:43:02 > 0:43:04He was eventually acquitted, but Nash,

0:43:04 > 0:43:06who rather hoped for a knighthood,

0:43:06 > 0:43:12found instead that his career had come to, well, a humiliating end.

0:43:18 > 0:43:21Eventually, a reluctant Parliament paid up,

0:43:21 > 0:43:23and building work on the palace was finished,

0:43:23 > 0:43:26complete with a triumphal arch at the front.

0:43:32 > 0:43:37Yet even when the young Queen Victoria moved in in 1837,

0:43:37 > 0:43:41much of the palace was still unfurnished and uncomfortable.

0:43:43 > 0:43:46Victoria was delighted to move into Buckingham Palace.

0:43:46 > 0:43:48She couldn't move in fast enough.

0:43:48 > 0:43:51In fact, she insisted on moving in before it was really ready,

0:43:51 > 0:43:52and when she got there,

0:43:52 > 0:43:55she found that most of the rooms were uncarpeted,

0:43:55 > 0:43:56there was very little furniture,

0:43:56 > 0:43:59but initially she was absolutely thrilled.

0:43:59 > 0:44:01To her, it represented her queendom,

0:44:01 > 0:44:04it represented authority and independence.

0:44:15 > 0:44:18Two years after moving into the Palace,

0:44:18 > 0:44:21Queen Victoria married her German cousin,

0:44:21 > 0:44:24Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg Gotha.

0:44:24 > 0:44:29And his arrival would profoundly influence the look of the Palace

0:44:29 > 0:44:31and the tastes of the new young Queen.

0:44:33 > 0:44:35In this room,

0:44:35 > 0:44:39a youthful Queen Victoria and Prince Albert face each other,

0:44:39 > 0:44:42a memorial to one of history's great royal love stories.

0:44:42 > 0:44:47And they're both depicted in ancient Greek costume.

0:44:47 > 0:44:51But more importantly, Queen Victoria here is not the weaker sex.

0:44:51 > 0:44:55She's the crowned empress, while Albert is a military general.

0:44:56 > 0:44:59And that's an accurate portrayal of their relationship,

0:44:59 > 0:45:02because when it came to affairs of state, she was the one in charge,

0:45:02 > 0:45:06which left poor old Albert here, certainly in the early years,

0:45:06 > 0:45:09rather bored and frustrated.

0:45:11 > 0:45:16What was needed was something to keep Albert busy,

0:45:16 > 0:45:18and sorting out Buckingham Palace was just the thing.

0:45:24 > 0:45:26Prince Albert quickly realised that

0:45:26 > 0:45:28the Palace was in need of urgent reform.

0:45:28 > 0:45:31Despite the extortionate amounts spent on it,

0:45:31 > 0:45:33there were some shocking design flaws.

0:45:33 > 0:45:39There was poor heating, bad lighting and a desperate lack of hygiene.

0:45:39 > 0:45:43The kitchens in the basement were built without windows.

0:45:43 > 0:45:48And then the sewers underground often flooded into the kitchens.

0:45:48 > 0:45:50And as if that wasn't bad enough,

0:45:50 > 0:45:55then a terrible stench would rise throughout the entire Palace.

0:46:02 > 0:46:07Albert's plan for Buckingham Palace included new lighting,

0:46:07 > 0:46:10new heating and new rooms.

0:46:12 > 0:46:16Most impressive of all was a vast new ballroom.

0:46:21 > 0:46:24Victoria and Albert loved dancing,

0:46:24 > 0:46:28and this room was built to host entertainments on an epic scale.

0:46:28 > 0:46:32It was the biggest room in all of Britain.

0:46:32 > 0:46:34The original decor is now hidden

0:46:34 > 0:46:38behind this tasteful but rather more bland white and gold.

0:46:38 > 0:46:41But in Albert and Victoria's time,

0:46:41 > 0:46:43it was all the colours of the rainbow.

0:46:43 > 0:46:46The walls were lined with crimson silks

0:46:46 > 0:46:49and there were frescoed with dancing figures all around the top.

0:46:49 > 0:46:54You have to imagine it not as it is now, but in glorious Technicolor.

0:46:59 > 0:47:04At the time, Albert's decorative scheme was hailed as a triumph,

0:47:04 > 0:47:08and Buckingham Palace was called the headquarters of taste.

0:47:12 > 0:47:15The royal couple's costume balls were legendary,

0:47:15 > 0:47:18and some of Europe's greatest composers performed here.

0:47:22 > 0:47:24ORGAN PLAYS

0:47:37 > 0:47:41Well, that sounded absolutely magnificent.

0:47:41 > 0:47:44So, that was the national anthem set to 3/4 time,

0:47:44 > 0:47:47to the rhythm of a waltz. How did that come about?

0:47:47 > 0:47:49That's a composition by Johann Strauss the Elder,

0:47:49 > 0:47:53and it's a suite, which he called Homage To Queen Victoria.

0:47:53 > 0:47:55And was she a fan? Did she like it?

0:47:55 > 0:47:59Apparently, she did, according to her diary. She thought it was great, yes.

