Show of the week: Royal Wives of Windsor

As the buzz settles from May’s Royal Wedding, TV execs are asking themselves how they can preserve an audience that followed Prince Harry, and former Suits star Meghan Markle, from engagement to ceremony. With 8.7 million viewers tuning into the wedding on the BBC alone, there is certainly a crowd to please.

With this in mind, Royal Wives attempts to capture the mood with a documentary that spans generations of the family and how it has evolved.

“This two-parter is different and unique in its angle as it is not about a specific time, or couple, but the progress the Royal Family has made as a result of marriages,” says Ben Packwood, sales manager at All3Media International.

“It is about the rejuvenation and reinvention of the British Monarchy from the perspective of the women that have married in.  From George V ending the tradition of marrying European royalty by wedding Elizabeth Bowes Lyon [the late Queen Mother], through to the acceptance of a commoner [Katherine Middleton] and now even a foreigner.”

Told through archive footage, stills and music from the early 20th Century right through to now, the doc also looks forward and dissects the lessons Markle can learn from history.

“We are given expert insight into what Meghan can expect from life as a royal wife, from bonding with the in-laws, to dealing with ‘fixated individuals’,” says Packwood.

Interviewees include Jeremy Paxman, David Starkey, and Gyles Brandrath.

The Show: Royal Wives of Windsor
Producer: Spun Gold TV
Broadcaster: ITV1
Distributor: All3Media International
Concept: A series looking at the women that have married into the House of Windsor