0:00:18 > 0:00:20'Of all the Queen's palaces,
0:00:20 > 0:00:26'the Scottish palace of Holyroodhouse boasts the most spectacular setting.'
0:00:29 > 0:00:31The extinct volcano of Arthur's Seat
0:00:31 > 0:00:36and the mountainous Salisbury Crags dominate the landscape.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50At one end, the castle glowers down at Edinburgh...
0:00:50 > 0:00:52a brooding fortress.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56And then at the other end of the old thoroughfare sits Holyrood -
0:00:56 > 0:00:57stately and elegant.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22The Palace of Holyroodhouse has stood here for over 500 years.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29'It is a treasure trove of Scotland's most glorious objects...
0:01:29 > 0:01:33'Clues in a story of murder...
0:01:33 > 0:01:37'mystery and a struggle for power.'
0:01:53 > 0:01:59Over time, Holyroodhouse has proved itself to be far more than just a palace.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Its story is the history of Scotland itself...
0:02:03 > 0:02:05it's a biography in stone!
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Scotland's royal palace sits alongside the ancient abbey
0:02:53 > 0:02:56that gave it its name, Holyroodhouse,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59the House of the Holy Cross.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04'The abbey guest house, for centuries a royal retreat,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07'would evolve into a great palace...
0:03:07 > 0:03:10'a building that would unite the fortunes of three kingdoms -
0:03:10 > 0:03:13'France, England and Scotland.'
0:03:17 > 0:03:19And it all began with Mary Stuart,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22better known as Mary Queen of Scots.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26She was a vibrant, clever woman...
0:03:26 > 0:03:27'but a Catholic queen
0:03:27 > 0:03:30'in a land overwhelmed by Protestant revolution.'
0:03:31 > 0:03:35It would shape the course of her tragic life.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44The palace houses a rare and fragile object...
0:03:44 > 0:03:47a miraculous survival through the centuries...
0:03:48 > 0:03:52..an intimate piece of embroidery stitched by Mary herself.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Embroidery was a common pastime then for women of a certain class
0:04:08 > 0:04:10and Mary was particularly skilled at it,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14but she chose her designs carefully and imbued them with meaning.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17So when you look at this, it may seem almost childlike,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21"A catte," but there were times in her life
0:04:21 > 0:04:25when she was like the cat, when she was the monarch, the ruler of Scotland,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and her subjects were the little mice running around.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31By the time she came to stitch this, her fortunes had reversed.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Suddenly she was the mouse,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37under the watchful glare of the cat.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51From the cradle, Mary had a turbulent life.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56Her mother, Mary of Guise, was a foreigner in an alien land,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and her father, King James V of Scotland,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01was dead within a week of her birth.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06A little girl, fatherless, with a foreign mother,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10was extremely vulnerable in 16th-century Scotland,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14which was seething with rival tribes, clans, lords
0:05:14 > 0:05:19all jostling for power - and little Mary was in the way.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21And then there was the danger over the border.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27In England, the bloated tyrant King Henry VIII
0:05:27 > 0:05:29wanted Scotland for himself.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Whatever it took.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Henry the VIII was a brute,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40not only in his foreign relations, but in his internal relations,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43in his marriages and in everything else.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45And if people resisted him,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49his instinct was to beat them about the head until...
0:05:49 > 0:05:50until they gave in.
0:05:50 > 0:05:57He wanted to marry his son to the infant Mary Queen of Scots.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10'One person was determined Henry would not get his hands on Mary or Scotland...
0:06:10 > 0:06:12'Mary's mother.'
0:06:13 > 0:06:17This portrait proclaims her status and her wealth,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19with her coat of arms
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and the fabulous jewel she's wearing round her neck,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25but in reality she was intensely vulnerable.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29She knew that her daughter's hand in marriage was a high prize indeed
0:06:29 > 0:06:34and naturally it was to France that she looked for union, rather than England,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37and that would secure her position and that of her daughter.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41And if that meant sending her daughter away across the Channel
0:06:41 > 0:06:43then Mary of Guise would do it.
0:06:49 > 0:06:55In 1548, at just five years old, Mary was sent to France.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59'Promised in marriage to Francis, the young heir to the French throne,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01'her future seemed assured,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03'but first she had to get there.'
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Travel in the 16th century was a dangerous business,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12not to be undertaken lightly.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13Back in Scotland,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Mary's mother was afraid that storms or hostile English troops
0:07:17 > 0:07:20would stop her five-year-old daughter from ever arriving.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23But Mary herself was blissfully unaware of the dangers,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25regarding it all as a big adventure,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28despite the ship's rudder being smashed in rough seas
0:07:28 > 0:07:32and everyone around her being laid low with seasickness.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57To the people of France, she was a brave and intrepid heroine
0:07:57 > 0:07:59who had fled from the savage English.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06The ancient town of Blois welcomed the little queen.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Blois, with its picturesque setting alongside the banks of the River Loire,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20was a long way from the hills and moorlands of Scotland
0:08:20 > 0:08:24and culturally it couldn't have felt more alien.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Even the architecture was different.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36The royal chateau at Blois
0:08:36 > 0:08:40is still one of the finest palaces in the country.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55It's certainly more elaborate
0:08:55 > 0:08:58than the Scottish castles of Mary's birth.
