Private Lives of the Monarchs Season 1

Smithsonian Channel slips into the bedchambers and back rooms of Britain and France's royal palaces to discover the PRIVATE LIVES OF THE MONARCHS. Hosted by Tracy Borman, joint Chief Curator of the Royal Palaces, this five-part series uncovers the nitty-gritty, down and dirty and outright strange about the most iconic rulers of our history books - from the infamous Henry VIII to the "mad" King George III and up to Queen Victoria's long-lasting reign. The series takes Borman through the royal palaces and castles of these monarchs to seek out rare documents and artifacts that tell the hidden and illicit stories of their reigns - their affairs, ailments, drug use and more. PRIVATE LIVES OF THE MONARCHS premieres Monday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.