DOCUMENTARY

C4, 9pm We are bombarded with TV drama, but one of the most gripping family sagas of all time is the story of our royal family, which, in the guise of the Windsors, has battled for its survival for the last 100 years.

Strange to think that the royals’ family name only celebrates its centenary this year.

In 1917, when Germany were bombing Britain during the First World War, King George V had the brainwave to ditch the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

A touch of rebranding and they became the Windsors – altogether much more quintessentially British.

At a time when the country had a hatred of all things German, the clever marketing stunt saved the monarchy.

But as this docu-series reveals, there has since been four generations of crisis, beginning with George V’s wayward son Edward VIII, who nearly brought the dynasty crashing down with the abdication crisis of 1936.

Here, royal experts, family insiders and new evidence from archives reveal an insight into the Windsors’ survival. ALL ABROAD Amanda and Bill