The Windsors - A Royal Family

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DVD Reviews of The Windsors - A Royal Family

DVD Review: The Windsors
Summary: 5 Stars

DVD Review: Comprehensive history of the British royals
Summary: 5 Stars

This documentary is a thorough history of the British royal family that is now known as the House of Windsor.

It starts off with video and audio pieces of King George V, mentioning that Queen Victoria was his grandmother (it doesn't go any further than that, genealogy-wise) and the fact that his German ancestry connected him to both the Kaiser of Germany and the tragic Czar Nicholas II of Russia, two relations that would haunt him for most of his reign (it would be his German blood that was the reason the name of the royal house was changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, although even the royals themselves were not sure if Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was their real family name).

The documentary goes into great detail about the relationship between King Edward VIII (later Duke of Windsor) and the "beloved" Wallis Simpson. It delved into everything about the reign of his brother, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II's current reign and the soap operas that were the marriages of Lady Diana Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales, and Sarah Ferguson to Andrew, Duke of York.

On the topic of the IRA assassination of Lord Mountbatten: I give his two daughters credit for being able to talk about it, even though it greatly upset them.

Although this documentary was comprehensive, it was biased. Extended members of the royal family (great-aunts and uncles and cousins) as well as royal advisers and biographers were given the last word on pretty much everything the show covered. For instance, they just about blasted Diana for not being the perfect wife and Sarah Ferguson for being "unsuitable for public life" (as one advisor put it). Even the Queen's sister, the late Princess Margaret, got it between the eyes for her escapades with Group Captain Peter Townsend in the 1950's (that people would yawn at today). It was interesting to hear straight from the horse's mouth what he was going through when that "scandal" happened.

Despite that, this is definitely worth the few hours to watch. You'll come away with a truckload of knowledge on the Windsors.

DVD Review: A Classic of Royal History
Summary: 5 Stars

The second episode focusses first on the life of Edward VIII, who came close to destroying the Windosrs and the monarchy through his passion for the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. After his abdication, the Windsors were saved by his hitherto unappealing younger brother King George VI, who with his consort the late Queen Mother revived the monarchy's respectibility and led the nation triumphantly thorugh World War II.

Episode 3 is primarily about the early reign of Queen Elizabeth II, when the monarchy was challenged by forces which "let too much daylight in upon the magic". This episode leaves the viewer with a deep admiration for The Queen, whose strong sense of duty has kept her soldiering on in the face of what must be enormous personal sorrows.

Episode 4 was extensively revised in 2002 to include the death of Princess Diana and the rise of her son Prince William as a royal superstar. It is the least well done of the series, primarily because so much of its story is too recent for true historical analysis.

Every episode of The Windsors contains fascinating video footage and interivews with many historians, reporters, and a few royals themselves. It is an invaluable chronicle for any royal aficionado.

General DVDs

• Genres > Documentary
• WGBH Boston