Europe’s Royals Revealed with Katty Kay
Once upon a time, the lives of kings and queens were ones of unimaginable luxury. But these days, they are swapping their horse-drawn carriages for bicycles and Downton Abbey for a downtown apartment. Journalist Katty Kay visits the crumbling castles and penthouse flats where Europe’s modern monarchs reside and reign. Along the way she tries to uncover if monarchy can survive in the modern world.
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Europe’s Royals Revealed with Katty Kay on BBC Select
Denmark
How does the Danish monarchy stay so popular and relevant in the modern era? In egalitarian Denmark, the royal family still enjoys enormous popularity. How do they do it? In this insightful documentary, Katty Kay heads to Copenhagen and discovers a monarchy with no pretensions. Regalia and ceremony are rarely witnessed, royal family
numbers are kept low and the Queen regularly mingles with her subjects. But occasional regal scandals can still shock the nation.
Norway
In Norway, Katty Kay discovers a modest monarchy with a distinctly wild, scandalous edge. Norway has no aristocracy, no minor royals and hardly even any private school system. Yet King Harald is loved by nearly all, par tly due to a lifetime of perceived good behavior. Katty Kay continues her deep dive into Europe’s monarchy and discovers that Norway’s royals are a mix of fierce tradition and bizarre modernity featuring shamans, ex-ravers and tabloid exposed scandals.
Belgium
Belgium’s king is beloved, but how can he stay separate from the nation’s brutal history? Belgium is a nation where, one politician quipped, the only uniting elements are football, beer and the king. King Phillipe has been a stable presence in a country rife with division. As Katty Kay discovers in this intriguing documentary, while the monarchy is appreciated, Belgium’s brutal, colonial history is not. How can these divisive factors reconcile themselves heading into the future?
Albania
Albania has no monarchy. Kitty Kay meets the prince that’s hoping to change that. Europe is littered with old thrones that have been lost to war, revolutions, and referendums. Many hope to stage a comeback. In Albania, the chances for a return to monarchy seem most likely. Kitty Kay concludes her revealing regal documentary by visiting the former communist state and meeting the man who dreams of ruling once again. But can he use the power of social media to return to the throne?
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