Private Lives of the Monarchs

Hampton Court and Whitehall Palace provide the backdrops for a man besotted by sensuality who presided over a court obsessed by sex. A 24-hour 'pox doctor' was constantly on call.

We see how a handsome and popular young man with exquisite manners, a witty conversationalist, the first gentleman of England, indeed, turned into a bloated, boorish and bullying monster who hated his son.

It turns out that Henry VIII was a bit of a prude, and shocked by the worldliness of Anne Boleyn; he had decent table manners, contrary to his image. The king's life eventually had to be adapted to accommodate his ever-increasing weight.