Everything in this film is real history and real present-day fact, checked online on October 21, 2026 (royal household websites, palace and museum sites, encyclopedias and major newspapers), except:
Fictional scenes carry a red “FICTIONAL SCENARIO” badge on screen. Pictures labeled “AI illustration” are computer-made images of an imaginary royal world, not real places or people. All other pictures are real photographs, paintings, engravings or documents from Wikimedia Commons, each labeled (historical photo, modern photo, painting, engraving, map) with its author and license on screen. Maps, timelines, tables and palace layouts were drawn for this film; palace layouts are schematic, not to scale. Where sources disagree, a number is an estimate, or a story is a legend, the narrator says so. Wealth figures from magazines or rich lists are estimates, not confirmed accounts.
Timelines shown in the film (53)
Ch. 1: Versailles: From Lodge to Legend
- 1623 – Louis XIII orders a hunting lodge
- 1631–34 – Lodge enlarged into a château
- 1661 – Louis XIV chooses Versailles
- 1678–84 – Hall of Mirrors built
- 1701 – King's bedchamber moved to the centre
- 1715 – Louis XIV dies in his chamber
- 1919 – Treaty of Versailles signed in the Hall
Ch. 2: Royal Assent in Britain
- 1708 – Last royal veto: Scottish Militia Bill
- 1760–1820 – Commissions outnumber personal attendance
- 1854 – Last assent granted in person
- 1967 – Simpler notification procedure introduced
- 2026 – Isle of Man bill stalls at assent stage
Ch. 2: The spread of absolute primogeniture
- 1980 – Sweden: first to adopt
- 1983 – Netherlands (blog source)
- 1990 – Norway
- 1991 – Belgium (blog source)
- 2009 – Denmark (blog source)
- 2011 – Luxembourg (blog source)
- 2013 – United Kingdom: Succession to the Crown Act
Ch. 2: Luxembourg's change of throne
- 8 Oct 2024 – Guillaume appointed lieutenant-representative
- 24 Dec 2024 – Henri announces abdication
- 3 Oct 2025, 10:00 – Abdication ceremony, Grand Ducal Palace
- 3 Oct 2025, 11:00 – Guillaume V sworn in, Chamber of Deputies
Ch. 3: Luxembourg's Change of Throne
- 1890 – Modern grand ducal monarchy begins
- 2000 – Henri's reign begins
- Oct 2024 – Guillaume named Lieutenant-Représentant
- 3 Oct 2025, 10:00 – Abdication at the Grand Ducal Palace
- 3 Oct 2025, 11:00 – Guillaume V sworn in, Chamber of Deputies
Ch. 3: The Dragon Kingdom of Bhutan
- Before 1907 – 54 Druk Desis rule over 256 years
- 17 Dec 1907 – Ugyen Wangchuck becomes first king
- 1926 – First king's reign ends at his death
- Dec 2006 – Jigme Khesar's reign begins (day disputed)
- 2008 – Constitution and first parliamentary elections
- 6 Nov 2008 – Coronation in the centenary year
Ch. 3: Morocco's Throne Day
- 1933 – First Throne Day held by nationalists
- 1962 – Bay'ah allegiance ceremony made annual
- 30 July 1999 – Mohammed VI formally enthroned
- Since 1999 – Throne Day held every 30 July
Ch. 4: Building the Ladder of Rank
- 1385 – First marquess: Marquess of Dublin
- 1440 – First viscount: Viscount Beaumont
- 1694 – Dukedom of Devonshire created
- 1702 – Dukedom of Marlborough created
Ch. 4: The Order of the Thistle
- 1687 – James VII largely creates the present order
- 1688 – Mob ransacks its Holyrood chapel
- 1906 – Edward VII orders a new chapel
- 1911 – Robert Lorimer's chapel completed
Ch. 5: Building the Royal Palace of Madrid
- 1734 – Old Alcázar burns on Christmas Eve
- 1736 – Juvarra dies after first grand design
- 1738 – Sacchetti begins construction
- 1755 – Completion (another source: 1764)
- 1764 – Tiepolo paints the Throne Room ceiling
Ch. 5: Würzburg Residence
- 1720 – Construction begins to Neumann's plans