0:08:58 > 0:09:04French royal chateaux were masterpieces of architectural virtuosity,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06reflections of the elegance of the French court,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10while in Scotland they were more defensive fortresses.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14But then, to be fair, given the cold and rather more drizzly climate,
0:09:14 > 0:09:19it would hardly be very practical to build your staircase on the outside of a Scottish palace
0:09:19 > 0:09:20and with no windows!
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Inside, Mary would have found the chateau lavish.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33With every surface decorated,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37she'd have seen how the symbols and insignia of royalty
0:09:37 > 0:09:39proclaimed a sense of majesty.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Take a look at this rather regal porcupine!
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Bit of an eccentric symbol you might think,
0:09:56 > 0:10:00but his bristles represent the military might of a former king,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and you know, Mary might have wondered what kind of animal
0:10:03 > 0:10:06would represent her when she became Queen of France -
0:10:06 > 0:10:09not a Highland cow, one would hope, but she did have red hair, so...
0:10:09 > 0:10:13maybe a clever fox, or a beautiful bird, perhaps?
0:10:22 > 0:10:28Mary married the heir to the throne, Francis, in April 1558.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31He was 14, she was 15.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Within a year they had been crowned King and Queen of France.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39The celebrations reached as far as Scotland,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42where a great canon was fired from Edinburgh Castle,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46but Mary's thoughts were focused on her future here, in France.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56But after just three years of marriage, Francis fell ill...
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and died.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Mary was heartbroken.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05She wrote a poem pouring out her grief.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10"I feel his beloved touch at work and in repose
0:11:10 > 0:11:12"always close to me."
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Mary had no choice...
0:11:17 > 0:11:19but to go home.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Mary's return was a historic moment.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57At just 18 years old,
0:11:57 > 0:12:02she was determined to impose her rule on this unruly nation.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10By all accounts,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14the citizens of Edinburgh were thrilled to have their queen home -
0:12:14 > 0:12:16they lit bonfires to celebrate
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and cheered her on her way to Holyrood.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20And even though Mary had spent 13 years in France,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24and she was fluent in French, she still retained her Scots
0:12:24 > 0:12:27so she was able to thank them in their own language.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Definitely a strong start!
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Mary had been shaped by foreign tastes and fashions.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55To her, Scotland seemed distinctly backward,
0:12:55 > 0:12:56but Holyrood would have to do.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00The most comfortable option in a harsh Scottish winter.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03She adapted the old living quarters of her mother...
0:13:05 > 0:13:08..and made them her own.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Richly coloured,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20hung with thick tapestries to keep out the cold Scottish drafts,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22these rooms were far more lavish and comfortable
0:13:22 > 0:13:25than in most castles in Scotland.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29And as Mary lay here and looked up at the wood panelled ceiling...
0:13:29 > 0:13:31she must have thought
0:13:31 > 0:13:33this is not where she intended to be.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37After all, she was destined to be the glorious Queen of France,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40but then seeing her parents' initials in the ceiling,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43MR, for Maria Regina,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46and IR, for Jacobus Rex,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50she must have felt she'd come home.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Mary took up the reins of power
0:14:01 > 0:14:05with firm ideas about how she wanted to govern.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12'Scotland had always been rather a scruffy little kingdom.'
0:14:12 > 0:14:14English people, when they came to the courts of Scotland,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17were always amazed at the familiarity
0:14:17 > 0:14:19with which Scots addressed their king.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I mean, they'd walk up to the king and say, "Hey, Jimmy!",
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and strike up a conversation with him.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30'Mary Queen of Scots, however, had been in France,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32'which had the most magnificent monarchy in Europe,'
0:14:32 > 0:14:39so part of her strategy was to make the courts at Holyrood more splendid.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00Life at Holyroodhouse was by no means all work and no play.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Mary relished nothing more than a day out hunting in the palace grounds.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17There wasn't always a plentiful supply of prey
0:15:17 > 0:15:20here at Holyrood Park, but that was no bar to Mary,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24who loved the thrill of the chase as much as her Scottish subjects.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28And so roebuck and stags would be herded up from other estates,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30carried here in a litter
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and then released so that she could hunt them.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34And then when that wasn't enough,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38wild boar were brought over from FRANCE
0:15:38 > 0:15:42and then Mary could hunt them here at her leisure.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53But ultimately there was no escape from her royal destiny.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Mary had to provide an heir and so marry again.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05One man stood out, her cousin,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Henry Stuart Lord Darnley,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12painted here aged 17, alongside his younger brother.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18It would be a disastrous choice.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26As always with these portraits,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28it's about much more than just what he looks like,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30though he's a fine figure of a man.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35The painting is full of symbols about their status and their power
0:16:35 > 0:16:36and their importance as a family.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Just look at the watch around his neck
0:16:39 > 0:16:43and the expensive gloves he's holding in his hand.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45It might seem rather funereal to us these days
0:16:45 > 0:16:48that they're both dressed head to toe in black,
0:16:48 > 0:16:53but back then only the seriously wealthy could afford black clothes
0:16:53 > 0:16:56because black was the most expensive kind of dye.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Darnley was a good looking man.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Mary was smitten.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14'He was quite handsome, he was a vigorous young man,'
0:17:14 > 0:17:15but he was a thug!
0:17:15 > 0:17:17He was an aristocratic thug.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22He liked fighting...he liked sex...
