These TV series that unveil royalty's secrets

12/08/2021

Thrones and crowns are the stuff dreams are made of and yet, it’s not all about luxury, calm and delight. Here are six TV shows centered around kings, queens, princes and princesses that dive into the secrets and behind-the-scenes of sovereignty.

The Crown

We cannot talk about royalty without mentioning The Crown. Peter Morgan TV series phenomenon follows the lives of Elizabeth II and the Royal Family. From 1947 to 1990, the four first seasons of the show focus on political, social and personal events directly linked to the sovereigness or the ones close to her. A fiction based on true events that allow the audience to learn more about life in Buckingham Palace, and also the duties, sacrifices and other internal conflicts from the Windsor family.

Young Royals

Welcome to Scandinavia with its crowned heads in the TV show Young Royals. The series created by Lisa Ambjörn shows the daily life of Wilhelm, the youngest son of the Swedish queen. After a violent encounter in a bar, Wilhelm is sent to a prestigious boarding school called Hillerska, known for welcoming the country’s golden youth. At Hillerska, the young prince is gonna find a new balance but also meet Simon, a scholarship student with an unprivileged background. An encounter that could totally change his life and will prompt him to ask himself what kinda life he wants to live.

The Great

With its satirical and singular tone, The Great stands out from the rest with its fictionalized version of Catherine II, Russian Empress. Led by Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, the show centers around the sovereigness rise to the throne and the elaboration of a scheme to assassinate her husband, Peter III. dark, funny and quirky, this series created by Tony McNamara tries to give a different and comical perspective on royalty while exposing its darkest secrets.

The Tudors

Before working on the Vikings and their mythology, Michael Hirst was passionate about English history and particularly the one of King Henry VIII. Known for its countless marriages and his tormented life, the sovereign is here played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyer facing other stars from the small and big screen such as Natalie Dormer and Henry Cavill. During four seasons, the audience can therefore discover the secrets from this very tense era, punctuated with schemes and deadlymurdery romances.

Victoria

Led by Jenna Coleman, Daisy Goodwin’s show centers around queen Victoria, her rise to the throne as well as her life as a mother and a wife. Staging her lavish daily life, the show offers a way into the sovereigness intimacy while navigating her political and royal duties as well as her personal life. A way to learn more about Great Britain’s history while enjoying sumptuous costumes and sets from this British show.

Versailles

If books and teachers give us a certain image of Louis XIV and his incredible castle of Versailles, Simon Mirren and David Wolstencroft show delivers a very chic but scandalous version of the French History. The Sun King shines in his elegant clothes, whereas his subjects live lives of debauchery between orgies, gossip and schemes. Bathed in such a life of pleasures and frivolities, the king stirs up hatred outside the castle walls. Many dangers await while caution and ruse can be life-saving.

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