- 1744 – Construction completed
- 1752–53 – Tiepolo frescoes the unsupported staircase vault
- 1981 – Named a UNESCO site
Ch. 6: The Peacock Throne
- 1628 – Construction date given by one source
- 1635 – Inaugurated at Agra Fort
- 1739 – Nadir Shah wins at Karnal
- May 1739 – Throne carried out of Delhi
- 1747 – Nadir Shah assassinated; throne vanishes
Ch. 6: Fath-Ali Shah's Thrones
- 1747–1751 – Marble Throne terrace, by one account
- 1805 – Marble Throne commissioned, by another account
- 1826 – Crystal throne sent by Tsar Nicholas I
- 2026 – Reported airstrike damage, unconfirmed
Ch. 6: The Westminster Coronation Chair
- 1296 – Stone of Scone brought to London
- 1300–01 – Oak chair made (Abbey's dating)
- 1308 – Edward II crowned in it
- 1727 – Present gilt lions made
- 1950 – Stone stolen; chair damaged
- 2024 – Stone displayed at Perth Museum
Ch. 6: The Bureau du Roi
- 1760 – Commissioned from Oeben for Louis XV
- 1763 – Oeben dies, desk unfinished
- 1769 – Riesener delivers it to Versailles
Ch. 7: The Black Prince's Ruby: tradition and record
- 1367 – Said given to the Black Prince (tradition)
- 1415 – Agincourt helmet story (legend)
- 1649–1660 – Fate unclear under the Commonwealth
- 1661 – Large 'ruby' bought for 400 pounds
- Last 200 yrs – Hole plugged with real ruby (one source)
Ch. 7: Keepers of the British Crown Jewels
- 1843 – Crown Jeweller post created for Garrard
- 1897 – Mappin and Webb's first royal warrant
- 2007 – Garrard's care of the Jewels ends
- 2017 – Mark Appleby appointed Crown Jeweller
Ch. 7: From the French Blue to the Hope Diamond
- 1668 – Tavernier sells it to Louis XIV
- 1673 – Recut to 67 1/8 carats
- 1749 – Reset in Golden Fleece jewel
- 1792 – Stolen during the Revolution
- 1910 – Bought by Cartier
- 1974 – Weighed at 45.52 carats
Ch. 8: The French royal household
- 1578 – Henri III regulates the king's household
- 1643 – Bontemps family begins as first valets
- 1665 – Alexandre Bontemps becomes senior first valet
- 1766 – Bontemps succession of first valets ends
Ch. 9: Landmarks of the King's Birthday Parade
- 1656 – Grenadier Guards formed in Bruges
- 1986 – Last mounted monarch before 2023
- 2023 – First parade of Charles III, King on horseback
- 2024 – 2nd Battalion Irish Guards troop their Colour
- 2026 – Grenadiers' King's Company troop their Colour
Ch. 9: The Swiss Guard Through Time
- 1506 – 150 guardsmen arrive under Kaspar von Silenen
- 1527 – 147 of 189 guards die on 6 May
- 1910–1921 – Jules Repond serves as commandant
- 1914 – Current uniform designed, no earlier
- Today – Recruits sworn in every 6 May
Ch. 10: The Gold State Coach
- 1760 – Commissioned for George III
- 1762 – First ride, State Opening of Parliament
- 1820 – First of four overhauls
- 1902 – Overhauled
- 1952 – Overhauled
- 1977 – Overhauled
- 2023 – Coronation of Charles III
Ch. 10: Britain's Royal Trains
- 1842 – First royal carriage built
- 1869 – Royal saloon built at Wolverton
- 1901 – Funeral train hauled by Royal Sovereign
- 1902 – Edward VII orders two saloons
- 1970s – Current nine-carriage train built
- 2020 – Thank-you tour during Covid-19
- 2027 – Maintenance contract expires
Ch. 11: Coronations at Westminster Abbey
- 1066 – William the Conqueror crowned
- 1300–01 – Coronation Chair made for Edward I
- 1661 – St Edward's Crown made
- 1831 – Gold State Coach used at every coronation since
- 1911 – First coronation to be photographed
- 2023 – Charles III crowned, fortieth monarch
Ch. 11: State Opening, 13 May 2026
- Morning – Vice-Chamberlain taken hostage
- Morning – Regalia coach to Westminster
- Arrival – Sovereign's Entrance, then Robing Room
- Procession – Royal Gallery to Lords Throne
