So, what’s the real story? Royal historian Lucy Worsley knows that often, royal history isn’t what it seems, and is on a mission to uncover the truth in “Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths & Secrets.” Beginning Sunday, August 29, follow along as Lucy investigates three pivotal historic periods to determine what really happened.
On Sunday, August 29, Lucy will investigate the inside story of the English Reformation. Was Henry VIII’s desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn the real reason for England’s split from Catholic Europe? Or was a secret political agenda at work? Lucy discovers that Anne Boleyn was not the scheming seductress portrayed in films and TV, but a well-educated young woman who introduced Henry to revolutionary new ideas about monarchy and a king’s relationship with God.
On Sunday, September 5, Lucy will examine the Regency Era. Often regarded as genteel and well-ordered, full of beautiful buildings and Jane Austen romance, the Regency Era was actually an age of revolution. Lucy examines the so-called “madness” of King George III and how it threatened the British throne. Contrary to popular myth, the King’s illness generated sympathy among the British public, but it forced him to hand over power to his extravagant and unpopular son, who would eventually be crowned George IV.
On Sunday, September 12, Lucy takes an in-depth look at the Russian Revolution. Contrary to the oft-told story of the Russian Revolution – that Lenin and the Bolsheviks swept the Czar from power in October 1917 and Communism was born – Lucy reveals that a group of women workers actually started the revolution in February 1917. The Czar, forced to abdicate long before the Bolsheviks took control, was betrayed by his cousin, King George V, who opposed the British government’s offer of asylum. That offer, Lucy reveals, would have saved the lives of the Czar and his family, a deadly secret that was kept for decades.
Lucy Worsley is the Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces in the U.K. Additionally, she hosts “A Very British Romance With Lucy Worsley,” “Tales From the Royal Bedchamber,” “Victoria & Albert: The Wedding,” and other PBS specials. She has written biographies of Queen Victoria, Jane Austen, and numerous other historical pieces.
Tune in to “Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths & Secrets” on Sundays August 29 – September 12 at 7 p.m. on Panhandle PBS.
