In the year of her 80th birthday, Queen Elizabeth II granted the filmmakers of MONARCHY: THE ROYAL FAMILY AT WORK an exclusive look inside the modern British monarchy. In this intimate series, viewers join Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of Britain's most famous family as they travel abroad, work at the palace and meet people from all walks of life.
Slideshow: Working at Headquarters
Buckingham palace is the nerve center of the British Monarchy. It serves as the Head of State’s official offices, a museum, a residence and a focal point for national celebrations and important State occasions. Such a large operation takes a diverse and dedicated staff. View photos of some of the people and departments who help keep the monarchy running throughout the year.
Quiz: Royal Trivia
Test your knowledge of the British Monarchy.
Quiz: Constitutional Monarchy
Test your knowledge of Great Britain's political system.
The programs follow the queen as she visits the first permanent British settlement in the U.S. and spends time with President Bush at the White House. The cameras roll as she visits the newly democratic Republic of Estonia - where no British monarch has set foot before.
Back in England, the series goes inside Buckingham Palace for exclusive interviews with members of the royal family, preparations for elaborate formal occasions and a behind-the-scenes look at the royal kitchens, royal wine cellar and royal car fleet, and the jobs of footmen, ladies in waiting, the yeomen guard and the crown jeweler.
MONARCHY: THE ROYAL FAMILY AT WORK offers a glimpse behind the velvet curtain to reveal what life is really like as a member of the family firm.
"Inside The Firm" airs Monday, July 9 at 10 p.m. - To handle 4,000 state visits, balls, school dedications, nursing home visits and charity events, the queen depends on her husband, her children, cousins and now a new generation of grandchildren.
In this episode, the queen's children talk frankly about the roles they were born into and the challenges of royal life. Each has a unique royal style: Prince Edward's theater training helps him give a special flourish to the standard plaque unveiling.
Prince Charles advocates for farmers and takes the train to reduce his carbon footprint. Princess Anne, who felt uneasy with her role at first, is now known as the hardest working royal with 595 engagements in a single year.
But who's counting? Tim O'Donovan is. The unofficial royal statistician has kept tabs on every royal activity since 1980. And everyone is on hand for the biggest indoor royal event of the year, when nearly a thousand diplomats from 157 nations attend a sumptuous royal ball.
Previous Episodes:
"The State Visit" Parts One & Two aired Tuesday, June 19 at 8 p.m. & 9 p.m.
"Headquarters" aired Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 8 p.m.
"Head Of State" aired Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 9 p.m.
"The Queen And Us" aired Monday, July 2, 2012 at 10 p.m.
Watch Monarchy, "Inside the Firm" - Preview on PBS. See more from pbs.
Watch Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work - Preview on PBS. See more from pbs.
