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The Art of Monarchy

The Art of Monarchy: Episode 1: Behind the Royal Image

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Behind the Royal Image

Episode 1

Episode 1: Behind the Royal Image

BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Art of Monarchy, Behind the Royal Image

Will begins looks at some of the most personal royal images in the Royal Collection.

4 Extra Debut. Will Gompertz explores 1,000 years of art and the British monarchy, beginning with personal royal images in the Royal Collection. From February 2012.

BBC Arts Editor, Will Gompertz, begins an 8-part exploration of almost one thousand years of the British Monarchy as told through the objects of art they collected. In a weekly journey that takes him from the wilds of Balmoral in Scotland to the isolation of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, from the State Rooms in Buckingham Palace to the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, he'll be selecting choice items from the Royal Collection to see what they betray about the art of statecraft and a successful reign. 

In each programme historians, academics and Royal Collection curators shed light on the mystery of kingship and the importance of faith, war, magnificence, progress and the people in the minds of monarchs.

He begins his investigations by looking at some of the most personal royal images in the Collection to see what insights they give us into the lasting power of the monarchy. From the very earliest royal photographs to the revealing portrait of a seductive Victoria, and from the forgotten son of Henry VIII to the manipulated images of George III, Will asks how important understanding their own image has been to the longevity of our Kings and Queens.

Producer: Paul Kobrak.

BBC Radio 4 Extra

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

Will Gompertz examines objects in the Royal Collection that define the British monarchy.

Will Gompertz enters the Royal Collection to examine some of the objects that have adorned, defined and described the story of a thousand years of the British monarchy.

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Episode 1: Behind the Royal Image

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