Go behind the palace gates with this collection of fascinating royal docos

It's a Royals Week of programming that reflects and explores our fascination with British royalty.

Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing an outfit in the colours of Canada during a state visit to Edmonton, Alberta in 1983. Source: Getty

Diana: In Her Own Words

'Diana: In Her Own Words' Source: SBS

Produced by acclaimed Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Tom Jennings, Diana: In Her Own Words revisits the major moments in Princess Diana’s life through rarely-heard recordings from 1991, presenting one side of a very complicated story – her side.

In vivid detail, Princess Diana candidly takes viewers from her unhappy childhood to her awkward introduction to Charles, Prince of Wales when she was just 16 years old, a young girl suddenly thrust upon the world’s stage. She unflinchingly recounts her emotional wedding day and experiences with post-partum depression, bulimia and anxiety on her way to emerging as a global humanitarian – the iconic, beloved, People’s Princess.

Airs Saturday, 2 September at 8.30pm on SBS

Diana and the Paparazzi

Flowers are laid at the gates of Buckingham Palace after her death in 1997. Source: Getty

Many believe Diana’s demise was at least partly brought about by the relentless machinations of tabloid journalism, but this startling documentary reveals she was far more implicit in their world than is commonly reported. Featuring interviews with Diana’s personal bodyguard and press spokesman, as well as various media personalities who called her a friend, we learn she was hyper-conscious of her branding as "The People’s Princess" and conducted an ongoing, mutually beneficial relationship with paps.

Airs Sunday 27 August at 7:30pm on SBS.

The Royals Who Rescued the Monarchy

King George V and Queen Mary, the revolutionary couple. Source: SBS

Royals Week would be nothing without a bit of modern history, and here we’re exposed to the rich reigns of the original royal power couple: King George V and Queen Mary. While the pair were the result of an arranged marriage, their union proved revolutionary – the former bucking his inherent conservatism and making contentious changes to the status quo in order to move with the post-WWI climate; the latter facing her husband’s death head-on to become a reliable head-of-state that instilled growing confidence throughout the Commonwealth.

Airs Sunday 27 August at 8:50pm on SBS.

Spying on the Royals

The royal story only recently made available to the public. Source: Channel 4

In 1935, King Edward VII was carrying on an illicit affair with American socialite Wallis Simpson - a dalliance so potent it had the government watching and ultimately prompted the King to abdicate the throne. This thriller of a documentary ripped directly from recently declassified documents delves into the surveillance of the Royal Family and proves espionage was far more interesting before the invention of wiretapping technology.

Airs Monday 28 August and Tuesday 29 August at 7:30pm on SBS.

Diana vs Elizabeth

A daughter/mother-in-law relationship like no other, yet like all the others. Source: SBS

Few would have predicted following the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer that the British monarchy would never be the same again. Proving a mother-in-law/daughter relationship bares the potential for conflict no matter where one sits on the socio-economic scale, Diana vs Elizabeth unravels the tumultuous tale of two women who wanted very different things for the future of their homeland. This is a doco of other-worldly, yet strangely relatable significance.

Airs Wednesday 30 August at 7:30pm on SBS.

Inside Kensington Palace

New doco casts a spotlight on the palace William and Kate call home. Source: Getty

Attesting that the royal palace has always been more than a place for stuffy royals to do stuffy, royal things, Inside Kensington Palace knocks down the gates and exposes audiences to its rarely told stories. The lavish building might now house William, Kate and Harry’s sleeping quarters, but it was once home to Queen Victoria, and served as both an artillery base and German POW camp during WWII.

Airs Thursday 31 August at 8:35pm on SBS.

Royal Murder Mysteries

'Royal Murder Mysteries' separates fact from rumour. Source: SBS

As with any famous family, experts and laymen argue over the validity of rumours and scandals that dot the timeline of the British royal family. Never fear, Royal Murder Mysteries is here to prove your assumptions right or wrong through cold, hard evidence. By the end of this six-part series, you’ll learn, among other truths, whether or not George V was actually murdered by his doctor and if the Duke of Kent really died in a WWII plane crash.

Airs Saturday 2 September at 7:35pm on SBS.

The Other Boleyn Girl

Johansson and Portman headline 'The Other Boleyn Girl'. Source: Focus Features

No royal collection would be complete without a slice of fictional fancy, and The Other Boleyn Girl promises to satisfy even the most discerning tastes. Playing with the tabloid-ish tropes inseparable from the royal legacy, this delicious film starring Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman tells the tale of the Boleyn sisters – both of whom were romantically linked to the infamous Henry VIII. Leave all impulse to fact check at the opening credits and enjoy this gorgeous, outrageous riff on human history.

Airs Friday 1 September at 8:35pm on SBS.

Royals Week begins with Diana and the Paparazzi on Sunday 27 August at 7:30pm on SBS.

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4 min read

Published 25 August 2017 12:22pm

Updated 25 August 2017 4:36pm

By Evan Valletta

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