0:17:22 > 0:17:24you know, he caught horrible diseases
0:17:24 > 0:17:26and he was, in all other respects,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30apart from the fact he was a suitable candidate,
0:17:30 > 0:17:31he was a complete catastrophe.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38In July 1565 she married Darnley
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and two months later she was pregnant...
0:17:42 > 0:17:46..but soon her new husband began to show his true character.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56He was always drunk, he was brutal, he ran after other women,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59but the culminating disaster of their relationship
0:17:59 > 0:18:02was when he got it into his head
0:18:02 > 0:18:05that there was something wrong in the relationship
0:18:05 > 0:18:09between Mary Queen of Scots and her Italian secretary David Rizzio.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17This is the best likeness that remains
0:18:17 > 0:18:20of the man who caused all the problems.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22He was undoubtedly a favourite of Mary's -
0:18:22 > 0:18:28she promoted him from being a musician in her private music group to becoming her secretary,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30but it was no more than a friendship,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32though certainly one that Mary valued.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35There were so few continental Europeans here at the palace,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39and Mary must often have felt more French than Scottish,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43but Darnley thought there was more to it.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56On the night of 9th March 1566, here at Holyroodhouse,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Darnley determined to put an end to Rizzio's relations with Mary.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05All was quiet.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10It was a night like any other as Darnley crept up the back stairs.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16He burst into Mary's bedchamber and then into the supper room here,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19where Mary was sitting with Rizzio and some other guests.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Darnley demanded that Mary should hand Rizzio over.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Mary refused,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29and bear in mind she was seven months pregnant at the time,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and Rizzio all the while was clinging to Mary's skirts,
0:19:32 > 0:19:33cowering in terror.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38At this moment, five co-conspirators of Darnley's burst in,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41bodily dragged Rizzio off Mary,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43dragged him into the next room and stabbed him there
0:19:43 > 0:19:47some 50, 60 times, until he was dead.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55And then when it looked like Mary might sound the alarm,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59she was threatened herself with being cut into collops,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02cut into pieces, if she made so much as a sound.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Mary fled the palace
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and shortly after, in the safety of Edinburgh Castle,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19gave birth to a son she named James.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27As for Darnley, Mary claimed to have forgiven him...
0:20:27 > 0:20:29but barely a year later,
0:20:29 > 0:20:34he was found murdered in mysterious circumstances.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Within three months, Mary had married the main suspect.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40It was all too much for the Scottish nobles -
0:20:40 > 0:20:42she was forced to abdicate.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49The future of Scotland lay once more with a small fatherless child.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53James was proclaimed king at just one year old.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02But his father's family, the Darnleys,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05had even bigger ambitions for the young king,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09and no-one more than his scheming grandmother Margaret,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12who would commission an extraordinary object.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28This is one of the most important early jewels in the entire royal collection.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30It's gold...
0:21:30 > 0:21:34with enamels, and rubies, and emeralds
0:21:34 > 0:21:36and it's full of complex symbols,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38which would have been clear at the time,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40but some of which we can no longer decipher.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43And it has lots of little hidden compartments,
0:21:43 > 0:21:44like here...
0:21:46 > 0:21:50..where you can see a skull and cross bones.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52And then inside...
0:21:54 > 0:21:56..more symbols and figures.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Here you can see Time, with his cloven hooves,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01and the mouth of hell here.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11But it's only when you read the inscription round the outside...
0:22:12 > 0:22:15..that you see this is also a symbol of Margaret's ambition
0:22:15 > 0:22:19for her family and for her grandson.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23It reads, "He who hopes still constantly with patience
0:22:23 > 0:22:26"shall obtain victory in their claim."
0:22:26 > 0:22:31In other words, slow and steady wins the race.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33And on the back...
0:22:36 > 0:22:39..that ambition is illustrated by
0:22:39 > 0:22:42what's known as The Pelican In Its Piety, and it's the pelican
0:22:42 > 0:22:44drawing blood from its own breast to feed its young,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47that's Margaret caring for her grandson, for James.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50And here's Darnley prone here,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52he's dead.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54And the sunflower growing out,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57the sunflower being Margaret's grandson James,
0:22:57 > 0:23:03turning towards the sun, representing Elizabeth I.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07And it's the clearest representation of Margaret's fervent desire
0:23:07 > 0:23:09that her grandson James should become king,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12not just of Scotland, but of England too.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Meanwhile, life for Mary had gone from bad to worse.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Defeated and fearful for her life, she fled to England
0:23:34 > 0:23:38and threw herself on the mercy of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Mary Queen of Scots, poor girl,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49believed that Queen Elizabeth was on her side.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52I think Elizabeth was genuinely horrified
0:23:52 > 0:23:57when this problem arrived unexpectedly on her doorstep.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00So she made sure that
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Mary Queen of Scots would be locked up in close confinement
0:24:03 > 0:24:08all the time she stayed in England and really left it at that.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11In a world torn apart by religion,
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Catholic Mary was now prisoner in her Protestant cousin's kingdom.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Elizabeth was the cat and poor Mary the mouse.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Mary just got more and more desperate
0:24:26 > 0:24:31and I think she just wanted some dramatic resolution of this situation
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and a plot against Elizabeth's life
0:24:33 > 0:24:36was her foolish way of pursuing the same.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41The outcome was inevitable.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44The English Queen decided Mary must die.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51'One picture, the most tragic in Holyrood's whole collection,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54'captures her final moments.'