- Summons – Black Rod knocks three times
- Speech – 37 bills announced
- After – Outlawries Bill first reading
Ch. 12: Chefs of kings and emperors
- 1784 – Carême is born
- 1817 – Carême's Brighton feast for Grand Duke Nicholas
- 1888 – Akiyama, future imperial chef, is born
- 1890 – Escoffier begins at the Savoy, London
- 1903 – Escoffier publishes Le Guide Culinaire
- 1935 – Escoffier dies in Monaco
- 1974 – Akiyama dies
Ch. 13: The Sovereign Grant
- 2024/25 – £86.3m
- 2025/26 – £132.1m (core £72.1m, reservicing £60m)
- 2026/27 – £137.9m, from 2024/25 Crown Estate profit
- 2026 – Five-yearly review begins
Ch. 13: Dresden's Green Vault Treasures
- 1723 – Augustus the Strong creates the Green Vault
- 1733 – Augustus the Strong dies
- 1742 – Augustus III buys 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond
Ch. 14: Piper to the Sovereign
- 1843 – Office of Piper to the Sovereign created
- 1843 – Angus MacKay becomes first piper
- 1995–98 – Gordon Webster: 700+ tunes (one source)
- 2015–19 – Scott Methven serves as piper
- Today – Fifteen minutes at nine each morning
Ch. 15: State visits received by King Charles III (selection)
- Nov 2022 – South Africa
- Jun 2024 – Japan
- Dec 2024 – Qatar
- Jul 2025 – France
- Sep 2025 – United States
- Mar 2026 – Nigeria
- Oct 2026 – Oman
Ch. 15: Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem's holy sites
- 1917 – Custodianship begins (Jordan's account)
- 1949 – Abdullah I fire story (unconfirmed)
- 1988 – Disengagement excludes the holy sites
- 1994 – Peace treaty acknowledges Jordan's role
- 2013 – Amman agreement reaffirms custodianship
Ch. 16: Rise of Augustus
- 44 BCE – Julius Caesar assassinated
- 27 BCE – Senate grants titles Augustus and Princeps
- 14 CE – Augustus's reign ends
Ch. 16: Fall of the Western Empire
- 476 – Odoacer deposes Romulus Augustulus, becomes king
- 480 – Alternative end: death of Julius Nepos
- 1453 – Byzantine Empire in the East ends
Ch. 16: China's Dynasties and Emperors
- c. 2070 BCE – Xia dynasty, semi-legendary
- c. 1600 BCE – Shang dynasty
- c. 1046 BCE – Zhou overthrow the Shang
- 221 BCE – Qin Shi Huang, first emperor
- 1908 – Puyi enthroned, aged two
- 12 Feb 1912 – Imperial office abolished
Ch. 16: The Fall of Great Monarchies
- 6 Oct 1789 – French court leaves Versailles
- June 1791 – Louis XVI arrested at Varennes
- 21 Sep 1792 – French monarchy abolished
- 15 Mar 1917 – Nicholas II abdicates
- 9 Nov 1918 – Kaiser's abdication announced
- 11 Nov 1918 – Karl renounces affairs of state
Ch. 16: Fall of the Habsburgs
- 1918 – Emperor Karl renounces state affairs at Schönbrunn
- 1919 – National Assembly dethrones Habsburgs, banishes Karl
- 1922 – Karl dies in Funchal, Madeira, aged 34
Ch. 17: The Machine de Marly
- 1681 – Construction begins
- 1684 – Machine completed
- 1817 – Original machine stops
- 1858 – New pumping building replaces it
- 1963 – Electrical generator takes over
- 1968 – Building finally gone
Ch. 17: Peterhof: war and rebirth
- 1941 – Evacuation; Samson camouflaged
- Aug 1946 – Grand Cascade relaunched
- 1947 – Replacement Samson installed
- 1950 – Cascade restoration completed
- 1952 – Palace exterior rebuilt
- 1964 – First halls reopen
Ch. 18: Electric Light Reaches the Palaces
- 1878 – Linderhof: Schuckert's dynamo power plant
- 1883 – Buckingham Palace Ballroom electrified
- 1887 – Electricity throughout Buckingham Palace
- c.1900 – Hofburg and Schönbrunn fitted with electric light
Ch. 18: The Monarchy Goes Digital
- 1957 – Christmas broadcast first televised
- 1976 – First royal email (palace claim)
- 1997 – First British Monarchy website
- 2013 – Royal Family Instagram account created
