The Windsors

The Royal Wedding is over (cue wailing peasants) and some of us have been left a little restless and in need a royal fix. Might I suggest the in depth wonders of two excellent documentaries, Windsor Castle: A Royal Year (just got in the mail today from Amazon)and Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work.  In celebration of the royal wedding I rewatched Monarchy for the third time and took in the slew of specials on BBC America. 

But if you are looking for a true look behind the fortress of the family firm, I suggest renting (both are available on Netflix) or buying the two documentaries mentioned. Windsor Castle boasts extensive interviews with the Duke of Edinburgh (ie Prince Phillip, ie the Queen’s husband) and a thorough look at castle living from a vast amount of Her Majesty’s employees, a group of remarkable and intriguing people in their own right. Monarchy also features interviews with Queen Elizabeth’s children, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal (ie Princess Anne), Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. You’d be surprised at how humorous they all are, really.

I also caught an excellent special recently on the National Geographic Channel, of all stations, called Royal Wedding Revealed, which covers all the royal weddings to take place within the past century. It was well done - no fluff, as many of these specials tend to have.  I also enjoyed the special on BBC America, Memories of a Queen, which was an insightful look in the Queen Elizabeth II reign and what a long one it has been. Some speculate that she will outlive Charles, given her mother lived to be over 100, it is possible she may. She’ll be celebrating her Diamond Jubilee next summer, which means she’s had a sixty year run on the throne.  

I know we're all endlessly intrigued by the new generation of royals and the future of the monarchy truly rests upon their very well known shoulders, but the history of the family itself is fascinating and in my opinion, if people could be wonders of the world, then the Windsor family would be one of them.