0:24:58 > 0:25:03This is Mary as Catholic icon.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04As martyr.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07She has not one crucifix, but two...
0:25:07 > 0:25:09her prayer book in her hand...
0:25:09 > 0:25:12and then, just to that side there,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15you can see where her Catholicism led her,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18in this gruesome scene of Mary being beheaded
0:25:18 > 0:25:22on the scaffold at Fotheringay, by order of Elizabeth.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25And the executioner is poised there with his axe
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and you can see he's already landed one blow
0:25:27 > 0:25:30because the blood is pouring from Mary's neck.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37And, in fact, in those days...
0:25:37 > 0:25:42unless you were very lucky, or you had a very skilled executioner with a sharp blade,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44it usually took more than one blow to sever your head
0:25:44 > 0:25:48and in Mary's case, as the accounts go from the time,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51the first blow hit her on the back of the head,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54the second blow...virtually decapitated her,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57all but for one sinew...
0:25:57 > 0:26:00and then to cut that the axe was used as a saw.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03A grisly end indeed.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27'But for Mary's son James,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30'the predictions of greater power would come true.'
0:26:32 > 0:26:36James VI of Scotland would become James I of England too.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43In 1603 he travelled south to claim his second crown.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47It was a triumph for the Stuart dynasty.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52But the triumph would be short lived.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The Stuart grip on power would end in civil war
0:26:55 > 0:26:59and the execution of James' son Charles I by the English Parliament.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06The fortunes of the Palace of Holyroodhouse
0:27:06 > 0:27:09would descend to their lowest ebb.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15While the troops of Oliver Cromwell were billeted there in 1651,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18fire broke out and the Palace was badly damaged.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Years of neglect followed,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28as Scotland too was devastated by civil war,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31made worse by the clan loyalties of the Highlanders.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42'Holyrood's renaissance came in 1660,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45'with the restoration of the monarchy.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49'Its saviour was Charles II.'
0:27:56 > 0:28:00If you met Charles at a dinner party,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04you would find him immensely charming.
0:28:04 > 0:28:10I mean, he was clearly one of those people who had that, sort of...
0:28:10 > 0:28:14spot light quality, in that when he talked to you,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17you would think you were the only person in the room.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22He was a person who had that sort of glamour
0:28:22 > 0:28:26that makes him a hugely popular figure at times,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29you know, he would definitely be,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32as it were, a celebrity without trying!
0:28:34 > 0:28:39A fine classical courtyard, as good as any to be seen in France,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42was part of Charles II's new building programme
0:28:42 > 0:28:44to bring the palace up to date.
0:28:44 > 0:28:51'He did, I think, really wish the two nations to be closer
0:28:51 > 0:28:56'and so the building of a very modern, up-to-date palace
0:28:56 > 0:28:59'is a token of that desire.'
0:28:59 > 0:29:04Part of the establishment of the English royal presence,
0:29:04 > 0:29:09as if he's physically there in the Scottish capital.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Nothing like this had ever been seen in Scotland before.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37The primary function of a grand house here
0:29:37 > 0:29:39was as a defensive fortress,
0:29:39 > 0:29:43but now, with this elegant, dignified building,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46the King was declaring he was utterly secure
0:29:46 > 0:29:48of his hold on Scotland.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03'Inside, every view was designed to impress.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07'Starting with the great staircase.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20'This was the cutting edge of both technology and design,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22'standing out from the wall,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25'its great weight barely supported from below...'
0:30:34 > 0:30:36'But the point was not so much to look down...
0:30:36 > 0:30:38'but to look up.'
0:30:51 > 0:30:55The main focus of the staircase, the piece de resistance,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59is the plasterwork, which seems to spring out of the ceiling,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and it was made by English plasterers,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05the best in the business. What they did which was so novel
0:31:05 > 0:31:09was they would create the moulds on the ground, on frames,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11and then build them up, adding horse hair as they went,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15to create this three-dimensional effect.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17They would then fix them to the ceiling
0:31:17 > 0:31:22and embellished them by hand, almost bringing them to life.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25And they weren't just decorative, they were making a point.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30Hovering up there are lifelike and certainly life-size angels,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34holding the Honours of Scotland, the crown jewels if you like.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37The crown, the sceptre...
0:31:37 > 0:31:39and the sword.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45This palace could only belong to a king!
0:31:50 > 0:31:53But, like Mary before him,
0:31:53 > 0:31:57Charles would embrace the latest foreign tastes and fashions.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04'From the moment that Charles comes back,'
0:32:04 > 0:32:10you CAN see that his style is going to be different
0:32:10 > 0:32:13and it's also going to be French.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15One of the little examples
0:32:15 > 0:32:20is the way that he immediately redesigns his bedchamber,
0:32:20 > 0:32:25which was actually a place where you met people rather than you slept.
0:32:28 > 0:32:35It is very important to carry on the style which is across Europe.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38It's the kind of thing which ought to surround a king.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46The painting above the fireplace shows the infant Hercules
0:32:46 > 0:32:50of Greek mythology, half man, half God,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53strangling evil serpents from his cradle.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57It's a rather heavy hint about the heroic nature and godlike qualities
0:32:57 > 0:32:59of the King himself!
