Private Lives of the Monarchs

Yesterday takes a trip back through time to examine the lives of some of the grandest and most notorious figures in British history.

In carefully-arranged poses, the Kings and Queens of history still look down upon us today and are powerful symbols of bygone ages. Their iconic images, captured in famous portraits and paintings, are part of the very fabric of national culture.

But what lay behind the pomp and ceremony, the crowns and the courts?

Each one possessed the same foibles, bad habits and weaknesses as the rest of us. Historian Tracy Borman investigates the hidden histories of our monarchs, examining the very colourful private lives of Charles II, Queen Victoria, Louis IV, George III and the Prince Regent and Henry VIII.