Presenters Rosemary Shrager and Tim Wonnacott visit Hatfield House in Hertfordshire to reveal the story of Queen Victoria's visit there in 1846. Victoria was 27 years old and had been on the throne for nine years.

Renowned as a great political and social centre, Hatfield also had a very special connection to royalty: it had been the home of Elizabeth I. Tim reveals the story of a tree on the estate that links the two monarchs.

Confirmation of Victoria's visit only reached the host just ten days before she arrived, and using the queen's own diary and other first-hand accounts, Tim reveals the panic behind the scenes when the royal couple decided to drop in at the last minute - including a nearly disastrous clash between the royal carriage and the gates.

Rosemary finds out what the food bill for such a visit would cost as she delves into accounts below stairs, including a 96-stone ox barbecued in the grounds for the estate workers. With chef and food historian Ivan Day, she recreates an amazing multilayered raised game pie, cooked in a mould based on the design of a corset and served to Victoria and Albert on the last night of their stay. Show less