0:33:02 > 0:33:03And on the ceiling...
0:33:03 > 0:33:06there's Hercules again, all grown-up,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09entering the home of the gods at Olympus.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15And take a look at the menagerie all around the frame of the painting.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18They're all symbols of the Greek gods.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21So you've got the peacock, which represents the Greek goddess Hera,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23and then there are eagles...
0:33:25 > 0:33:26..owls...
0:33:28 > 0:33:30..and, just peering over the edge,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33a pair of what look like King Charles spaniels,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35the King's preferred breed of dog -
0:33:35 > 0:33:37his own divine symbol?
0:33:45 > 0:33:46Under Charles,
0:33:46 > 0:33:52Holyroodhouse was decorated with the most fashionable French tapestries.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06These ones show scenes from the violent life of the goddess Diana.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11And while the story dates from an ancient era,
0:34:11 > 0:34:16palace guests might have spotted a thinly veiled contemporary warning.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33This tapestry shows the awful vengeance being wrought
0:34:33 > 0:34:35by the gods Apollo and Diana
0:34:35 > 0:34:40on the mere mortal who dared to think herself superior to them.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46Perfect choice of subject for a king now in triumph
0:34:46 > 0:34:50over the men who dared to challenge his family's right to rule
0:34:50 > 0:34:52and beheaded his father.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57The monarchy and all its values had been well and truly restored.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08The tapestries at Holyroodhouse
0:35:08 > 0:35:13make up one of the finest collections in Britain,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17but their delicate condition requires dedicated specialist care.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24- Hello, Margaret.- Hello.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Look at this, so tell me what you're doing here.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Well, I'm conserving this tapestry.
0:35:30 > 0:35:31I'm almost finished,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34- I've been working on this tapestry for over a year.- Over a year?!
0:35:34 > 0:35:36So the end is just round the corner here.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39How long would something like this take to weave?
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Well, if there were three men working on this, a tapestry this size
0:35:42 > 0:35:46- maybe would just take about seven months to weave.- Gosh, right.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51Because I have some small experience of weaving tapestries myself
0:35:51 > 0:35:54I can appreciate the skill involved in these.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59I have to admit when I look at them, and certainly with this one,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01they look like - forgive me -
0:36:01 > 0:36:04but they look like a poor relation to the paintings
0:36:04 > 0:36:08because they're so drab, you know, the colours are so sludgy and muddy.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Well, of course, what's happened is that the colours,
0:36:11 > 0:36:15the vegetable dyes that they used, have all faded over time.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17For instance, this blue area here,
0:36:17 > 0:36:22this originally would have been green, shades of green.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25The iris down here would have been more pinky or violet.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28So, when they were up on the walls, were they...
0:36:28 > 0:36:32sort of, jewel-like colours, rich and vibrant?
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Yes, in fact, I think we would probably be quite surprised
0:36:35 > 0:36:38at how bright they were.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40Perhaps we would think they were maybe a bit vulgar,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44but I suppose when it was candlelight, you know, dark rooms,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46bright colour's just wonderful.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48So it takes a leap of faith,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52- we've got to look at these tapestries in a different way really?- I think you do.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19I think the fact that tapestries are still here for us to enjoy,
0:37:19 > 0:37:21this tapestry is 400 years old
0:37:21 > 0:37:25and, erm, bearing in mind how much it's gone through,
0:37:25 > 0:37:30it's been cleaned, it's been repaired, but it's still here,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32and we're lucky enough to be so close to it
0:37:32 > 0:37:35and even just to walk around Holyroodhouse
0:37:35 > 0:37:38and just to be able to see these tapestries. I mean, 400 years!
0:37:38 > 0:37:41What will they have seen?
0:37:43 > 0:37:47So the next time you look at a tapestry, you must remember all this!
0:37:47 > 0:37:50I'll think of you, Margaret, I promise!
0:38:00 > 0:38:01'Under Charles II,
0:38:01 > 0:38:07'the most impressive celebration of regal history was the Great Gallery.'
0:38:28 > 0:38:32Commissioned all in one go from the Dutch artist Jacob de Wet,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36the portraits are meant to show every Scottish monarch
0:38:36 > 0:38:37from the beginning of time.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Jacob de Wet wasn't the finest of painters,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02so perhaps it's as much by accident as by design
0:39:02 > 0:39:04that all these portraits look so similar,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06but the point he was trying to make is,
0:39:06 > 0:39:11here are the great figures of the Stuart dynasty gathered in one room.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14And if you want to find a family characteristic -
0:39:14 > 0:39:15have a look at the noses!
0:39:32 > 0:39:36But the Stuart hold on power was not at tight as the family had hoped.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41The Dynasty, so often rocked by religious differences,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44lost both the English and Scottish crowns.
0:39:44 > 0:39:50By 1715, a distant German cousin, reliably Protestant,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52sat on the throne.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58Once again, Holyroodhouse looked a long way from the centre of power...
