PBS has set the premiere date for Lucy Worsley’s Keys to the Castle, a new docuseries presented by one of our favorite historians.
Multi-hyphenate Lucy Worsley, OBE (historian, program presenter, podcaster, author, and former Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces in the UK), will be back soon on stateside screens with a rare, behind-the-scenes look at four of Europe’s most iconic castles.
In the four-part Lucy Worsley’s Keys to the Castle, Worsley, armed with the keys to the Doge’s Palace in Venice, the Palace of Versailles in France, Britain’s Blenheim Palace, and Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, guides viewers through the architecture, design, art, personal treasures, and artifacts found in spaces the public rarely gets to see. Using the castles to offer a fascinating take on some of history’s most important events and the people who lived them, she leads viewers behind the velvet ropes into hidden rooms, sealed archives, and private spaces, uncovering stories of obsession, heroic escapades, stolen treasure, and the secret life of a notorious queen. From Marie Antoinette to Winston Churchill, the doges of Venice to “Mad” King Ludwig, the residents of these palaces not only shaped these castles but were shaped by them.
Lucy Worsley’s Keys to the Castle premieres in the US on Sunday, December 7, at 8pm ET, on PBS (check your local listings), with streaming available on PBS.org and the PBS app. New episodes will drop weekly through December 27.
Details of each episode are below.
Episode 1 – “Versailles” (December 6)
Lucy Worsley visits the spectacular Palace of Versailles and goes beyond the ostentatious state rooms into the private quarters of its most notorious resident, Marie Antoinette. Only 14 when she married and 18 when she became Queen, her life was ruled by rigid etiquette and constant surveillance. Yet, within the magnificence of Versailles, the young woman carved out private spaces where she could relax with friends and her children. Venturing behind hidden doors into these little-seen refuges, Lucy discovers details that paint an intimate picture of the Queen’s daily life. It’s a dramatic tale of money, sex, power… and snowy white goats.
Episode 2 – “Doge’s Palace” (December 13)
At the Doge’s Palace in Venice, Lucy uncovers the dark secrets hiding in one of the city’s most ornate buildings, the nerve center of one of the world’s most glorious empires. Stretching from northern Italy to the Black Sea, Venice’s empire lasted a thousand years, with the Doge’s Palace as its opulent seat of power. Wowed by a 24-carat gold staircase and magnificent art, Lucy explores one of Europe’s grandest rooms, but darker corners hint at the brutality meted out to enemies of the state. Behind the gilding, Lucy uncovers long-lost messages from the past and has a close shave in a Venetian torture chamber.
Episode 3 – “Blenheim Palace” (December 20)
In the Cotswolds market town of Woodstock, Lucy Worsley visits Blenheim Palace to uncover how a twist of fate, the invention of the corridor, and a stolen head helped wartime leader Winston Churchill fulfill his destiny. Gifted to the first Duke of Marlborough by Queen Anne in 1704, Blenheim was not only the site of the birth of the Duke’s six-times great-grandson, Winston, but it would serve as a roadmap for Winston’s life as a great military leader. In this episode, Lucy explores places ordinary tour guides aren’t allowed, including an abandoned attic, a ballroom hidden inside a bridge, and the highest point of the palace for a rooftop rendezvous with a king.
Episode 4 – “Neuschwanstein Castle” (December 27)
Lastly, Lucy Worsley explores how the fairytale rooms of Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for the iconic Disney castle, reveal the tragic story of the handsome young king who built it. High in the Bavarian Alps, the castle was the fantastical creation of Bavarian King Ludwig II. Imaginative, creative, and secretive, Ludwig was obsessed with romantic art and Wagnerian opera, and his castle became a stage set for his obsessive fantasies. With the castle all to herself, Lucy discovers a golden throne room with no throne, a royal diary full of scandalous secrets, and a hidden stash of priceless art.
__________________
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Ditto for other affiliate links, all at no extra cost to you.
Queens and Kings: A Personal History of the Monarchy by Lucy Worsley
Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life by Lucy Worsley
The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace by Lucy Worsley
Lucy Worsley’s 12 Days of Tudor Christmas
