Elizabeth II: Making of a Monarch: Episode 1 (Channel 4 Saturday 5 August 2023)

Elizabeth II: Making of a Monarch: Episode 1 airs Saturday 5 August 2023 on Channel 4

What can we expect from this episode

This two-part documentary series offers a compelling look at Queen Elizabeth II’s early life through a selection of rare and never-before-seen photographs, video archive, and expert testimony.

The series reveals the public and private moments that shaped Elizabeth’s formative years and helped her become Britain’s longest-serving and most loved head of state, beginning with her extraordinary childhood and war service and continuing through her romance with Prince Phillip, her struggles juggling motherhood with royal duties, and her sudden, tragic ascension to the throne.

This episode traces the Queen’s eventful upbringing, from her birth in 1926 to her formative years in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

Elizabeth II: Making of a Monarch offers a tantalizing look at our Queen’s extremely eventful and character defining early life – shining a light on the events which shaped her Majesty into the amazing person and monarch she was.

We follow a cast of royal experts, including personal friend, of the late Queen Gyles Brandreth and royal historians Dr Ed Owens & Professor Kate Williams, as they dive into the world-renowned Getty Images archive. Uncovering unseen and super-rare pictures of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II, from her eventful childhood and wartime service through to a fairytale romance with Prince Phillip and her difficulties juggling motherhood with duty. These images give us an intimate look into the Queen’s life rarely seen by the public. This is the "Making of a Monarch".

Season 1 Episode 1

When can we see the episode

Elizabeth II: Making of a Monarch: Episode 1 airs Saturday 5 August 2023 at 18:15 on Channel 4

Featured image credit: Channel 4