0:40:00 > 0:40:03..but one direct Stuart descendant would return
0:40:03 > 0:40:06to try to re-establish Stuart rule.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08He was known as the Young Pretender,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11but would go down in history as Bonnie Prince Charlie.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23The destiny of both Scotland and England
0:40:23 > 0:40:26would be decided here, in the Highlands.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Everything rested on the ability of one man
0:40:29 > 0:40:32to rouse the nationalist ardour of Scotland.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40In 1745, a small boat landed off the west coast of Scotland,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43not far from here, in the Hebridean islands.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45It carried a 24-year-old man,
0:40:45 > 0:40:50Charles Edward Stuart, who believed his claim was more legitimate
0:40:50 > 0:40:52than the man currently sitting on the throne,
0:40:52 > 0:40:56the unpopular George II, who was German!
0:40:58 > 0:41:03As grandson of the last Stuart king, Charles declared his claim
0:41:03 > 0:41:08and that of his father to the thrones of Scotland and England.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14The fight would start in Scotland,
0:41:14 > 0:41:16where the Stuart name still held sway.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22He planned to rally support among the Highland clans
0:41:22 > 0:41:24and lead an army south,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27but he didn't get the most encouraging reception.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37This is where Charles first set foot on the mainland.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40A local clan chief had warned him he'd find no supporters here,
0:41:40 > 0:41:42he'd best go back to France.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47But Charles was undeterred. he said, "I have come home, sir,
0:41:47 > 0:41:51"and I am persuaded that my faithful Highlanders will stand by me."
0:41:56 > 0:42:00Charles wrote to the local highland chiefs
0:42:00 > 0:42:03urging them to meet him here at Glenfinnan...
0:42:03 > 0:42:05at the head of Loch Shiel.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30'Charlie MacFarlane is descended from a Highlander who volunteered to fight for him.'
0:42:32 > 0:42:36This was where the Prince rendez-voused his army
0:42:36 > 0:42:41and he arrived here, having come up the loch,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44to find nobody arrived yet and...
0:42:44 > 0:42:46after two or three hours he was getting anxious
0:42:46 > 0:42:50and then the sound of the pipes was heard
0:42:50 > 0:42:53and the clan Cameron came over that pass there,
0:42:53 > 0:42:57and more of them came down the glen from Glen Dessary.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59800 or so of them.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02They must have been quite a sight as they came down from the glens?
0:43:02 > 0:43:05- Yes, yes. - And they were all in highland dress?
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Of course, yes, yes, that was the dress they wore for centuries.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Was that the moment he knew he could make a bid for the throne?
0:43:12 > 0:43:19Oh, yes, yes, I think he thought that before then.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21I think, you know, erm...
0:43:21 > 0:43:25He was young and full of hope
0:43:25 > 0:43:27and...
0:43:27 > 0:43:29and headstrong too, you know?
0:43:29 > 0:43:34Also he, you know, was... He had great charm as well.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37And, of course, the people...
0:43:37 > 0:43:41looked on him as they would on a chief done out of his rights,
0:43:41 > 0:43:44he was the rightful heir to the throne
0:43:44 > 0:43:47and that was one good reason for supporting him.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05A month later, in a wily early morning assault,
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Charles's supporters took Edinburgh as the city slept.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Their leader soon triumphantly followed.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30As Bonnie Prince Charlie made his way to Holyroodhouse,
0:44:30 > 0:44:34curious crowds lined the streets of Edinburgh to welcome him
0:44:34 > 0:44:37and he looked every inch a bona fide royal,
0:44:37 > 0:44:41decked out in Highland dress with a tartan cloak.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45And as the trumpets sounded and the heralds proclaimed his father king,
0:44:45 > 0:44:47the people cheered!
0:44:51 > 0:44:57The palace now became Bonnie Prince Charlie's campaign headquarters.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03And this is his call to arms,
0:45:03 > 0:45:06to summon yet more troops to accompany him into battle.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08It was written here, at Holyroodhouse, and it says,
0:45:08 > 0:45:13"All those who are willing to take arms for our service as volunteers
0:45:13 > 0:45:16"are hereby ordered to repair this day at two in the afternoon
0:45:16 > 0:45:20"to the Great Hall," that's in here,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22"of this our Palace of Holyroodhouse,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25"there to have their names enrolled."
0:45:25 > 0:45:27And it's signed...
0:45:27 > 0:45:28Charles.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40As he dreamt of victory, the aspiring prince slept here...
0:45:40 > 0:45:42the best bed in the house!
0:45:44 > 0:45:50When this bed was commissioned in 1682, it cost a king's ransom,
0:45:50 > 0:45:54the equivalent in today's money of £30,000,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56and nine tenths of that was the fabric.
0:45:56 > 0:46:01You see what was once a rich red velvet...
0:46:01 > 0:46:05and then around it the brocade of a silver or metallic thread.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16It's what's known as an angel bed,
0:46:16 > 0:46:18hanging from chains from the ceiling,
0:46:18 > 0:46:20as if suspended from heaven,
0:46:20 > 0:46:24and then it has these magnificent ostrich plumes
0:46:24 > 0:46:28and egret feathers at the corners and again it's a status symbol.
0:46:28 > 0:46:33Only the wealthiest could possibly afford these feathers from exotic climes -
0:46:33 > 0:46:37and just think, when Bonnie Prince Charlie slept in this bed
0:46:37 > 0:46:41he really must have felt like a king in the making.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53After only six weeks, Charles left Holyroodhouse.
0:46:56 > 0:46:57He hoped he'd return in triumph...
0:47:00 > 0:47:03..but he was never to see the palace again.