0:47:59 > 0:48:01Now, the organ is here in the Ballroom,

0:48:01 > 0:48:04but presumably when there were balls, it would be orchestras

0:48:04 > 0:48:06that would play for the waltzes and for the dancing?

0:48:06 > 0:48:09Yes, that's right. Queen Victoria maintained the court orchestra,

0:48:09 > 0:48:12which was maintained to play for state occasions,

0:48:12 > 0:48:14for dinners and banquets, investitures,

0:48:14 > 0:48:16but also for dances, yes.

0:48:16 > 0:48:18And she and Albert were very musical, weren't they,

0:48:18 > 0:48:20even by the standards of the time?

0:48:20 > 0:48:24Yes, they were. Queen Victoria, like all well-educated young ladies,

0:48:24 > 0:48:28would've learnt to sing and play, and apparently she did so beautifully.

0:48:31 > 0:48:34One of Victoria's favourite composers, Felix Mendelssohn,

0:48:34 > 0:48:37would sometimes play his compositions for her

0:48:37 > 0:48:39to sing along to.

0:48:41 > 0:48:42HE PLAYS

0:48:42 > 0:48:44Oh, I've missed my place!

0:48:46 > 0:48:47HE PLAYS AGAIN

0:48:47 > 0:48:50# How lovely are the messengers

0:48:50 > 0:48:53# That preach us the gospel of peace

0:48:53 > 0:48:57# How lovely are the messengers

0:48:57 > 0:49:02# That preach us the gospel of peace

0:49:02 > 0:49:04# The gospel of peace

0:49:04 > 0:49:08# How lovely are the messengers

0:49:08 > 0:49:11# That preach us the gospel of peace

0:49:11 > 0:49:15# How lovely are the messengers

0:49:15 > 0:49:17# That preach us the gospel of peace

0:49:17 > 0:49:23# That preach us the gospel of peace. #

0:49:26 > 0:49:27Perfection!

0:49:27 > 0:49:30I wouldn't go that far!

0:49:30 > 0:49:32This is what Victoria and Albert would do! Yes!

0:49:32 > 0:49:35There is a lovely story about Mendelssohn coming to visit

0:49:35 > 0:49:38Queen Victoria and Prince Albert here at Buckingham Palace,

0:49:38 > 0:49:42and Mendelssohn sits down at the organ in the private apartments

0:49:42 > 0:49:44and starts playing that piece,

0:49:44 > 0:49:47and the Queen walks in in her day dress and starts joining in.

0:49:47 > 0:49:51Mendelssohn is extremely impressed at how the Queen knows this song of his

0:49:51 > 0:49:53and knows all the words.

0:49:53 > 0:49:55And then he wrote home to his mother about it,

0:49:55 > 0:49:58and says how delighted he was that the Queen sang so beautifully,

0:49:58 > 0:50:02and then Albert sat down at the organ and started playing

0:50:02 > 0:50:05one of his compositions, and how impressed he was

0:50:05 > 0:50:07with Albert's ability as an organist.

0:50:13 > 0:50:18By the late 1840s, Victoria and Albert had decided to transform

0:50:18 > 0:50:20the front of Buckingham Palace.

0:50:22 > 0:50:26And to make space, they dismantled the marble triumphal arch

0:50:26 > 0:50:30and relegated it to a distant corner of a Royal Park.

0:50:40 > 0:50:44As the cars and tourists swirl around Marble Arch

0:50:44 > 0:50:47in their thousands, I doubt many of them realise that

0:50:47 > 0:50:50this was once the ceremonial entrance to Buckingham Palace,

0:50:50 > 0:50:52through which Queen Victoria would ride

0:50:52 > 0:50:55in her splendid horse-drawn carriages.

0:50:55 > 0:50:57When it was first moved here,

0:50:57 > 0:51:00it was a suitably regal entrance to Hyde Park.

0:51:00 > 0:51:03But now, surrounded by multi-lane roads,

0:51:03 > 0:51:05it's rather forlornly marooned

0:51:05 > 0:51:10amid the fast-food outlets and the traffic.

0:51:16 > 0:51:18In place of the arch,

0:51:18 > 0:51:21Victoria and Albert commissioned architect Edward Blore

0:51:21 > 0:51:25to build a new wing right across the front of the building.

0:51:26 > 0:51:30And at its centre was an important new feature -

0:51:30 > 0:51:34the now-famous balcony.

0:51:36 > 0:51:40The first royal public appearance on it was in 1853,

0:51:40 > 0:51:42when Queen Victoria reviewed the troops

0:51:42 > 0:51:44leaving for the Crimean War...

0:51:46 > 0:51:48..Prince Albert at her side.

0:51:54 > 0:51:56Just eight years later, Albert was dead.

0:51:59 > 0:52:02Devastated, the Queen withdrew from public life.

0:52:03 > 0:52:06She would avoid London and Buckingham Palace

0:52:06 > 0:52:08for decades to come.

0:52:12 > 0:52:17Buckingham Palace became almost the symbol of her dereliction of duty,

0:52:17 > 0:52:18because, of course, she was the Queen

0:52:18 > 0:52:21and she wasn't behaving like a queen.

0:52:21 > 0:52:24And a notice went up on Buckingham Palace saying,

0:52:24 > 0:52:27"These illustrious premises are for sale or let,

0:52:27 > 0:52:29"previous occupant having retired."

0:52:29 > 0:52:33And that's, I think, how people felt about it.

0:52:41 > 0:52:46By the time Queen Victoria died in 1901,

0:52:46 > 0:52:49it felt like time for a change.

0:52:49 > 0:52:51Her son Edward certainly thought so.

0:53:06 > 0:53:11For 40 years, the Palace had been a virtual mausoleum.

0:53:11 > 0:53:15Edward VII openly described it as the Sepulchre.

0:53:15 > 0:53:17Now he swept in with a force described as,

0:53:17 > 0:53:22"Like a Viennese hussar bursting suddenly into an English vicarage".

0:53:26 > 0:53:29Edward VII was determined to modernise Buckingham Palace.

0:53:29 > 0:53:34I mean, for example, what Queen Victoria had never allowed were loos

0:53:34 > 0:53:37anywhere near the public rooms of Buckingham Palace.

0:53:37 > 0:53:40So if you were invited to a levee or an occasion there,

0:53:40 > 0:53:44best not to have anything to drink for the first 24 hours beforehand.

0:53:44 > 0:53:46Whereas Edward VII was a bit more sympathetic,

0:53:46 > 0:53:49and he built, moved, and built some loos so that

0:53:49 > 0:53:53when people came for things, they could actually use the facilities.

0:53:58 > 0:54:02He decided to freshen things up by remodelling many of the rooms

0:54:02 > 0:54:04in bright white and gold,

0:54:04 > 0:54:09by then a standard colour scheme for royal palaces all over Europe.

0:54:09 > 0:54:11The Victorian age was over.

0:54:16 > 0:54:22But Victoria would be commemorated by an enormous marble statue of her,

0:54:22 > 0:54:25seated in imperial splendour at the front of the Palace.

0:54:29 > 0:54:33When her grandson George V unveiled it in 1911,

0:54:33 > 0:54:35it's said he was so pleased,

0:54:35 > 0:54:38he knighted the sculptor, Thomas Brock, on the spot.

0:54:43 > 0:54:45The Queen Victoria Memorial is a tribute

0:54:45 > 0:54:49to the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

0:54:49 > 0:54:52Victoria herself gazes outwards from the Palace

0:54:52 > 0:54:54she made the symbolic heart of the monarchy.

0:54:54 > 0:54:58On the other three side are Truth, holding a mirror,

0:54:58 > 0:55:00Justice, holding a sword,

0:55:00 > 0:55:05and Motherhood, which looks back towards the Palace,

0:55:05 > 0:55:08where Victoria raised her extended family.

0:55:08 > 0:55:11And flying high above it all is the figure which represented

0:55:11 > 0:55:14the true meaning of the Queen's name - Victory.

0:55:20 > 0:55:22It was a celebration of the Victorian age

0:55:22 > 0:55:25as much as it was of Victoria.

0:55:25 > 0:55:28Of a powerful, industrialised nation,

0:55:28 > 0:55:32and an Empire on which the sun never set.

0:55:36 > 0:55:39The palace too was given a final facelift.

0:55:41 > 0:55:45After decades of Victorian smog had taken their toll,

0:55:45 > 0:55:48the front was redesigned

0:55:48 > 0:55:52and faced in the white Portland stone we recognise today.

0:55:55 > 0:55:58It was a symbol of national confidence,

0:55:58 > 0:56:02and yet within months, the country would be at war.

0:56:04 > 0:56:08World War I saw Britain changed forever,

0:56:08 > 0:56:12but it was World War II that devastated London.

0:56:20 > 0:56:25Buckingham Palace suffered nine direct hits by German bombers.

0:56:25 > 0:56:28'Buckingham Palace is bombed and bombed again.

0:56:32 > 0:56:35'The Nazis hit Their Majesties' private chapel.

0:56:35 > 0:56:39'The King and Queen had worshiped here only a few hours earlier.

0:56:39 > 0:56:43'All civilised people give thanks to that Their Majesties have escaped

0:56:43 > 0:56:45'the Nazis' barbarous attack.'

0:56:58 > 0:57:00On the 8th May, 1945,

0:57:00 > 0:57:04Britain at last celebrated victory over Nazi Germany.

0:57:05 > 0:57:10The focus of that moment was the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

0:57:32 > 0:57:33And in the modern age,

0:57:33 > 0:57:36the balcony continues to draw the eyes of the world.

0:57:46 > 0:57:51There are few living, working palaces left in the world today.

0:57:51 > 0:57:53And you could argue that Buckingham Palace,

0:57:53 > 0:57:56with all its additions and alterations,

0:57:56 > 0:58:00is not the most architecturally coherent of buildings.

0:58:00 > 0:58:04It's a bit of a hotchpotch. But it is one of the most loved.

0:58:04 > 0:58:07And it's the building that visitors most want to see

0:58:07 > 0:58:09when they come to Britain.

0:58:15 > 0:58:18Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:58:18 > 0:58:21E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk