4320 http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679 en-us © 2009 Rocky Mountain PBS http://www.rmpbs.org/resources/files/programs/100x100/17679.jpg http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679 100 100 King George V was a shy man who became monarch by accident. He lacked charisma, but with his generous heart and loyal wife, Queen Mary, he eventually won over his people. Prince Edward, his son and heir, was handsome, charming, and a natural communicator who loved modernity (he was everything his father wasn't). Prince Albert (Bertie), George and Mary's second son, was even more shy and modest than his father. He reluctantly became king when Edward neglected his royal duty for the love of a woman, Wallis Simpson. The abdication would nearly bring the House of Windsor to its knees. http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679-101/rss http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679-101/rss Mon, 23 Nov 09 03:00:00 -0700 Edward's abdication was the worst possible news for his younger brother, Bertie, Duke of York. Happily married with two young daughters, he longed for a quiet country life. Now, duty compelled him to be King. On May 12, 1937, he was crowned George VI (taking his father's name for continuity). The remarkable strength of his vivacious wife, Elizabeth (the future Queen Mum), helped him find a new confidence and poise. World War II and the blitz that threatened to destroy London revealed him as a modest but unwavering hero. Also in this episode, we meet the two young princesses. The 10-year-old Elizabeth, on her father's coronation, becomes the new heir to the throne. She marries Prince Philip in 1947 and has two children, Charles and Anne. On June 2, 1953 she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II. The House of Windsor was in safe hands (and still is!) http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679-102/rss http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679-102/rss Tue, 24 Nov 09 03:00:00 -0700 The episode starts with Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation. Margaret, her sister, finally decided to settle down with divorcee Peter Townsend. The public loved the story of a beautiful princess being in love with the dashing war hero. The Queen and the constitution did not. Margaret was given an ultimatum; Townsend or her titles and privileges (she chose the latter). In the 1960s, two more princes joined the Windsor dynasty when Elizabeth gave birth to (the second family), Andrew and Edward. On May 6, 1960, Margaret would marry a commoner, the society photographer, Anthony Armstrong-Jones. Alas, the love story was not to last; the couple would separate in 1976. The episode ends when the Queen's son and heir, Prince Charles, marries Lady Diana Spencer, in a ceremony watched by 750 million people worldwide. The Windsors had become a global property. http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679-103/rss http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679-103/rss Wed, 25 Nov 09 03:00:00 -0700 On November 20th, 1947, Princess Elizabeth, the heir to the throne, married Prince Philip, the handsome sailor she'd loved since their first meeting eight years before (when he'd been a dashing cadet and she a shy 13 year old). Their wedding in a bleak English autumn lit up the grey skies of a London still scarred by the blitz, rationing and fuel shortages and transformed the national mood of weary disappointment. The wedding, when it finally came, was more than just a spectacular royal event. It brought back memories of pomp and splendor unseen in Britain since the coronation of Elizabeth's father, George VI, 10 years earlier. The day a future queen married her prince became an emotional milestone for the nation, marking the end of 'austerity Britain' and the beginning of a better world. The story follows the lives of Elizabeth and Philip, from their first public appearance as a couple in October 1946 (at the wedding of Lady Patricia Mountbatten), through to their own wedding in late November of 1947. This special features exclusive interviews and rare archival footage. http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679-104/rss http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/program/17679-104/rss Thu, 26 Nov 09 03:00:00 -0700