- 2014 – First royal tweet
- 2019 – First royal Instagram post
Ch. 19: The Speech from the Throne
- 1485–1603 – Tudor era: Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper speaks
- July 2024 – King's Speech outlines 39 bills
- 13 May 2026 – King reads speech in House of Lords
- 14 May 2026 – Lords begin five days of debate
Ch. 19: The Sovereign Grant: what comes next
- 2026-27 – Grant set at £137.9m
- 1 Sep 2026 – Sovereign Grant Bill introduced
- 14 Sep 2026 – Remaining Commons stages scheduled
- 2027-28 – Reset to £99.9m; 20.5% reference
- 2031 – Next review planned
Ch. 20: Kronborg through the centuries
- 1574 – Frederick II begins Renaissance rebuilding
- 1585 – Renaissance castle completed
- 1629 – Great fire destroys most of interior
- After 1629 – Christian IV rebuilds the castle
- 1857 – Sound toll ends after 400+ years
- 2000 – UNESCO World Heritage listing
Ch. 20: Vaduz Castle, Liechtenstein
- c. 1322 – Castle first mentioned
- 1499 – Destroyed in the Swabian War
- 1712 – Princes of Liechtenstein take ownership
- 1905–1916 – Restored in 16th-century style
- 1938 – Franz Joseph II settles in Vaduz
Ch. 21: Schönbrunn: Model for Aurelmar's Hill Garden
- 1695 – Gardens first laid out by Jean Trehet
- 1752 – Schönbrunn Zoo founded, world's oldest
- 1775 – Gloriette built on the hilltop
- 1780 – Neptune Fountain (1776 per one source)
Ch. 22: Lyon silk and the royal bedchambers
- 1673 – Brocade of love hangs in king's chamber
- 1680 – Pernon workshop roots (company claim)
- 1806 – First Jacquard machine at the firm (one source)
- 1957 – King's Bedchamber reweave begins (one account)
- 1980 – King's Bedchamber restoration completed
- 2006 – Living Heritage Company label
- 2026 – King's Private Apartment reopens
Ch. 23: The Gobelins Manufactory
- 1662 – Colbert acquires the Gobelins property
- 1665 – Weaving of History of the King begins
- 1679 – History of the King series completed
- 1694 – Works close over royal money troubles
- 1697/1699 – Reopens for tapestry (sources differ)
- 1792 – Owned by the French state
Ch. 23: The Savonnerie Carpet Works
- 1615 – Founded in former soap factory, Quai de Chaillot
- 1668 – Louis orders carpets for Louvre's Grande Galerie
- Count – Met: 92 carpets; Bard: 93; one never made
Ch. 23: Meissen Porcelain
- 1710 – Augustus the Strong founds manufactory, Jan 23
- 1710 – Production begins in Albrechtsburg Castle
- 1718 – Stöltzel's stolen recipe enables Vienna manufactory
- 1722 – Crossed swords mark adopted
- c. 1730 – Giant Baroque sculptures for Japanese Palace
Ch. 23: The Winter Egg's journey
- 1913 – Made for the imperial Easter
- 1920s–30s – Sold off; Wartski buys it for £450
- 1975 – Disappears from view
- 1994 – Over 7.2m Swiss francs, Christie's Geneva
- 2002 – Record $9.6m in New York
- Recent – £22.9m at Christie's London
Ch. 23: Britain's Crown Jewellers
- 1722 – Wickes enters mark at Goldsmiths' Hall
- 1843 – Garrard appointed Crown Jeweller
- 1852 – Garrard re-cuts the Koh-i-Noor
- 1910 – Sceptre refashioned for Cullinan I
- 2007 – Garrard's role ends
- 2017 – Mark Appleby of Mappin & Webb appointed
Ch. 24: Recent changes on Europe's thrones
- 2022 – Charles III accedes in the United Kingdom
- Jan 2024 – King Frederik proclaimed at Christiansborg
- Oct 2024 – Guillaume named Lieutenant-Représentant
- Oct 2025 – Henri abdicates; Guillaume V reigns
- Aug 2026 – Harald V of Norway dies, aged 89
- Sep 2026 – Haakon VIII swears oath before Storting
Ch. 24: Hall of Mirrors, Versailles
- 1684 – Completed to Hardouin-Mansart's designs
- 1689 – Silver furniture reportedly melted for wars
- 1871 – Wilhelm I proclaimed German Emperor
- 1919 – Treaty of Versailles signed