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The Best Episodes of Secrets of the Royal Palaces

Every episode of Secrets of the Royal Palaces ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Secrets of the Royal Palaces!

Behind-the-scenes tales of the British monarchy's residences, with contributions by royal commentators and ex-staff members, who give the lowdown on the stories that have shaped...
Genre:Documentary
Network:Channel 5

Best Episodes Summary

"Palace of St James" is the best rated episode of "Secrets of the Royal Palaces". It scored 8/10 based on 5 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 2/20/2021. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Holyrood House".

  • Palace of St James
    8.0/105 votes
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    #1 - Palace of St James

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 2/20/2021

    Hidden in Central London, the Palace of St James is the real seat of royal power. Originally built for Anne Boleyn, by the time it was finished her marriage with Henry VIII was over.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Holyrood House
    7.8/106 votes
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    #2 - Holyrood House

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 2/13/2021

    Holyrood House in Edinburgh has a bloody history - Mary Queen of Scots saw her secretary murdered in front of her there, and it is also where her second husband was murdered.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Brighton Royal Pavilion
    7.8/106 votes
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    #3 - Brighton Royal Pavilion

    Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 2/5/2022

    Brighton's Royal Pavilion was built by Prince Regent, George IV in 1787. He took a small beach house and turned it into a flamboyant multi-domino-Saracenic wonder palace.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Whitehall
    7.8/106 votes
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    #4 - Whitehall

    Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 2/19/2022

    London's lost royal palace Whitehall is destroyed, but if you know where to look, it is still possible to find the remnants of what was once the largest palace in Europe.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Sandringham House
    7.6/108 votes
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    #5 - Sandringham House

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 1/23/2021

    Sandringham in Norfolk was purchased in 1861 for the rakish Prince Edward, to curb his ways, but it proved to be the perfect palace for a party.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Windsor Castle
    7.4/108 votes
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    #6 - Windsor Castle

    Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 1/8/2022

    Kate Williams explores some of the more gruesome stories of Windsor Castle history, including the death of Princess Charlotte in 1817.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Versailles
    7.4/107 votes
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    #7 - Versailles

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 1/22/2022

    Versailles is one of the most enormous and impressive palaces in the world. Louise XIV built it in 1634 as a way of controlling the French aristocracy.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Balmoral Castle
    7.3/107 votes
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    #8 - Balmoral Castle

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 1/9/2021

    Historian Jonathan Foyle casts his eye over Balmoral.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Kensington Palace
    7.3/107 votes
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    #9 - Kensington Palace

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 2/6/2021

    Kensington Palace has been home to many Royals since the 17th Century. Christopher Wren expanded Nottingham House into a palace, which some describe as a bit of a 'botched job'.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Hampton Court
    7.3/107 votes
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    #10 - Hampton Court

    Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 1/15/2022

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Buckingham Palace
    7.3/106 votes
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    #11 - Buckingham Palace

    Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 2/26/2022

    Buckingham Palace is known throughout the world as the headquarters of the royal family, and is one of our most recognisable palaces.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Windsor Castle
    7.2/108 votes
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    #12 - Windsor Castle

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 1/16/2021

    Some dramatic events have taken place at Windsor Castle, which was built more than 900 years, guided by Edward III and his obsession with tales of Camelot. There is a look at one of the most popular exhibits at Windsor - Queen Mary's Dolls' House - and Kate Williams revisits some of the castle's darker times, including the year when bubonic plague caused Queen Elizabeth to isolate at Windsor, and the death of Prince Albert in 1861.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Buckingham Palace
    7.1/1012 votes
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    #13 - Buckingham Palace

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/2/2021

    An unveiling of some of the many secrets held by Buckingham Palace, including its former rat problem, and the part it played in Charles and Diana's courtship.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Highgrove
    7.1/108 votes
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    #14 - Highgrove

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 1/30/2021

    Highgrove House in Gloucester is the smallest royal residence currently in use, with nine bedrooms. It is Prince Charles's own creation and features a garden described as an 'organic oasis'.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Sandringham
    7.0/107 votes
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    #15 - Sandringham

    Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 1/29/2022

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Kensington Palace
    6.6/105 votes
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    #16 - Kensington Palace

    Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 2/12/2022

    Kensington Palace had always been a party palace but a gap in succession made way for foreign import George 1st of Hanover and his refurbishments.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Buckingham Palace
    NaN/100 votes
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    #17 - Buckingham Palace

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 1/7/2023

    More behind-the-scenes tales of the British monarchy’s residences, looking at Queen Elizabeth II added the Royal Gallery to Buckingham Palace after swathes of it were damaged by bombs during the Second World War. Kate Williams explores the make-up used in the Elizabethan court, including arsenic, beetles and the urine of a small boys, and also reveals how George III was imprisoned and tortured in Kew Gardens to hide his mental decline and how Holyrood Palace became the nerve centre of the Jacobite Rebellion.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Westminster
    NaN/100 votes
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    #18 - Westminster

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 1/14/2023

    Behind-the-scenes tales from the Palaces of Westminster, with the State Opening of Parliament the event where royalty and democracy come together. The Prince’s Chamber was specially built for Queen Elizabeth II to rest before entering the Lords and taking her seat on the palace’s royal throne, while a secret tunnel hidden behind the ancient walls is explored. Other stories featured include a hologram portrait of Elizabeth II and how Charles II dabbled in cannibalism.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Windsor Castle
    NaN/100 votes
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    #19 - Windsor Castle

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 1/21/2023

    Windsor Castle is the largest permanently lived in castle in the world, and it’s still packed with secrets. There is the Welsh Cottage, a 2 fifths life size Dolls house that the young Elizabeth 2nd played in as a child. It had been gifted to her by the people of Wales but she almost never got to play in it, as caught fire on the way to Windsor. We examine the stunning Waterloo Chamber, built from contained courtyard and turned into one of the most stunning rooms in the Palace, dedicated to Britain’s greatest military victory.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Greenwich Palace
    NaN/100 votes
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    #20 - Greenwich Palace

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 1/28/2023

    Exploring Greenwich, the great lost palace, and a look at the Gold State Coach.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Hampton Court
    NaN/100 votes
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    #21 - Hampton Court

    Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 2/4/2023

    The history of Hampton Court’s Great Hall, a huge dining area built by more than 400 stonemasons, bricklayers, carpenters, joiners and labourers that was also used by Henry VIII to keep an eye on his household. Plus, a look at the 2002 Golden Jubilee Party, which was held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and is considered to have changed the public’s perception of monarchy.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • St James's Palace
    NaN/100 votes
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    #22 - St James's Palace

    Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 2/11/2023

    Exploring St James’s, the palace at the heart of the monarchy built by Henry VIII.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Osborne House
    NaN/100 votes
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    #23 - Osborne House

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 2/18/2023

    Behind-the-scenes tales of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, which was bought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 and was turned into their perfect renaissance hideaway. Kate Williams goes on a culinary adventure and tries traditional Tudor cuisine, including snails and pigs’ feet, while the horrors of the palaces’ bedding ceremony is revealed, where a royal bride is observed on her wedding night to make sure the marriage is consummated.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Kensington Palace
    NaN/100 votes
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    #24 - Kensington Palace

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 2/25/2023

    Behind-the-scenes tales of Kensington Palace, which started out as Nottingham House until it was bought in 1698 by William III and transformed into a royal residence after a major renovation. Kate Williams explores some of the more gruesome pieces of palace history, including the grim death of Henry Stuart, the murder of Amy Robsart to clear a path for the queen, and the amazing story of Eleanor Cobham, the `Royal Witch”.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Love and Marriage
    NaN/100 votes
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    #25 - Love and Marriage

    Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 11/4/2023

    Uncovering the secret stories of love and marriage from within palaces walls, beginning with the strange mystery of Squidgygate and Princess Diana's intimate Sandringham phone conversations with her 'friend', James Gilbey.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A