This DVD is a great ?family tree? of the Royal Family since the 1800?s; it is enhanced with interviews of descendants and members of the Royal Family and pictures and footage of real people and places, and whilst it?s a history of the Royal family it?s also a history of the world! Presented in a two disc set this is not a DVD you will want to be without.

There are 6 episodes on the DVD and each tells the history of the characters that make up the Royal families of Europe.

Episode one:

The Father in Law of Europe. Go back in time to an era when arranged marriages between powerful families could ensure the success and safety of entire nations. King Christian the 9th of Denmark has eight children and eyes on the thrones on neighbouring countries who; unfortunately have Kings with no heir. Arrangements are made to ensure that ruling Kings will be married to suitable wives and have children to inherit their thrones, and before long The king of Denmark has children married to Kings and Queens all over Europe - he is colloquially known as the Father in law of Europe!

Behind this seemingly smooth coup are many hours of negotiations and diplomatic meetings. This Episode delves deep into the politics that brought about this remarkable chain of events and saw marriages made that would ensure the success of not only the Royal Family but of Europe itself.

Episode two:

The Family expands. Christian the 9th ?s eldest son, Fredrick marries the Swedish Princess Lovisa, proverbially ugly but rich enough for Fredrick to turn a blind eye. They inherited the Danish throne and have 8 children. They and their descendants rule Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Luxemburg, in one of the most prolific family affairs on record.

Episode three

Heirs to an empire. This episode features the British family’s Edward the 7th married Christians eldest Daughter Alexandra and they lived the high life in London. They were famous for their parties and court was never the same after they had ruled England.

Episode four

Love and revolution. Christian?s daughter Princess Dagmar marries Russian Prince Alexander the 3rd. This episode concentrates more on their son Tsar Nikolai the 2nd who was assassinated with his entire family in the Russian Revolution. Rumours of a surviving daughter have never proven true and this line of the family is now believed to be extinct!

Episode 5

Shaky Thrones. King Wilhelm another child of Christian the 9th is sent to Greece to sit on the throne of one of the most famous royal ruled countries of Europe. Wilhelm married his cousin Princess Olga from Russia, in another cosy arranged marriage.

Episode 6

Uncrowned Marriages. Not all the liaisons were a success and Christian?s youngest son never takes a throne although he is not short of offers. They also explain the link to the Monaco throne; Thyra the youngest daughter of Christian the 9th ends up living in Austria not ruling any country but descendants of theirs end up sitting on the throne of Monaco.

Brought to you by SBS this is a fabulous look at the goings on of this famous family, all the politics the back stabbing the negotiations are explained and vilified. The relationships of this family are hard to follow so this is a great way to get the inside edge!

I really enjoyed the format of this DVD factual and fascinating, this retelling of who?s who in Royal history kept me spell bound. The colourful history of these people and the impact they have on the entire civilised world is amazing. The interviews helped clarify who these people are and enabled an understanding of the power of Royalty. Well worth the effort this is a great DVD to add to any collection and will remain valid for years to come. Distributed by Roadshow/ SBS this is a great example of the quality programming you can expect to find from one of our best DVD houses.

CONCLUSION

Well I have to admit I am as obsessed with the European Royal Families as the next person, but had very little factual knowledge of this grand institution. Most of my dirt I get from second hand Women?s Weekly?s in the Doctors surgery, so when this came DVD was released of course I jumped at the chance to ?go behind the scenes?!