Reinventing the Royals

Written and presented by Steve Hewlett, the series is told principally through the first-hand testimony of those who were there: ex-royal advisors, editors, photographers, journalists, royal correspondents - and an enormously rich archive. This episode examines how, after the tragic death of Princess Diana, Prince Charles hired a new type of royal press advisor in the form of spin doctor Mark Bolland. Then director of the Press Complaints Commission, Bolland got to work rebuilding Prince Charles's public image. His main challenge was to create a degree of public acceptance for the by now non-negotiable Camilla Parker Bowles, but his controversial methods were not popular amongst other royals and courtiers.

This episode looks at how the experience of growing up in the media spotlight has affected Princes William and Harry, and their attitudes to the press and media. Seismic events like the phone-hacking scandal - which started with the royal princes - and the impact of the Leveson Inquiry that followed have tipped the balance of power in their favour. The relationship between the royal family and the BBC is also examined, the so-called 'Queengate' fiasco - where a trailer for a royal documentary was cut as if to show the Queen storming out of a photo session with the American photographer Annie Leibowitz. The programme recounts how, in the aftermath, another still-unseen documentary celebrating the life of Princess Diana was shelved by the corporation. The programme also looks at the question of succession. For Prince Charles it is now not so much his private life as his personal views that are under the microscope, and their potential impact on his upcoming kingship is explored.