0:47:03 > 0:47:09Though he came within 130 miles of London, he was forced back north...
0:47:09 > 0:47:16and eventually to a final confrontation with George II's government troops near Inverness...
0:47:16 > 0:47:17at Culloden.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24It was at Culloden, wasn't it, where it all went wrong?
0:47:24 > 0:47:27That was where his headstrong nature came in,
0:47:27 > 0:47:32he took command himself, and he was no general,
0:47:32 > 0:47:33and he got it all wrong,
0:47:33 > 0:47:38they should never ever have fought when and where.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40The time was wrong and the place was wrong.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43And then the behaviour of the government forces,
0:47:43 > 0:47:46- it's left a scar here in Scotland. - Yes, terrible. Yes, yes.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49They weren't sparing the wounded, they were killing,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52killing people left, right and centre.
0:47:53 > 0:47:58Erm... can't begin to tell you of the atrocities, they were terrible.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01My father used to say, during the war...
0:48:01 > 0:48:04terrible things were happening during the war...
0:48:04 > 0:48:06and, you know...
0:48:06 > 0:48:08we, as children, would say,
0:48:08 > 0:48:10you know, we're very fortunate here in the Highlands
0:48:10 > 0:48:13how we're getting so little of the war, and he would say...
0:48:13 > 0:48:16- This is the Second World War? - .."We had our war already," he said.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20- What, Culloden? - Yes, and the aftermath of Culloden.
0:48:28 > 0:48:33At Holyroodhouse, one picture captures the crushing defeat
0:48:33 > 0:48:37of Bonnie Prince Charlie's Highland soldiers.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47Perhaps it's just as well the picture's not so easy to get a good look at.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49It's a piece of propaganda,
0:48:49 > 0:48:52it shows the government troops clearly with the upper hand,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55well dressed, well armed...
0:48:55 > 0:48:57and then the supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie,
0:48:57 > 0:48:59exhausted, starving...
0:48:59 > 0:49:00they look like a rabble
0:49:00 > 0:49:03and certainly they were no match for the government troops.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06Culloden was a blood-soaked massacre.
0:49:06 > 0:49:07When the battle was over,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10the blood lust was running so high among the victors
0:49:10 > 0:49:16they went on to slaughter men, women and children unfortunate enough to be living near by.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29Charles escaped to France...
0:49:29 > 0:49:32but he never got over his failure to take the British crown.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38In Scotland, the authorities cracked down on his rebel supporters.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Highlanders could no longer wear tartan,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47now a crime against the state.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51Almost 60 years passed before they could sport it again.
0:49:56 > 0:50:00And its rehabilitation happened here at Holyroodhouse.
0:50:05 > 0:50:10In 1822, George IV came to Edinburgh.
0:50:10 > 0:50:15It was the first visit to Scotland by a reigning British monarch
0:50:15 > 0:50:16for over 100 years.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18It was designed to signal a new era
0:50:18 > 0:50:21in relations between Scotland and England.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30It was a time for reconciliation.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33It said to the world, "Well, we haven't forgotten our history,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36"we still have a great affection for our history
0:50:36 > 0:50:39"and we don't want our history to be forgotten,
0:50:39 > 0:50:41"nevertheless, our history is behind us
0:50:41 > 0:50:47"and what we are going to do is march into a new era of history
0:50:47 > 0:50:51"where Scotland will be a fully equal and prosperous member of the United Kingdom."
0:50:54 > 0:50:58Naturally, a highlight of the trip was the King's visit to his palace.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04The part that Holyrood played in all this pageantry
0:51:04 > 0:51:10was that it was the visible seat and symbol of the old Scottish monarchy,
0:51:10 > 0:51:11of the old Stuart house.
0:51:11 > 0:51:16So, in a sense it was necessary for this German to come to Holyrood
0:51:16 > 0:51:21saying, "I'm not coming here as a concrete foreigner,
0:51:21 > 0:51:26"I'm coming here as the heir to all this Scottishness."
0:51:30 > 0:51:33To underline his commitment to Scotland,
0:51:33 > 0:51:35the King wore a very special outfit.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44Here's George IV, resplendent in all his tartan glory,
0:51:44 > 0:51:48and he was the first British monarch ever to wear tartan -
0:51:48 > 0:51:51Royal Stuart tartan no less - and what's he trying to say here?
0:51:51 > 0:51:55He's saying, "It's no longer an act of treason to wear tartan,
0:51:55 > 0:51:57"it should be worn with pride,"
0:51:57 > 0:52:01and he is the King of the Scots as well as the English.
0:52:10 > 0:52:15An extravagant costume was not the only expense the King incurred.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24In the interest of looking authentically Scottish,
0:52:24 > 0:52:27he was also fully accessorised!
0:52:30 > 0:52:34This is George IV's dirk, to go with his Highland Dress outfit.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37The dirk hangs from a belt
0:52:37 > 0:52:40and so it would be a very showy piece of equipment,
0:52:40 > 0:52:41hanging to his side.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44It's a fantastically ornate piece, isn't it?
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Can you unsheathe it from its scabbard?
0:52:49 > 0:52:52Give it a good tug! Oh, look at that!
0:52:52 > 0:52:53Wow.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56It is very elaborate, as you see.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58And just look what's on the end here.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Oh, my word, what is that?
0:53:00 > 0:53:02That's a type of emerald.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04What a corker!
0:53:04 > 0:53:05It's colossal!
0:53:05 > 0:53:08It is, but imagine how splendid it would have looked
0:53:08 > 0:53:09hanging from his belt.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13And then the scabbard itself is amazingly ornate as well.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16The scabbard is applied with gold
0:53:16 > 0:53:20and we've got, again, the Scottish coat of arms, more thistles.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Yes, it's festooned with thistles, isn't it?
0:53:23 > 0:53:24Look at that.
0:53:27 > 0:53:28What are these two things in here?
0:53:28 > 0:53:32Well, look, this one here is a little knife...
0:53:32 > 0:53:36beautifully decorated with roses on one side of the blade...
0:53:38 > 0:53:41- ..thistles again on the other side.- Wow.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43England and Scotland.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46And then the next one...
0:53:48 > 0:53:49..is a fork.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53- Little fork!- It would have derived from a clansman's tools, originally,
0:53:53 > 0:53:55when he was hunting.
0:53:55 > 0:53:56So, once you'd got the stag down
0:53:56 > 0:54:00- he could tuck in with his knife and fork!- Absolutely.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Holyroodhouse's fortunes were looking up.
0:54:17 > 0:54:22And in 1838, when Victoria became queen, they rose higher still.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32The Queen was fascinated by the palace
0:54:32 > 0:54:35and relished its place in Scottish history.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41She even insisted that Mary Queen of Scots' apartment should be left untouched.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Victoria's interest in her tragic predecessor
0:54:47 > 0:54:52lies behind one extraordinary item, now kept in Mary's bedchamber.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02This is a fabulously over the top piece of furniture,
0:55:02 > 0:55:06with these hearts, sort of, pulsating here...
0:55:06 > 0:55:08what is it?
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Well, this is a Flemish cabinet
0:55:10 > 0:55:13and, erm... it has a rather interesting history.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15Erm, I wonder if we might have a look down here
0:55:15 > 0:55:19and it says that this was a cabinet that Queen Mary, Mary Queen of Scots,
0:55:19 > 0:55:24brought from Paris and was given to the Regent Lord Marr
0:55:24 > 0:55:27and it then descended in his family to Lord Belhaven
0:55:27 > 0:55:30who, in 1869, presented it to Queen Victoria.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34She must have loved it, belonging to Mary Queen of Scots.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37Absolutely, there was a great vogue, a great cult,
0:55:37 > 0:55:40for anything that had an association with Mary Queen of Scots.
0:55:40 > 0:55:41A romantic, tragic heroine -
0:55:41 > 0:55:45that absolutely was something the Victorians loved, didn't they?
0:55:45 > 0:55:47- Yeah, very much so. - I must admit, looking at it,
0:55:47 > 0:55:51it's SO pristine, it's hard to believe that it really is that old.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53Well, in fact there's a bit of a surprise
0:55:53 > 0:55:57because we know now that it could NOT have belonged to Mary Queen of Scots.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01In fact it was made in the second half of the 17th century,
0:56:01 > 0:56:02almost 60 years after she died.
0:56:02 > 0:56:07Oh, no! So when did people realise when this was actually made?
0:56:07 > 0:56:11Well, in the early 20th century people began to reassess their works of art,
0:56:11 > 0:56:14but it is still the most beautiful cabinet.
0:56:14 > 0:56:15It is in amazing condition
0:56:15 > 0:56:20and what it is, it's tortoise shell here on these raised elements
0:56:20 > 0:56:21and then on an ebony ground,
0:56:21 > 0:56:24- but shall we have a look inside?- Sure.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32And what was it for?
0:56:32 > 0:56:38Wealthy collectors in 17th century Flanders would have purchased these cabinets
0:56:38 > 0:56:41and then stored their various precious items inside
0:56:41 > 0:56:45and I want to just show you, if we open up inside here...
0:56:45 > 0:56:47I'm afraid there's nothing in there today,
0:56:47 > 0:56:49but back in the 17th century
0:56:49 > 0:56:53the collector would have placed his prized statuette in the centre there
0:56:53 > 0:56:56with a mirrored recess to show it off at every angle.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58So it's like a little theatre?
0:56:58 > 0:57:01It is very theatrical, it was a great status symbol.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05It's fantastically nouveau in a way, "Come and look at the thing I've just bought!"
0:57:05 > 0:57:06Well, nothing changes.
0:57:06 > 0:57:11Wow, I've never seen anything like it, I have to say.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27Holyroodhouse is perhaps the least known of all the Queen's palaces
0:57:27 > 0:57:33and yet, sitting at the very heart of English and Scottish politics right through the ages,
0:57:33 > 0:57:35it deserves to be better understood.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45This palace has witnessed some of the most dramatic
0:57:45 > 0:57:49and significant moments in Scotland's history.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52Home to the nation's most tragic queen,
0:57:52 > 0:57:55to the first king to unite Scotland with England,
0:57:55 > 0:57:58to a young pretender who hoped to overturn the old order,
0:57:58 > 0:58:02and now the official residence of our current queen.
0:58:02 > 0:58:06But that's just what we know about the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11I reckon these old walls are still keeping a few secrets.
0:58:30 > 0:58:33Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:33 > 0:58:36E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk